Hmmm.....

Well, I figured out I enjoy reading blogs much more than I can make myself sit here and do my own blog.  Part of that is because everyone's blog I look at has kids and they are much more interesting and fun.  I don't really have a whole lot to talk about....I could share stories about my boys/dogs (Rex and Tyson), but not everyone would truly appreciate that....I could share about my day, but they seem to be pretty boring and lonely these days....I could share about our travels, but those are few and far between right now :)
Oh well.....I think I'll stick to what I do best....cooking and working out! 

As for the latest recipe, I haven't been mixing it up around here lately....and if I have, it usually hasn't been healthy.  Everything in moderation, right?? 
I did find these pics from a while back of a tilapia dish that we love to make.  I'm actually making it tomorrow. 

Tilapia w/ Mushrooms:
2 tilapia filets
Olive oil (or Canola oil)
Salt & Pepper to taste
Garlic Powder
Portabella mushrooms, finely chopped (I usually use about 5-7 whole shrooms for 2 filets)

Put the thawed tilapia in a baking dish coated with small amount of olive oil (I usually put foil in the bottom of the pan so it is easier clean uP).  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and LOTS of garlic powder.  Stick under the broiler for 5 minutes.  Take out of oven, flip tilapia and repeat steps.  When I say lots of garlic powder, I mean, coat it big time!  Meanwhile, chop the shrooms as small as you can.  Remove fish from oven for 2nd time and top with mushrooms.  Sprinkle lots of garlic powder on top of shrooms and return the filets to broiler for another 5 minutes.  The edges of the fish should start getting a little charred look.  I serve it with plain brown rice or couscous or just by itself.  It is DELICIOUS!   

 YUM! 

Exercise is so hard this time of year.  It is cold outside, you are busy with holidays and traveling, and it is cold outside.....I hate the cold!  I am actually trying to really embrace it this year and enjoy it.  I have told myself I can survive it and will appreciate it when I am trying to drag myself out in the 110degree heat in the middle of August this summer.  It is also a time of year when everyone is setting New Years Resolutions and that usually entails to exercise more and lose weight.  I hope everyone that has that goal can do it and stick with it because it will be so rewarding to your self-confidence and much more so your health!  Keep up the good work:)
When I left off, I was going through strength training exercises for different parts of the body.  My 2 favorite muscles to work are my biceps and triceps because I am always wishing/hoping for lean arms.  I definitely don't want to be bulky or anything like that, I just don't want to have saggy arms, ha. 
I recommend doing strength training 2-3 times a week for 30-40 minutes at a time.  Do each exercise below 2 times through with 8-15 reps each.
BICEPS
In & Out Curls
Hold 2 dumbbells (5-12 pounds, depending on your comfort level) and angle them 45 degrees with your elbows at your hips.  Curl up and down at a 45 degree angle with a count of Up 1...2..., Down 1...2... then do a regular straight curl with the same count (In---regular straight curl, Out----angled curl) Continue alternating for 8-15 reps   
One Arm Curls
Hold 2 dumbbells with elbows at hips like you are going to do a regular straight curl.  Curl one arm at a time with an extra little twist of the wrist at the top of the curl.  Alternate arms with out rocking back and forth.  Do 8-15 reps per arm.
TRICEPS
Chair Dips
Sit on a chair or bench or coffee table.  Extend your legs out in front of you (with feet still on the floor), you can bend your knees (easiest position) extend your legs out straight or put your legs up on a chair in front of you (hardest position).  Lift bottom off the chair and dip down while keeping your elbows pointed backwards and push back up.  Do 8-15 reps. 
Overhead Extension
Grab a 5-12 lb weight with both hands.  Hold the weight over your head with arms extended.  Keeping your elbows squeezed in, lower the weight behind your head to the neck and push back up toward the ceiling.  Do 2 sets of 8-15 reps each. 

For those of you that read this and know what is going on with us these days, I would appreciate any information you have on positions in central AR for a Registered Dietitian.  The job market is scarce right now and I am not having much luck!  Let me know if you know of any positions available at this point.  THANKS!
Have a great Wednesday!  Hope you can get out and enjoy the sunshine today :)
 

Christmas Gift or Just Because

The canvas I made below would be a great Christmas gift or a "Just Because" gift or house decor.  If anyone is interested in me personalizing one for them I can. 
I will charge $15 (plus S&H) for a canvas that size with a 4 letter name or an initial.  This canvas is 11x14.
I will charge $18 (plus S&H) for a bigger canvas with a longer name.
Email me: jlr1004@swbell.net or leave a comment on here if interested. 
Please pass this along to anyone you know that may be interested. 
Thanks! 

Off the Beaten Path

This post doesn't contain a yummy recipe or a workout.....

I have had A LOT of free time on my hands these days with no studying (YAY!) and no job (no bueno) so I have gotten crafty.  I have to find things to do to occupy my time here in the country :)

Dan and I had been looking for something to go over the toilet in our guest room.  We had a print there that we had gotten as a wedding gift and I still love that print, just wanted something different.  We ordered a canvas off of canvaspeople.com of a scenery picture we had taken at Petit Jean.  We got it in black and white....mistake.  It looks awesome and we LOVE it, but the black and white does not look good with our browns/creams/tans in the bathroom.  We should have gone with sepia or color.  Soooo......that's what lead to this project

MIA

MIA.....for a good reason! I have abandoned my blog for a couple weeks because I had to buckle down and spend every free moment I had studying. It was well worth all that studying because I PASSED!!! I am officially an RD! Yay! It is the biggest relief I have ever felt. I can't even explain it. Now I wake up and can do what I want to do. I don't feel guilty about reading my Runner's World, cleaning the house, going to see friends, shopping, watching the Today Show, etc. It is such a wonderful feeling. I feel very blessed that the Lord enabled me to pass the first time. We are now praying the Lord opens the door for a job soon. I have been encouraged the last couple of weeks because new jobs have been posted (where as there had been nothing before this) and I have put in my application. I have had one interview. So we are just waiting to see what the Lord has in store for me now. In the meantime...I will continue giving recipes and workout ideas! :)
Recipe
This recipe is one that Dan had to help me with. We did chicken & veggie kabobs. We look forward to the weekends so much (or at least I do a whole lot) because Dan usually always grills. It gives me a break from cooking but we still get to enjoy homecooked meals vs going out to eat and spending too much money :)
Chicken & Veggie Kabobs:
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into cubes
Italian dressing for marinading the chicken
1 red bell pepper
2 small zucchini
1 onion
or any variety of veggies you prefer
Skewers to put the food on for grilling
Dice the chicken into cubes and marinate in Italian dressing for a couple of hours.
If you are using wooden skewers you need to soak them for about 30 minutes in water to keep them from burning on the grill.
Cut the onion, zucchini, and bell pepper into bite size pieces that will fit on the skewers.
Assemble the skewers however makes you happy! We did a few pieces of chicken separated with several veggies on each.
Sprinkle with seasoning of choice (we used Nature's Seasoning) and grill. I can't give directions on grilling....that would be Dan the Man's job :)
They were DELICIOUS and so very healthy for you. I did a couple of skewers with just veggies b/c we had more veggies than chicken. The next day I heated the veggies over some brown rice and had that for lunch. It was perfect.
The finished product....mmmm!! My mouth is watering now!

The skewers before they had been grilled.

Dan working hard to assemble the skewers. So thankful for a husband that loves to grill and help out in the kitchen.

Workout

Strength training .....

I am going to start giving strength training moves for different muscle groups. Group 1: shoulders.

1. Standing Row (not sure if this is the proper title...but thats what I like to call them)

Get a dumbbell in each hand. Stand up straight with 1 foot slightly in front of the other and the dumbbells hanging down in front of you (arms straight and palms facing you). Pull the weights up to your chin while keeping your elbows above your wrists. Lower back down where you arms are straight. That is 1 rep.....do 10-15 reps.

2. Straight arm raise

Get a dumbbell in each hand. You will want to use light weights for this move so you don't hurt your rotator cuff. Stand up straight with 1 foot slightly in front of the other and the dumbbells hanging down in front of you (arms straight and palms facing you). Lift the weights straight out in front of you with a slight bend in your elbow so as to not put too much pressure on your rotator cuff. Lower back down and lift your arms straight out to your side with a slight bend in your elbow. Lower back down to the starting position. That is one rep...do 8-12 reps.

3. Overhead Press

There are several varieties of this you can do. I'll explain one. Grab a dumbbell in each hand. Lift above your head in the position that looks like your showing your muscles :) with palms facing the front. One arm at a time, twist the weight as you press it above your head (your arm should be straight and palm facing your head) and lower back down to the starting position. Alternate arms and do 10-15 reps per arm.

All of these moves will work your shoulders which is a major muscle group in your body. For girls, this is a great way to get lean looking arms without looking bulky. When working a major muscle group (shoulders, hamstrings, back, quads, etc.) you will burn more calories throughout the day.

Keep cooking and moving my friends!

Stir Fry and Ab Workout

Ok, now to the good stuff :)

We have been on this kick of stir fry. I have always heard how easy it is to make and how cheap so I finally decided to try it. It is true...super easy and super cheap! We do some chicken with our stir fry vegetables and serve it over plain brown rice.

Stir Fry Chicken and Vegetables

2 chicken breasts (thaw, cut into bite size pieces, marinate in Italian dressing)

1-16 oz package of Deluxe Stir Fry Vegetables (freezer section of Wal Mart, Great Value brand)

1 tbsp oil for chicken

2 tbsp oil for vegetables

2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

1 tsp ground ginger

2 tbsp cornstarch

1 cup cold water

Directions

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in large skillet (or WOK if you have one) on medium high heat

Add chicken and cook 5-6 minutes until done

Add 2 tbsp oil and 16 oz package of frozen veggies

Cook 4-5 minutes with the lid on

Mix soy sauce and ginger and add to veggies during the first 4-5 minutes

Combine cornstarch and water and gradually add to veggies after the 1st 5 minutes

Bring to a boil and cook for another 3-5 minutes until thickened.

With stir fry, the veggies are supposed to be a little crisp. I prefer mine more tender, which is why I cook with the lid on, to keep the steam in. It just depends on how you prefer it.

I have also bought a HUGE bag of Birds Eye frozen stir fry veggies that comes with the sauce already package for you. It is easier and cheaper than making the sauce yourself. I have done it both ways and they both taste very good. I have also used a mixture of shrimp and chicken. If you use shrimp, do not marinate before. Add it at the same time you add the vegetables to the pan and cook until they are pink.

Rice

1 cup brown rice

2 cups water

Combine in saucepan, bring to a boil

Cover with lid and reduce to simmer.

Cook 35-45 minutes.

I serve the chicken and veggies over the rice and add some low-sodium soy sauce to the rice after its on my plate.

I have got to learn how to take better pictures of my food. They are kind of boring. And pay no attention to the serving size. :)

I love this meal because it is sooo good for you and fills you up!

ABDOMINAL Workout

Your CORE is one of the most important muscle groups to keep strong. It helps you do things from cooking dinner to running marathons to lifting weights (or kids) to laundry. You use your core ALL THE TIME!

It is important to do AB workouts and take a day off in between. The day off will give your muscles time to rebuild and rest before you work them out again. That is true with all muscle groups but most people thing ABS are the exception. They are just like any other muscle group when it comes to working them out.

Here are a few moves I try to do about 3 times a week.Plank/Side Plank

Get on the floor with your forearms and toes holding you up. It will feel like push up position except you are using your forearms to hold you up verses your hands. Keep your butt down, your back straight, your CORE tight and your inner thighs squeezed tight. Keep your head and neck in line with your back (you should be looking straight down). Hold this position for 6o seconds. If you cannot do 60 seconds, start with 15 second intervals. Hold for 15 seconds, rest 10 seconds, hold 15 seconds, rest 10, etc. Build up to holding for a full 60 seconds.

Next, turn from plank to side plank. Keep your left elbow/forearm on the floor, turn towards your right side and position your feet one on top of the other. Put your right arm straight in the air. Hold your hip high, keep your CORE tight and legs straight out. Hold this for 45-60 seconds and switch the the other side and do the same.

I found pics online, hope that helps with my explanation above.

3 way CRUNCH

Sit Indian style and lay down with your legs still crossed. Once lying down, puts your hands behind your head and do a crunch. Concentrate on pulling your belly button into the floor. Do 15 reps. This will work the lowest part of your ABS.

Immediately switch to having your legs bent like a normal crunch. Keep your hands behind your head and do a crunch, still concentrating on your belly button. Do 15 reps. This will work your middle ABS.

Immediately switch to having your legs straight up in the air and cross your ankles. Keep your hands behind your head and do a crunch, still concentrating on your belly button. Do 15 reps. This will work the upper ABS.

The one I don't have a name for :)

Lay on your back with your legs straight out in front of you. Grab a dumbbell (I use 5 lbs) with both hands. Hold with your arms straight above your head. Push the dumbbell up (using your ABS) while bringing one leg straight into the air and make contact with dumbbell and foot. Come back down and do the same with the other leg, alternating legs. This should be a continous movement. When you come up with the weight you should be on your lower back/upper butt, balancing with your abs. I hope that makes sense...its hard to explain on here. Do 15 reps with each leg (30 total).

Hope you can decipher the ab workouts. It is a lot harder to explain a workout move without pictures. Maybe I'll have Dan take a picture or video of me doing the moves next time and it will be easier to explain.

Enjoy! Let me konw if your trying the recipes or the workouts!

Have a good week!

Wedding/Rehearsal Dinner Pics

Me and Lauren at the reception. I'm so glad we're friends! Lauren was my Maid of Honor at my wedding and her husband, Justin, was Brian's Best Man. So fun!

Mom with all the men in the wedding. All the groomsmen are like adopted sons to her. I love this picture. That's about all the wedding pics I have. I have lots from Rehearsal dinner though.

Me and my new sister-in-law!

Mom and Dad looking stylish in red. I'm so blessed to have them as parents!

Me and my handsome hubby!

Sydney and her family.

The bride and groom at rehearsal dinner. Love this pic of you guys!

My computer is being real weird right now so I am going to have to do a 2nd post with my recipes and workout......

Lately

Here is a glimpse of why I have not posted in a while.......
My brother got married this past weekend. I have been attending showers and working on getting ready for the big weekend. Everything was perfect and fun! I'll post wedding pics later.

Lauren (my best friend from high school who is married to Brian's best friend from high school) and I hosted a shower at Lauren and Justin's house. We did a "Home Depot Gift Card" Shower and watched the Hogs play Georgia.

A few pics of the decor....

This is Brian and Sydney (Brother and Sis-n-law) at their couples shower in LR hosted by my parents friends.

I forgot to take a pic of dinner last night but I'll still post the recipes.

We had grilled chicken, sweet potato fries, and a salad.

For the chicken, we just thawed it out, let it marinate in Italian dressing for a couple of hours then Dan grilled it. I have no clue how to grill or I would post some tips :) SORRY!

Sweet Potato Fries (my absolute favorite side dish)

2 sweet potatoes

Olive Oil

Natures Seasoning & Tony Cacheres Seasoning

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Wash potatoes and cut into steak fries. Put in a large gallon bag with 1/4 cup (estimating) olive oil. Shake till all fries coated. Pour onto a baking sheet and spread out evenly. Sprinkle with Natures Seasoning and Tony Cacheres. Bake 10 minutes and remove. Flip with spatula, season other side and bake 10 more minutes. Total baking time is about 35-40 minutes but you need to flip them every 10 minutes.

They are good for you & DELICIOUS!

Exercise

A couple weeks ago Dan and I decided to do a new workout together and for those of you who don't know...that is VERY rare. Dan works out on his own and does his own thing. He does not like to work out with me. I was so excited when he asked if I wanted to try this new workout he found in his Men's Health magazine TOGETHER. We were both pretty sore the next day from it. It only took us 20-30 minutes to do the whole workout so it definitely doesn't take much time to get in a good workout. What I loved about it was that it combined resistance and cardio so you got a little bit of both. If you're a runner it would be a great exercise to do if you do 2-a-days or if you're just trying to workout and stay in shape then its a great, short but beneficial workout.

Find somewhere you can mark off 40 yards to sprint. We went up to the community softball fields and just ran down the baseline.

1. Do 10 squats (no weights)

2. Sprint 40 yds

3. Do 10 push ups

4. Sprint 40 yds back

That is one set.

Repeat 5 times (magazine said 10 times but we had never done it so we started out with 5 and we were sucking wind by the end for sure)

We gave ourselves 1-2 minute break between each set.

Until next time....

Blog Revamp

Ok, so it has been FOREVER since I posted on this blog. I decided to revamp.

Last time I wrote, I was headed to UCA for the Dietetic Internship. Well....a year and a half later, I graduated from the internship. I am currently studying for my RD exam and looking for a job. I decided with my free time I am going to post recipes and pictures from the meals I cook and exercise/workout tips and ideas. I am very passionate about eating....and eating healthy...and working out. I love coming up with new, creative meals and hopefully I can inspire and motivate some of you to try something new!


I wish this had posted under the recipes, but some day I will figure all this out. The picture above is from dinner last night. Baked chicken, green beans, and oven baked fries. The picture below is the creamy honey mustard I made to dip the chicken in. YUM!

FOOD

Sometimes Dan and I really CRAVE fried foods because we rarely eat them. When we are craving fried foods I will make my "healthy" version of chicken strips and french fries and I always add a green vegetable in there too. Last night was one of those nights. I made chicken strips, baked fries, green beans, and a homemade honey mustard dipping sauce.

Oven Baked Chicken

4 chicken breasts (or you can buy already cut tenderloins)

1 cup oats

2/3 cup reduced fat parmesan cheese

2 tbsp parsley

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 cup Italian dressing

1. Thaw chicken and cut into strips. Marinate in Italian dressing for at least 1 hour if not longer.

2. Combine all the dry ingredients in a plastic bag.

3. Spray in a baking sheet with cooking spray.

4. Dip each piece of chicken in dry ingredients, coat thoroughly and place on baking sheet.

5. Once all chicken has been coated, spray the tops with cooking spray.

6. Place in a 400 degree oven for 30-35 minutes.

7. Remove and enjoy!

Homemade Creamy Honey Mustard

1/2 cup fat free sour cream

2 tsp dijon mustard

2 tsp honey

Mix ingredients until combined. Use for dipping oven baked chicken (and fries).

Oven Baked Fries

Baking potatoes

Season salt, Tony Cacheres, Nature's Seasoning (seasoning of choice)

Cooking Spray (I use olive or canola oil)

Cut potatoes into steak fries, coat with cooking spray and seasonings. Bake on 400 for 10 minutes, flip, recoat, and bake another 25-30 minutes.

This is not a regular meal around our house but it is one of our favorite splurge meals! It is a great way to fulfill the craving for fried foods without all the added fat.

EXERCISE

As most of you probably know, I am a runner. I have been for almost 7 years now, which seems CRAZY to me. I learn so much new stuff about running, exercising, working out, etc. every day that I feel like I still don't know everything I should know to be a runner. I hope I can give a little insight from what I have learned over the years that may help you in whatever exercise you enjoy. I definitely don't claim to know much but have learned a lot from past mistakes!

I do not run every day of the week. On my days off from running I cross train (XT). For XT I like to do some plyometrics. Plyometrics is a type of exercise that incorporates high impact, jumping moves to improve strength and power. It is a good substitute for speed workouts if you are looking for something different. Sometimes I will use a workout video or I will just do some things on my own. Yesterday was a video day.

A few of the exercises from the video that are my favorites include:

- Squat jumps: start in squat position and jump (making a full 180 turn) landing in a squat position. Repeat, turning back and forth for 30-45 seconds. Do as many reps as you can in that amount of time. This works glutes, hamstrings, quads, and core really well!

- Pogo jumps: stand on one leg with arms straight up, bend at the waist and touch fingertips to the floor. As you raise back up, jump on the one leg and land back on the same leg. Repeat for 30 seconds on each leg. This is great for your core because of the balance it takes to bend over and touch the floor. It is also great for calf strength.

- Wide in-and-out Abs: start on all 4's with your hands directly underneath your shoulders and your feet spread wide (plank position with feet wide instead of close together). Using your lower abs, jump your feet towards your arms and back to starting position (keeping them as wide as possible). Repeat for 30-45 seconds. This one is hard to describe but I hope that description helps. It is great for your abs, obliques, and shoulders.

Those are the only moves I will share with you today. More to come!

Hope you can enjoy these recipes as much as we have and maybe try some new exercise moves!

Have a great Wednesday!

Jenny Odom

UCA Bound

Dan's one of many fish he caught!

Just chilling and eating a little lunch.

Eric and April...my brother and sister-n-law.

My studly husband :) Driving up the river...freezing!

View from our backporch.

Hello All!

The news Dan and I have been waiting for all year finally was revealed yesterday. I was accepted into the UCA Dietetic Internship!!!!!! It starts May 18 and I will finish in August of 2010. After that I will be eligible to sit for my Registered Dietitian exam as well as have completed my Master's. I am so excited! I set my alarm for Midnight on Sunday so I could wake up and check it. Once I checked it, I didn't go back to sleep until about 4 and my alarm was set for 5 b/c I was meeting a girl at 5:30 to run. Needless to say, I did not get much sleep and I had to babysit all day yesterday. It was hectic but worth losing sleep over. I am so thankful the Lord worked everything out so perfectly. He knew I would be at UCA this whole time and He provided that house in Vilonia for us. That way it is a much shorter drive than if I had gotten into UAMS or Nashville :). Thank you Jesus! Nothing else going on here. I have my last final for school today and my last clinic for LEND tomorrow. We are leaving Friday to go to Nashville, TN for the big race! We are so excited about the weekend and I am somewhat nervous. I am praying the weather is perfect and my legs are strong! I know it will be a lot of fun even if the race isn't what I am hoping it will be. We are getting to see a lot of family and spend time with them and that will be well worth the trip. My cousin Valerie and my birthdays are next week so my grandma is having a little cookout for our birthdays after the race. It will be great. I'll post pics later.

Thanks for all your prayers for the internship. I know the Lord heard and He definitely provided. The pics I am posting today are from our White River trip a couple of weekends ago. I finally downloaded them onto the comp.

God Bless!

Overdo

Hey guys,

I realize this is long overdo but at least I am getting to it now! Since the last update a lot has changed in our lives. A brief up date is as follows:

We have bought a house in Vilonia, AR. We close on May 1 and will be moving, painting, and laying hardwood those first 2 weeks of May. We are super excited! I will post some before and after pics later! That will put Dan 30 minutes closer to work so he is pumped about that....as well as am I so I will see him sooner in the day :)

I find out in 7 days about the internship. I will update when I know something about that.

I have one more LEND class and 2 clinics until my UAMS class is up and one more class and a final before stats is over for the semester! I am super ready for that. Friday is my big presentation on my research project and leadership project for LEND. It makes me extremely nervous to talk in front of people but it is real informal so that helps. Once I do that I am finished...so that is incentive to get it over with too!

My marathon is in 2 weeks. I am finished with long runs and ready for the race! I feel very good about it. All my long runs were good and within my goal time so I am hoping that the week of the race is the same. I know it will be good no matter what! I am just excited about a mini-vacation and time with the family.

Dan bought a new car! I don't remember if I told y'all that but he got a 2008 black Altima. We love it. Gas mileage is 10x better than the ole truck. We miss the truck but are happy about saving money for now.

Dan and I went fishing this last weekend on the White River with Eric and April. It was so much fun! We got there late Friday and fished all day Saturday and then enjoyed some Tommy's Famous pizza Saturday night. We caught lots of fish and are ready for a fish fry!

I am currently babysitting my friend Timbre's son...Mason. He is a cutie patootie! He's a rotten little boy but so fun to be around. He is 4 months this week. I don't know what I am going to do at the end of April as far as keeping him more. I keep him 2x a week now but when I find out about the internship next week we will decide about if I continue to keep Mason. I was tutoring a girl for about a week also. She is a dietetic student at UCA that was struggling in Physiological Chemistry 2 but ended up dropping it after the first week of tutoring. Guess that's not my calling in life :) Oh well!

I think that is a brief update on us. I will try to do better from now on.

Hope y'all are having a wonderful Monday.

God Bless!

Catching up

Above is our neighbor's son, Brayden, with Rex. He asked me how much I would take for Rex last night and offered up $1000. I told him there was no money in this world that could buy Rex from me. He is my baby boy!

Me and Libby in the chair. She found her spot on the couch real quick. If she's not in our lap that is where she is laying.

Dan had out the cheese. They were being good!

This is the cabin we stayed at in Jasper. So cute!

Resting after having gone through the cave.

Photo looking out of the cave to the entrance.

Dan loves when I take photos of him :)

Waterfall we climbed up.

Well, I have gotten a little behind. Where did I leave off...

That's right, Daniel and I were headed to Altus to hang out with Lauren and Justin and the McCains. We had a blast. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures, but we had fun. We wine tasted at all 4 wineries and had dinner at Wiedekher's, which was delicious. It snowed on us the whole time, which was not fun to me. After all the wine-tasting and dinner we headed back to the McCain's to play a little Sing Star. If you haven't played it, you need to. It was so much fun. And for those of you who know me, know that I am a HORRIBLE singer---but nonetheless, I still enjoyed.

The next weekend, Dan and I went to Jasper, AR for his birthday. Back up a couple of days and his birthday celebration was Wednesday (even though his bday wasn't until Thursday). I sent him on a scavenger hunt on his way home from work and then he ended up at the house where I was cooking a candlelight dinner. I think he enjoyed it. My goal was to make him feel special, I think it worked. On his actual bday, I went to work with him and then we celebrated that night with dinner at Kanpai's with his family. It was so yummy sushi! Finally, Friday we left for Jasper. We stayed in a log cabin that was awesome! On Saturday we slept in, got up, made breakfast, laid around then went hiking for the afternoon. We went into a cave that had a cool waterfall. It was just beautiful. Dan goes all the time so I was excited to finally see what he loves so much. I was not disappointed at all. After hiking we had dinner at the infamous Ozark Cafe. It was good except for the raw fish they served me. No worries...we got our dinner free. After dinner we went back to the cabin and played dominoes until 2 AM. And for those of you who know Dan and I...we don't stay up that late, EVER! So it was lots and lots of fun...we laughed a ton and just enjoyed the beautiful weekend in the mountains. We came home Sunday and went to LR for Dan's final bday celebration at my parents. Dad cooked steak and sweet potato fries. It was delicious. Then started another busy week.

I had my final Saturday class this weekend and had to give an oral report. All went well there. Glad that is over with. We played the Wii with our neighbor and his son last night. We are also keeping Libby...Dan's parent's toy poodle. His grandpa is in the hospital and not doing very well so they have been staying with him for the last few days. We are dog sitting until further notice. Rex and Libby love each other. THey do get very jealous of each other though. Today has been productive. Dan put some weed-killer in the yard, I cleaned house, we got groceries and worked out, now we are about to get showered and do some grilling. I love days like this!

Anyways, enough for now. I will get back to you sooner than later.

God Bless!

The above pic is just one I love of my two favorite boys! Aren't they cute?! These are just a couple pics from where Dan hikes in Jasper. That is him sitting on the ledge in the pic below.

I haven't updated you since I got Tyson back. He is one little toot! Once we got him home safely, Daniel bought new boards to nail up to the fence where he had chewed his way through AND put chicken wire at the bottom to keep him from digging out. Well, that worked for that spot! He has found a new spot to dig. We put bricks up and that kept him away all last week. This weekend we were out of town and when we got back....we found Tyson chewing on the gate! What are we gonna do with him? He has now chewed a hole big enough for his head to fit through. He will stick his head through and howl until we come out there at yell at him. He is just wanting some attention and boy has he gotten some attention since all this started. We chained him back up to the deck and he has been ok since then. We made an appointment to get him nutered on Tuesday to see if that will help calm him down. That boy is crazy!!!

Last weekend was so fun! I went to a cooking and wine tasting class with my mom on Friday night. We made some YUMMO food and has to great wine. It is in the RiverMarket and it is called Uncorked! Live. It is pretty fun. They do it once a month so I think we will be taking the boys back for that. Dad would love it. Saturday we woke up to rainy, cold weather so I waited until that afternoon to do my long run. I had breakfast with my good friend LJ (Laura Jennings :)) and then headed to the river for a 15.5 mile run. Felt great running, which is a good sign at this point in the training. After the run, Dan came to LR and we grilled fajitas and had margaritas at Mom and Dad's with them and the Russell's. It was a good time....maybe a little too much fun was had! :)
I mentioned Dan came to LR on Saturday....that is because he went to Jasper with all his guy friends on Friday and stayed at the infamous Gordon Motel and hiked in the Ozark Mtns on Saturday. He loves those trips they take. Everytime he comes back he just raves and raves about how beautiful it is and how much he wants me to go sometime. So, we booked a trip this next weekend. His birthday is March 5 so for his bday we are going to stay in a log cabin (sorry Gordon's) and hike some trails for the weekend. I am so excited to finally get to see this place. He usually goes 3-4 times a year with his friends so this will be a new experience for him :)

But before the fun trip to Jasper, we are making a quick trip to Ozark/Altus!! That's right, to my old stomping grounds. We are meeting my best friend Lauren and her husband Justin in Ozark on Saturday to stay with Mr. Mack and Mrs. Chris. We are going to do some wine tasting on Saturday and eat at Wiedekehr's Saturday night in Altus and probably play a little Sing Star at the McCains. We are looking forward to it so much. We haven't seen them in forever!

Dan just looked at the weather for Altus though and the high is supposed to be 40 degrees and there is a 40% chance of rain and snow on Saturday! AHHH....I don't do well in the cold.

Anyways, I'm off to hang out with my hubby on this Friday afternoon...which is a rare occurance so I am pumped!

Have a good weekend! God Bless.

Tyson Update

We found Tyson!
He had gotten picked up by the police/animal shelter on Sunday morning (not real close to here) and I went out to get him Monday afternoon. The lady was very gracious. We are supposed to get fined $20 for each tag he does not have on when they pick him up. Well, Ty had gotten out of his collar and didn't have any tags but Dan told her on the phone that they were on his collar in the yard. At one point, they were on his collar but not that specific day. He had gotten those off his collar sometime last week so before I went to retrieve him I got the vet to print new ones and put them on his collar. The lady at the animal shelter knew they were brand new but chose to let us go on the fee. We still have to pay since he is not nudered and was running "at large." We should really think about getting him nudered. They said if he was then we wouldn't get a fine but they can't have him going around procreating :) OH Ty-Ty! He has been a mess lately.
Rex got through his minor surgery alright. He was pretty lethargic that evening and had to wait 4 hours to eat. He did not like that. And...when he eats he has to have soft food. They told me to water his food down..how sad. Today is the last day of that. He is doing great and will finally let me get a good look at his teeth. They look good! No more stains for Rexinator! Now the challenge will be to keep up the scrubbing each week. I am going to do my best b/c it is a chore.
Well, thanks for the prayers! We got our baby back so hopefully he stays this time.
Have a good week.
God Bless!

Missing our baby!

Here are some pics of our missing baby! If you are in Conway and happen to see this handsome pit running around...it is prolly Ty! Grab him up and give me a call :)

Hey everyone!

Well, it has been a sad weekend for us. We woke up yesterday (Sunday) morning to find Tyson had gotten out of the fence and is no where to be found. We looked for a while yesterday but have no idea if he got out in the middle of the night or early that morning? He could be anywhere. BUT, with him being a pitbull, not many people like seeing those on the loose and more than likely someone called the animal shelter and they picked him up. They don't open until 10 today so as soon as we can we are going to call and pray that they have him. If not, please pray we can find him. We are really sad without him. Rex even knew something was wrong yesterday. He knew Dan was really down and sad and he kept coming up to him and loving on him and just sitting with him. It was so sweet!

On another note, Rex just got dropped off at the vet for his first teeth cleaning. For those of you who don't know, they put dogs to sleep to clean their teeth. He has some major plaque issues and stinky breath issues. Last time we went to the vet he told us to get this under control or Rex would end up with gingivitis real soon :( We tried brushinig but it was stuck on there pretty good. We finally gave in and decided to go this route. I know he will be fine. He was put under when he got fixed and had no complications with the anesthesia so I am sure he will make it ok. Oh yeah, and Rex's 3rd birthday is this week. I am going to take him to Petsmart if he does well at the Vet to find a new toy! I cannot believe I have had him for 3 years now. It is crazy! So Happy Birthday to Rex! Donations to his food bank are welcome :) Just kidding!

As for Dan and I, we are doing great! We are loving this beautiful weather, as everyone is I am sure. Dan is still chugging a long at work every week and doing very good at his job. The office got broken into Friday afternoon but thank goodness for security systems. The alarm must have scared them off b/c they got out of there without stealing anything. I am still working on my applications. I have to handwrite my Vanderbilt letter today and finish my Lipscomb letter. Once I do that and get all my recommendation letters back I will be FINISHED!! That is a good thing since they are due a week from today. Gosh, I get nervous thinking about it! It is all good though. If I am supposed to get in, I will. The LORD will provide. We have no plans for Valentine's day. We are just gonna take it easy and enjoy spending time together. It is supposed to be pretty so we might have a fun outdoorsy day. We shall see. Hope everyone has a wonderful day. I will post later with updates on Tyson!

God Bless!