Two date nights, Two different ideas...

In tune with our adventures, Matt and I each planned a special treat for the other, to celebrate our three year milestone. My being the impatient one, I decided to share my special event  first. Everyone knows that Matt loves, loves, LOVES going to the movies. It is his way to relax, check out from reality and enjoy the story. He loves going so much so, that he often lets me pick out what I want to see, chick flicks and all, and will happily go with me! Me on the other hand, I'm not a big movie buff, but I like seeing movies with him.

Idecided that I was going to treat my lovey to a drive-in movie experience. I just found out about the drive-in theater in Hockley, and turns out, it isn't THAT far from Houston. I ventured to Whole Foods, got all of Matt's favorite treats, including popcorn, packing a little ice chest and we were off to the drive-in. Now, I have to share, I WAS SO EXCITED. Here we were, out in the country, with our picnic dinner, seats folded down, hatch open, and watching a movie under the stars. We had such a fun time!! We saw Moneyball, and I thought it wasn't that great (at least to me) but Matt really liked it. Check him for the reviews..... it was a wonderful experience and a special date night treat! I can't wait to go back!! It was a wonderful way to kick off our celebration weekend :)

Now let me just start with, Matt's plans for our anniversary weekend blew my movie treat out of the water. He started off the day, cooking breakfast, packing our bags into the car, and off we went to Hyatt Lost Pines, right outside of Bastrop! Excitment doesn't begin to explain my thoughts, because ever since I started living in Austin, I have wanted to go to this beautiful resort. I would always pass by, and gaze at the sign, dreaming that one day, I would get to see and experience it all. My sweet lovey brought this experience to life for me, and let me just say, WHAT AN AMAZING experience it was. Walking into the resort, you feel a million miles away from everything, as this place truly feels like an oasis. The hill country has and always will be one of our favorite places, so its no surprise that we fell in love with Hyatt Lost Pines. We started the adventure with a trip to the pool, going around the lazy river a few times, enjoying cocktails, and laying out by the adult only pool. That evening, Matt treated me a wonderful dinner at their prime location, Stories. Delicious doesn't even begin to describe the food. AMAZING!! After dinner, we went to the lounge, enjoyed some blues music, played a little pool, where I did beat Matt (hey, 1 our of 3 games works for me), played a little dart game. We ended the night dancing a bit to the music, then took a stroll around the property. Ahh, this place is gorgeous!! On Sunday, we did a quick work out (something we have both come to enjoy doing together) and then breakfast was waiting in our room. Here are a few pictures from our adventures at Lost Pines. Cannot WAIT to go back!!

Our number is Three

Life happens, whether it by in three days, three weeks, three months, or in my case, three years. Yesterday marked three years since Matt and I started dating. THREE YEARS!?!?! WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE?!?! We have been through so much, not only as a couple, but as individuals. It amazes that I've only known this man for such a short time, because it truly feels like I've known him forever. From the day we met, I knew there was something special about him. I'm guessing he feels the same way about me....but hey.....I'm not speaking for him!  :)

We always like to say we are going on adventures.... We joke about The Adventures of Matt and Cortney. Our adventure continues each and every day. I am so excited to see where this adventure continues to lead us.

Happy Three Years my love, here's to many more.....

A Day worth waiting three years for....

My life changed completely when I met my best friend three years ago. I knew from the moment we first went out, that this was going to be something special. God had a plan for us, and that plan keeps developing each and every day.

 

All of you know that M and I have never lived in the same city...he has always been in SA, and I in Austin, and just recently I made a career move to HOU. While I was full steam ahead on the career front, I was nervous about my decision and how it could/would effect our relationship. Would there be the perfect position for M in HOU? How long would this transition take for him? I prayed (and boy did I PRAY) that this transition would be smooth and quick process, but God has a sense of humor, and I am learning to admire that about Him. :) After a few kinks in the plan, I can finally say, that my best friend now lives only 20 minutes away from me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are both calling Houston home, and I couldn't be more excited. M accepted a job as a counselor at the prision, and he is excited to start working on Wednesday. I'm excited about our relationship changing from a "long distance" relationship....to a relationship. NO MORE LONG DISTANCE!!!!!! I am so excited for this next chapter in our lives, and I can't wait to see how God continues to mold us and our relationship and we only had to wait three years for this day to come...

Keep that candle burning

I struggle on a daily basis with my feelings on where I am with my life. When you are a little girl, you dream of what your life will be when you are in your late 20s....and true to form, I thought I would be married, living in a house with my sweet husband, and MAYBE have a baby by now. Now that I'm actually in my late 20s, I am THANKFUL for my life just the way that it is. I have a wonderful man in my life, a man that is my best friend. I have an amazing career that I didn't dream possible, nor did I ever think I would be in a manufacturing environment. My dreams are still my dreams, but the timing of it all has shifted.

 

BUT God has other plans for me. He is leading my path through an amazing career, through an amazing life with my best friend, through the maze of the "Houston" lifestyle. His plans are so far greater than mine own, but I struggle to keep the faith that He has the best intentions for me. That is a hard truth to admit, but my faith wavers on a daily basis. I am working so hard to keep my faith, to keep on this journey.

 

Right now, I struggle with the fact that he has led my path to Houston, but he has left Matt in San Antonio. When is He going to lead Matt to Houston or to the same city for that matter? Only time will tell. My faith needs to grow in the fact that He has our (mine and Matt's) best intentions at heart, and if He wants us together, then He will bring these paths together. I am trying not to waver. But it is a daily struggle.

 

Today, He knew exactly what I needed to hear (or read). I follow another blog, Chapters, where she talks about her daily stuggles. I do not know her personally, only through the blogging world, but each time I read her blog, and even though our lives are nothing alike, I identify with her words, with her prayers, with her stuggles. While our stuggles are completely different, the are the same in the fact that we want our "status" to change in life. That we want to control it, but we both know He is the only one who can control our paths. She posted this prayer,

 

Lord, help me to find my Ultimate identity in you...not my status in this life.  Give me the strength to care about what you think of me and ONLY what you think of me. Help me to maximize my time for your glory somehow even when I feel so weak. Or, truthfully, so afraid that "today" is a picture of "forever".  Please take these blah feelings and turn them into contentment.  God, make me undistracted in my affections for you.

 

WOW!! Talking about a sucker punch of greatness!! This prayer struct a MAJOR cord with me and will now be apart of my daily prayer. I don't blog about this for sympathy or for anyone to pity me. I blog about this so I can document my feelings, so I can make strides to change each and every day. Call me crazy, but my Type A personality tends to make me journal. However long it takes, I am on this journey for the long haul. I love my life, I love my family, I love my Matt, and I love God. Now to keep my faith candle burning......

Common Theme

Life is getting ready to tail spin out of control, but if I have my way (and I am known to get my way from time to time), it will be a bit of a controlled chaos. I can handle this.

I am starting a new adventure, a new chapter, a new journey in the next two weeks. I have accepted an offer for a new position with a company in Houston. YES HOUSTON. I am ready to get back to my roots. I am taking this job for many different reasons professionally, but the main reason personally is because I love my family so very much, and am now JUMPING as the opportunity to be closer to them.

You might wonder how Matt feels about all of this. Well, I am very thankful (and thrilled) that he is so supportive, and so excited with this new adventure as well. He is applying for jobs in Houston, so those of you reading this little blog, please pray for him to find the perfect position, QUICKLY. I thought our long distance relationship between SA and Austin was hard enough....now I feel like I haven't even met hard until I move to Houston. We are praying for a smooth transition.

Another new aspect that comes along with taking a new job is finding the perfect place to call home. I've never lived in Houston, so I'm beyond excited at the chance I have to live in the heart of the city, but best of all, I get to live with my best friend, my sister. Which sister you may ask..... Kim. (Kasey, you are my best friend too). :) Kim and I will be living together for the first time since we lived at our parents nearly 9 nears ago. How lucky are we, that later in life, we get to go on this adventure of living in the big city together. EEKKK I can't wait!

So my common theme today is new. New adventure, New Journey, New Chapter in the crazy thing called life. 

Birthdays!

Birthdays are a wonderful celebration of life, a time to reflect on the past year, time to look forward to the next year. I love celebrating birthdays, and it comes as no surprise that I love celebrating the people I love. M had a wonderful birthday this year (at least I like to hope). His sweet family came down on Friday, we spent the day hanging out, going to a wonderful lunch, great movie, and topped it all off with a delish dinner on the Riverwalk. It was such a treat to have them in SA :)

On Saturday, M's family had to get back, so we went fishing at Choke Canyon. M is such a fisherman! He loves spending time on the lake, hoping for the next big catch. It is by far his most favorite thing to do with his Dad. We have been dating 2.5years, but yet, we have never been fishing together. I respect that this is a "man" activity, and I did not want to tread on those "waters." BUT I knew how much he loved fishing, so I thought, what a better way to spend the rest of his birthday weekend. So I gathered all the fishing supplies, our fishing "outfits" (because of course you need an outfit to fish in) and packed a picnic. While the big fish got away that day, we had the most wonderful time outside, enjoying the lake, enjoying each other's company, and I actually enjoyed M teaching me how to fish!

I am so thankful to have M in my life, thankful for his peaceful demeanor, thankful for his sweet smile, and his gracious heart. What a wonderful year ahead, and I can't wait to see what this year has in store for him. Happy Birthday M!

Riverwalk with the family

Birthday boy and his sweet Mom. 

Birthday cake bites!

Here fishy fishy!

Enjoying the scenery, waiting on the fish to bite!

 I look forward to many more fishing trips with my fisherman. What a wonderful birthday weekend. 

Spontaneity is entering my life.

I am not a spontaneous person, but rather, I am a planner. My life is indicative of needing plans, between M in SA, me in Austin and our wonderful families spread across the state, a plan is always necessary to make sure we have time for ourselves, each other and our families. I love having a plan, our weekends are planned from now until the first of July. Most people would shudder at this fact, but I welcome it, because I know it will be spent with people that we love.

But, back to this spontaneous bug I caught. My friend J invited me to Vegas for the weekend, and it just so happened that I didn't have ANY PLANS!!! So two weeks prior to the trip, I booked my plane ticket, and she booked the hotel. We were all set! I couldn't wait :) This trip was exactly what I wanted, what I needed, to get away from it all!

Vegas was incredible. The time with sweet friends was amazing, and on top of all of that, we got to see CELINE DION!! What a wonderful treat, and a genuine performer. Crossed one thing off the bucket list. Here are so fun pictures from our great weekend.

So thank you sweet friend for inviting me along for a wonderful weekend trip. So thankful for you and grateful for the spontaneity you brought into my life that weekend!

WW 14

Weight watchers week 14 is behind me, and I am two pounds lighter! YIPPEEE!!

This week I signed up to participate in the Challenge Walk, taking place on 5/21. I am going to build myself up to a 5K, and I want to run the entire thing. Training starts today, and I haven't run anywhere, every in my life. Wish me luck, I"m going to need it!

Total weight loss to date : 16.2lbs

Goal by June 30,2011: 30lbs lost

Product Review: Dry Shampoo

Every woman has that one vanity item, that one thing about themselves that they love. My one thing is my hair. Call me vain, call me shallow, but I love my hair. It's the one thing I can control, manipulate and shallac into what I want it to do.

But what I hate, is that I have to wash it every single day. Such a beating. I realize there are bigger problems in the world, and yes bigger issues within our lives, but sometimes, washing your hair every single day is such a chore. Because then you have to fix it, every. single. day.

Well, I have found the miracle product. 

BIG SEXY HAIR: Volumizing Dry Shampoo

This stuff is incredible. Not only does it give my hair the fresh, just blow dried, just straighten, just spent a hour trying to make it look nice "look" but it turns my hair into volume over drive. I am now training my hair to go every other day without a wash. So far, it has been so easy with this product! I just wish I would have known about this stuff sooner, then I could have saved so much time. Oh well, live and learn.

Try it, let me know if you like it!

WW 13

So it has been 13 weeks of weight weights, and so far I am down by 14lbs. Last week I was down by 16.2lbs...but I  just had to go and gain 2.2lbs to make this a bit more of a challenge. I know what I did, and I know what put those two pesky pounds back on, and today when I go weight in, I am hoping I lost those, because I am leaving in them in the past.

Last weeks meeting was one of the best meetings I've been to since I've started the program. I'm not one to talk about my weight, to share with pure strangers my struggles, my highlights and my lowest of low points, but with this group, I share. I share stories of what works, what doesn't work, and why I am taking on this new lifestyle. Other women share there stories, and I relate to each and every one of them. I have met some amazing women, who encourage, inspire and guide me on this journey to my new, healthier lifestyle. God knew this is what I needed, and each week, I find myself more and more happy to get on the scale, even if I gain two lbs.

WWW 12

Goodness, I can't believe it has already been 12 weeks since I started WW!!

SO last week I skipped my meeting, and slapped myself on the wrist a few times, because it had been a bad week and I was too chicken to go weight in. I didn't need them telling me that I had gained weight, because I could feel it, and it didn't feel good. SO I worked extra hard the following week, and stayed on track as best I could.

Insert a baby shower, then a birthday weekend into the mix, and I probably was off track more than I was on. The past two weeks between the parties, travel, and family and friend dinners, I wasn't doing that good, but I wasn't completely derailed. As I ventured to my meeting last night, with my jeans a little looser, I caught myself feeling excited to hit the scale. Oxymoron? HAHAHA

Well I am happy to say that I lost 5LBS in the past two weeks, bringing my total weight loss to 16.2LBS since 1/4/2011 :) What I realized is that I can stay on track very easily during the week, but my weekends are a challenge. I am striving to make this weekend the weekend of change. No more eating bad on the weekends, its time for good choices, no matter what the circumstance.

I sense a spring shopping trip coming on....

Rodeos, Sports, and Cowboys!

(Please excuse that the posts are a little out of sync, just trying to journal all the experiences)

This past weekend was probably one of the busiest weekends I've had in a very long time, but it was also one of the greatest.

It all started out meeting my sisters and brother at the HSLR to watch Rascal Flatts! How much fun! The concert was amazing, and I am so fortunate that we all enjoy spending time together. It was a blast to say the least.

On Friday, I went to have lunch with my very dear friends, Kyle and Jeremy. Kyle moved to Houston a few years ago, and while I hated to see him leave Austin, I knew it was what he needed to do. We had the best time at Pappasitos :) That afternoon I went to the hospital, because the time had arrived for Blayne to make his debut. Jenna was induced earlier that morning, and we were so excited, and waited in anticipation for this sweet baby to arrive. Well, he was snug as a bug in a rug, and 12 hours later, the drs decided he wasn't going to come naturally. Blayne Allen Ryder was born Friday, 3/11/2011, and we are so very thankful he is healthy, not to mention strikingly handsome!

On Saturday I finally made my way to my parents, to start the baby shower preparations for Taryn's "little cowboy" shower. I started preparing the food, organizing the house, and getting everything in order for party. I love a good party, can't ya tell? Menu planning is usually my part of the shower planning, and I get so excited when its time to plan what I will make/serve. Since this was a Cowboy theme, we went with the following southern menu:

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Fried Mac-n-Cheese Balls

Bleu Cheese Coleslaw

Pimento Cheese Bites

Meg and I also made a diaper cake. I have to say, I was pretty excited about how it turned out. On Sunday everyone started arriving at 1pm, and Taryn and baby Lincoln were showered with love and so many presents! Here are a few pictures of the fun day!

What a wonderful weekend! I am so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends to share this crazy life with. You may wonder where Matt was in all of this....well he was in South Texas fishing his little heart out with his Dad. Well planned on his part to be fishing while I was doing baby shower things :) I can't wait to see him this weekend!!! We have an exciting weekend planned, but I can't divulge the details just yet.

60th Birthday Surprise!

Family. You have heard me talk about family, family and more family. I am a big family person. My family means the world to me, so by the grace of God, Matt has a wonderful family that he loves and loves to spend time with as well. His family is absolutely amazing, and this weekend, we came together to surprise his dad for his 60th birthday. I am so grateful for Matt's family. We had the best time preparing for the party, anticipating the arrival of the birthday boy, and then the visits with friends and family were priceless. Here are a few pictures from the great weekend...

Sweet family 

SURPRISE!! I love G's face, he was so happy about the surprise :)

 YUMM-O german chocolate cake (and I don't even LIKE cake!) 

 Love my party planning partner!

 Denim jackets are the cool thing, didn't you know?

 And where would I be without this wonderful man? Love him :) 

Thank you Lin for taking amazing pictures this weekend! :) 

Life isn't alway full of smiles....

Today isn't my best day. I find myself on the brink of snapping at someone at work, on the verge of tears at my desk and on the edge of losing my mind. I am at a crossroads, and I am not a fan. Every little thing is driving me crazy, every little piece of information sends my mind further into madness, and all I want to hear is a soothing voice, telling me it will all work out and it will all be ok.

Today isn't my best day. Now how can I improve it?

Static Week

It has been two months since I have started WW and I am LA LA LA LOVING this program. I do not feel like I am on a diet, but rather, I am on a journey of changing my life. My mind has changed so very much in the last eight weeks. I read food labels like it is going out of style, as before, I would just through it in the basket. I am trying new fruits and vegetables, when before, I would stick to my apples and bananas. I am measuring my portions, when before I would pile it on my plate. I am eating for energy, instead of eating because the food is in my presence.

This week at my meeting, I didn't lose a pound, I didn't gain a pound. It was a static week. I AM SO VERY THANKFUL for this static week, because the wedding got me, and it got me good. While I was very strict on what to eat vrs what they were offering, the alcohol was my weakness. In the past two years, I haven't been much of a drinker. My tolerance for alcohol is at rock bottom, so by the second drink, I wasn't worried about the ramifications of what the drinks would do to my week of weight loss. Many drinks later, I decided to indulge in Whatburger with the rest of my family. Do not ask me what possessed us to stop, but after all that dancing, we were hungry (and acting slightly ridiculous at the same time...pictures below....)

So here is to another week.... praying that I will stay on track!!!

A slow week

This past week I attended my WW meeting and did NOT feel a sense of "skinny." And my goodness my instict was dead on, because I had only lost .2lbs. BUMMER!! But then the sweet lady behind the desk celebrated my wieght loss, and then I realized, HEY I DIDN"T GAIN!!! WAHOOO!!

So now, I have taken a very, very, very active role, writing down every BTL (Bite, Taste or Lick) into my journal. Hopefully next week, I will have a better week. If not, then its high time I meet with my leader one on one to figure out why I'm not reaching my goals each week.

One of my concerns is about going home this weekend. We are going to a wedding on Saturday, and I have already told myself to eat before I go, because who knows what types of foods will be there. I will also be limiting my alcohol intake, because that adds on the calories tremendously!! To make matters a bit easier, I packed a little ice chest to take home with me. Call me crazy, but I am not going to eat bad just because of poor surroundings. I LOVE my mom and LOVE her cooking, but I have to avoid it this weekend. So I have packed my italian turkey sausage, spinach, mushrooms, WW chicken caccatorie (that I cooked last night), and some fruit. Yes, I realize I can get all of this at the grocery in my hometown, but hey, I'm not going to spend MORE money at the grocery store, when I have all this stuff at home. I'd rather haul it around, than buy it again!!

One another note, I have started a little walking club during my lunch break. Some of the women from the office have joined me each day this week for a brisk 30-45 minute walk in the park, and it has been amazing. I feel so much better throughout my day, and I am hoping this really starts to help with my goals.

So here is to another week on my new WW lifestyle! Trying to change my look, while changing my mindset :)

Weekend Adventures

Who doesn't love a weekend? I haven't met a person in my life that doesn't love the weekend. It's a time for rest, time to get things done around the house, tie up the loose ends from the week, and time to spend some QT with the people you love the most. Weekends are very precious to me, because it is the only time I am able to see Matt. This SA-ATX relationship is weighing on my heart, and Matt knows it. It becomes very apparent on Sunday afternoons when its time for him to leave, and I get misty-eyed. Pathetic, yes. Oh well.

So back to our weekend. What a lovely weekend in Austin it was! We started out by going to "That Takes the Cake" in North Austin, where amateur bakers from across the state and country enter their baking masterpieces into the competition. The talent exhibited at this event was incredible. Most of you know that I hate cake, its a consistency thing, but I love the artwork that goes into making these edible confections. Here are just a few that we saw, all made by amateurs....

 

Matt's favorite, his fave super heroes from when he was a kid. 

 

My favorite! Not that I would ever order a cake, but artistically, this looks incredible.  

The rest of our weekend was spent hiking the amazing trails that Austin has to offer. On Saturday, we ventured a new trail on the greenbelt, but I forgot my camera, so no pictures of this beautiful part of the city. But, on Sunday, after church, we wen to Hamilton Pool. I've heard for year that it is a gorgeous place, but its always been a bit too far to go just for an afternoon hike. Now that I live closer to this amazing spot, Matt decided it was high time that we go. OH.MY.GOODNESS. I am so glad we went!! It was absolutely beautiful. I love living in this part of Texas, among the hills, trees, and rivers. We are so lucky to call the hill country home. As much as I say I want to move back to the Houston area one day, I am beginning to change my mind on adventures like these. 

 

At the start of the hike, Matt standing in Hamilton Pool. The water temp was 56degrees, so I was NOT getting my tooties wet!

 Love this view. How amazing that this is a natural pool. Can't wait to spend my summer here!

 Matt trying to squeeze through this tight spot. Goodness, my claustrophobia set in just a bit at this point!

 At the end of a gorgeous hike, the Pedernales River. How amazingly beautiful. I was in awe.

And this time, I did venture out into the water, because by that time, I was burning hot from the 1.5M rocky/hilly hike. Just wish there would have been another pool once we got back to the car, because DANG we were worn out!! What a wonderful weekend :)

Falling into an Routine...

I hate routine. It bores me. But, I know that routines suite most people. Routine offers a predictable lifestyle that most people crave, it offers stability and it provides comfort. 

Routine does not fit my lifestyle at the moment. Between work changing on a daily basis, weekends all around our "Texas Triangle" (Austin, Houston, Dallas and San Antonio), parties, babies and everything family and friend related, my life is anything but routine. AND I LOVE IT!!! 

My weight loss journey has fallen into a routine....a routine I am not happy about. Last week I was so excited because I lost 5.6lbs in ONE WEEK! I was over the moon. But let's not forget, the week before I gained .2lbs and the week before that, I gained .4lbs. But in week three, I lost 4.4lbs in ONE WEEK! Well guess where this routine lead me during week six....I gained .4lbs. Really? !?! I gained this week? UGH such a beating, but it happens. My routine is this... big weight loss one week, two weeks of a slight gain. 

I am on a mission....a mission to break this routine, and continue on my path of weight loss. Time to through this routine into the wind. 

WWW5 (Weight Watchers Week 5)

I was a bit timid going to my meeting this week. Matt had made a very special valentine's meal for us on Saturday (loaded with calories I'm sure), but I had been very diligent to watch my points during the week. My activity levels are picking up, and this past weekend we went for a 1.5hr hike.

Cue in Tuesday night.... if you recall, the past two weeks, I have gained .4lbs and then .2lbs. I was nervous that I was going to gain again, but I had this strong since of "skinny" yesterday. HAHA Call me crazy, but some days I feel thinner than other days. I'm not a thin person to begin with, but there is something about feeling "thin" ... I don't know, can't explain it. Just go with it.

While I was in line to get weighed in, I was racking my brain of everything and anything I had eaten in the past week, and what activity I had done. Then doom set in. I felt like it was going to be another awful week, even though I had many good days, but I felt the bad out did the good.

I stepped on the scale, did a double take, and a smile took over my face! My WW leader came up, jumped up and down with me, and gave me a HIGH FIVE.... because my friends, I lost 5.6 lbs in ONE WEEK.

Grand Total to date: 11.6 lbs GONE from my life, never to be seen again.

I can see new, smaller clothes in my future. Who wants to go shopping?

Cupid strikes again

This weekend started out like every other weekend. We have a little tradition in our relationship where I cook Friday night dinner and we sit, enjoy dinner, and catch up on our week together. It is very special to me, since Matt and I only see each other on the weekends. I love to cook for him, and on Friday, I tried a new recipe for WW Vegetable Lasagna! It was delish, and it didn't feel like I was eating "diet" food at all. If you want the recipe, just email me.

On Saturday, we met up with Kim and Brad for a hike in the Austin Greenbelt. If you've never been to Austin's greenbelt, then you are missing out on true beauty within this amazing city. This protected "belt" of land is sprawling throughout the midsection of the city, and has many different trails, with various difficulty levels, and lengths. Matt and I try to do different paths, so we can try them all. Well on Saturday, we had no clue that this trail was going to be so difficult.... well, not difficult, just plain hard. Kim and Brad (our fitness gurus) were champs, but Matt and I are a bit more out of shape, and we had to work for it!! It was so much fun to hike with BK! Kim and I were dying laughing the entire time, while Matt and Brad probably laughed at us behind our backs. It was a very fun time!!

Matt leading the path (you can barely see him in the distance)!

HA! Kim and I "holding" up the rock urban assault wall 

The boys find the perfect rocks on one of the breaks. 

So here goes, I am about to be full on mushy, ridiculously in love, crazy about my man...I'm about to be that girl. Matt has always been wonderful to me, truly treating me like I am a princess, making sure that I always feel so very special. We have some of the best date nights, at some of the best restaurants around Austin and San Antonio. Matt's love for fine dining has translated into amazing dining experiences for the both of us. As you can tell, we both share a love for food. I show him my love by home cooked meals, fancy breakfast, or some new sweet treats that I like to invent. 

This Valentine's, Matt wanted to try something very different. Instead of a reservation at the hottest restaurant in town, Matt wanted to turn my home into the place to be. He wanted to COOK me dinner. We have been dating for two and half years, and he has not once cooked for me. I say this with love, because Matt would much rather go out, than cook...he loves going out that much. But the fact that he wanted to cook for me, not only made me feel so unbelievable special, but it also made me a bit nervous. Could he cook? What in the world would he cook? Would he burn my house down? Reminder to check insurance on the house before Matt cooks... HAHA!! All jokes aside, I was excited, albeit nervous, too. I have a control issue, and he was going to be using MY kitchen to create the meal. 

Well, the day had come, and Matt gave me the menu......drum roll please......

Cesar Salad with a homemade Parmesan Crisp

Porterhouse Steak (Ribeye for Matt, Filet Mignon for me) with a Bleu Cheese Crab topping

Fresh Maine Lobster

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Green Beans with shitake mushrooms and caramelized onions

NOW I was excited  (and HUNGRY). After our hike, we ventured to Whole Foods for the main ingredients. What fun, because we both love Whole Foods. It was hard to stick to our plan, because we wanted everything. Once we got home, Matt got to work in the kitchen, and I took my spot on the couch, as I was instructed to not enter the kitchen, unless asked a specific question. After I realized that Matt wasn't about to ask me any questions, I decided to get a little dolled up for the evening, while he cooked.

With very little guidance, Matt presented our first course. WHAT A SURPRISE, the salad was delicious!!! The Parmesan crisps turned out amazing, and the dressing was a hit. 

After our opening course, Matt had to get back in the kitchen to start our entree. Below is a picture of him cooking the steaks, checking the tempretures, to make sure he is cooking it exactly how I like it, medium rare. So sweet!!

Chef Buckmaster :)

And below, the final product!! What an amazing meal, cooked with love from my sweet valentine. As you can see below, we had quite the spread!! 

Matt's plate

My Plate!

I am so thankful for my love, and so happy that I get to spend another year with this man that God brought into my life. Happy Valentine's Day!! 

Week Four

A new week starts on Sunday, a new work week starts on Monday, but my new weight watchers week starts on Tuesdays, after my 6pm meeting. I look forward to my meetings, listening to the teaching for that week, and weighing in. Yes, I am one of those people that looks forward to hitting the scale while on this program. Each week I find that I am leaving a little bit more of me in the past. It is a great feeling. Eating right, trying to stay active, and becoming a healthier me.

Well this week was different. I gained .4 lbs. While its not a whole pound, and the sweet lady at the table tried to justify that it might just be my clothes, I couldn't help but feel sad. I thought back to my previous week, senior serve, taking care of Matt twice for back injections, poor eating choices. But then I went inside my meeting and was motivated all over again. Hey, it's just one week, and I can get back on track in no time.

So here I am, back on track.Thank you for holding me accountable :)

4.4 and that's not my GPA

Let's face the facts...that was not, is not, and could never be MY GPA. BUT it is the number of lbs that I lost this past week due in part to Weight Watchers.

I love this program, I love tracking my progress, I love the recipes, I love the etools, I love love love Weight Watchers. I eat whatever I want (of course within reason) and I track my points and track my weight all online. I attend my weekly meetings, and would you believe me if I said that I LOVE TO WEIGH in at the meetings. YES I LOVE IT. Because I know if I stick to my points, and start adding activity to my plan, then I will lose.

While I won't share how much I weigh, I will share my goal.

My goal is to lose 65lbs by the end of this year. Doable? Yes. Challenging? You better believe it! But I will be healthier (and lighter) and so much happier. I am already feeling awesome, my skin is the best its ever been, and I am EXCITED to continue on this program.

Watch out, I'm on Weight Watchers and I am on a mission!!

Put me in COACH!

Our friend family is expecting our first baby in a month....Jenna and Blake are about to have a sweet little boy, and we could not be more excited for them, and to meet sweet Blayne.

This past weekend the girls and I showered Jenna and Blayne with diapers, clothes, baby toys, books, nik-nacs and everything baby. It was a wonderful event, and I am so happy that I was able to be apart of it.

Just a few pictures of the wonderful event.....

I am sure, with his Daddy's background, he will be saying, PUT ME IN COACH, before too long :)