Anyone hiring?

Well our ac is messed up again, the downstairs unit is not working... it'll turn on and then turn off and then turn back on again and it couldn't cool the area down at all.  We have been sleeping upstairs in the "man cave" on the fold-out couch, we had slept in the guest room but the bed is so small that I suggested we sleep on the couch where we have much more room.  I can't wait until we can sleep in our bed again!  I have a hard time sleeping anywhere but there.

This past weekend we went to one of T's friends "bayhouse" and spent the day fishing and crabbing, well I didn't do either but the guys did.  I just watched them and got a little too much sun, stupid spray sun block.  While we there, Izzie was at the in-laws swimming the day away.  She loves the pool!  I love the pool too because it tires Izzie out and she lets us sleep in.  We got home pretty late on Saturday evening and we were all worn out.

I have decided to start looking for other jobs other than teaching, I know I shouldn't but I have pretty much given up on all the teaching positions I see except for the possibility to work at my friends school in Alief.  I really do hope that it works out and I'll teach there but I know there's a big chance that I won't teach this year.  We really need some extra money now so I've been applying here and there, I'd love to either work as an admin assistant (somewhere local) or at a gym or fitness center (again somewhere local).  I'd love to work in the fitness arena since I really enjoy fitness and learning healthy ways.  I hope that something works out for me, I really want to help out us and our bank account... I told T that when I get a job I'll buy him some Blue Bell ice-cream, right now it's sandwiches, soup, homemade pizza, breakfast for dinner, maybe pasta, and that's pretty much all we eat... I hate it!  I can't wait until I can cook real meals again!

What's for dinner?: Grilled cheese and soup (ha!)

Smack smack... I wanna smack you!

How annoying is it to go to a class where a fellow student thinks they are the teacher??  I paid to go to a class to learn from the teacher, not another student.  I am currently in an ESL test prep class and it's really distracting when other students interrupt the teacher and add their two cents to the lesson.  Sometimes extra tips or advice is great but when it's constant and not really helpful those students make me want to slap them!  Another annoying this is when people bring extra crunchy food to class, I don't care if you bring food since it's during dinner anyways and hey I get hungry too but please don't bring a big bag of chips and then crunch them with your mouth open!  Gosh, this class is more annoying than helpful.  I think I paid $100 for study tips and a packet of paper (I'm thankful for the packets), they try to help us by giving us acronyms to remember information but I would just rather them teach us the information we actually need to know instead of just the shortcuts.  Ok... complaint over with for now.

Onto running, I have not felt really motivated to run longer distances than 2 miles.  It's so stinking hot outside that I just want to get back inside.  Today I didn't even really feel like running so I went for a 20 minute walk followed by a 10 minute run, so I guess it was good that I got some running in?  I think for right now while I'm in class and studying for my ESL supplemental test I'll continue with the 2 mile runs but maybe add some 3 mile runs on the weekend.  In July I'll try to pick up my distances.

What's for dinner?:  Going over to a friend's house for dinner, yey social interaction!!

Baton Rouge wedding, Cajun food, Busy weekend

This past weekend we drove over to Baton Rouge for a wedding.  The lovely couple getting married was our friends from college.  T met the groom through his ME major and had many classes with him.  We all our good friends now and meet up occasionally, they live in Houston.  We were asked to be a part of the wedding, as gift bearers, and it was quite an honor.  On Friday night we went to the rehearsal and practiced our very "important" parts and then went to the rehearsal dinner for some good cajun food.

At the rehearsal dinner:

With the lovely soon to be married couple:

The next morning we woke up early and ran around the LSU lakes, which I had never done in college since I had never really ran before.  After running we went to CC's (Community Coffee) for some good coffee, we have missed CC's since we moved to Houston but we do get big bags of their breakfast blend coffee beans and make it fresh every day.  The wedding was at 11:30 so we got their around 11 and were ready for our parts.  It was the first wedding we had been to besides our own, yes we are pretty unexperienced in the wedding department.  The bride was beautiful and so was the wedding.  The reception was at a place called Oak Lodge and was really nice.  The food was amazing, the cake was white with vanilla icing and a raspberry filling (I think it was raspberry) and it was delicious!  T and I shared a piece of each cake, though I ate most of them... I couldn't stop!  T and I danced some slow dances and it was incredibly romantic.  Memories of our wedding came back to the both of us.  That evening we went to dinner at Chimes, possibly our favorite place in Baton Rouge, and had food and drinks with some LSU friends.

Us before the wedding, geez T looks creepy:

The almost newlyweds:

Us with the newlyweds:

Blowing some bubbles:

The newlyweds off to their honeymoon:

The next morning I met up with some girl friends at CC's and we chatted for a little bit.  Talking with my friends made me want to move back to Baton Rouge, it was so nice to just pick up where we left off and just talk.  As we left Baton Rouge we ate lunch at Cane's, sooooo good!  There is one about 30 minutes away from us here in Katy but in Baton Rouge they are all over the place.  We drove over to Kingwood to pick up Izzie, who stayed with T's family, and finally headed home.  It was nice to be away for the weekend but it was also really nice to be home.

Last night I went to my first ESL prep class in Houston.  The teacher was pretty good, a little confusing at times but there was another woman in the class who kept thinking she was the teacher... interrupting, repeating what the teacher said, trying to finish the teacher's sentences, and adding her two cents... annoying!!  Today I went to the library and picked up a study book that has a little section on the ESL supplemental but really anything will help.  I hope that being ESL certified will help in the hiring process.  I could really use a job right now.  We aren't struggling financially but I think if my unemployment continues for much longer we might be in trouble.

Onto happier things... running... today while I was running I was just thinking how great running is, minus the gear, running outdoors is free.  Free things = happiness.  I am going to be working on running longer distances and building stamina.  The furthest I have run has been 3.1 miles.  I'd love to find parks to run in with Izzie (and hopefully T).

What's for dinner?: Grilled cheese and soup (a common occurrence in our household lately)

Astros 5K

Yesterday was the Astros Race for the Penant 5K and it was so hot!  I really liked doing the 5K but it's my last for the hot summer months.  Of course I'll still run in the morning but just not in 5Ks.  The race started at 7:45 by the Astros field and went up and down the Elysian (spelling?) bridge, I have never run up or down hill that much so it was a little bit of a struggle but I made it.  Poor T had to walk towards the end but he finished not too far behind me.  I ran it in 31:38, I know it's not the fastest time in the world but I'm proud of it.  I ran it faster than I had been running my practice 5Ks.  This summer I'm going to try to work on speed, I think I'll work on my speed on 2 mile runs before speeding up on 5Ks.  Back to the race, after we finished T got a beer, hahaha they were serving them after the run and they were free so he said "Why not?"  I settled for a bagel, banana, and tons of water.

Ready for the 5K!

After we got home from the 5K we napped for the whole afternoon.  Then it was off to T's youngest brother's highschool graduation, he'll be headed off to LSU this Fall (Geaux Tigers!!).

Going to the graduation:

Other than the 5K, this past week was a little hectic.  My mom, youngest brother, and sister came to see us on Tuesday.  On Wednesday we all went to the Houston Zoo, it was too hot to be there.  I was miserable.  My mom and brother left on Thursday, leaving behind my sister.  She is staying with us until Friday.

What's for dinner?: Sandwiches or something else easy.

Passing on the running baton

Last week wasn't too terribly busy, quite the norm for me right now.  I did see The Back Up Plan and I thought it was pretty good.  It had me laughing, always a plus.  It was overall a pretty good movie.  Afterwards we ate lunch at Spicy Pickle, yum! I love that place, it might just be my favorite lunch spot.

Some fun news, T and I will be gift bearers in our friends upcoming wedding.  Their wedding will be in Baton Rouge the first week of June and we are very excited!!  We'll be staying with some college friends while we are there so it'll be nice to see some old friends and go to the wedding.  I was trying to figure out a good wedding present for them, I didn't feel like ordering anything from the good ol' triple B just because I didn't want to!  Haha!  I didn't want to get them a gift card for Bed, Bath, and Beyond either.  So I thought that we could buy them a date downtown.  I thought a good restaurant would be Houstons so this week I'll have to go get a gift card.  I think it'll be a nice gift for them and hopefully they'll enjoy it!

This weekend, I got T outside for some running.  On Saturday we ran 2 miles and on Sunday we ran 3 miles.  We will be super ready for the 5K this Saturday.  I'm so happy that I'm running pretty frequently during the week.  I have to keep up with it after the 5K, I feel so good afterwards and my body is improving daily.

Speaking of running, last Fall I started my running journey with a couch to 5K app on my iphone.  I think that I inspired my mom and sister to purchase this app and they are coming to visit me tomorrow, while they are here I'd love to do the app with them to get them started and show them that they can do it!  I feel like by me inspiring them, they inspire me to continue running... what a great cycle!

Oh, another fitness related subject... I got the Jillian Michael's Master Your Metabolism Cookbook for $4.95 (shipping & handling price)!!  I had been wanting to get the cookbook but wasn't willing to spend a lot of money on another cookbook.  Thank you Self magazine!!

What's for dinner?: Leftover poppy seed chicken, rice, and green beans.

What am I reading?: Dead in the Family (last Sookie Stackhouse book for now, other than the short stories)

Staying Positive and the dreadful job search

I have tried very hard to not let the job search get me down.  Mostly, I have not succeeded in that.  Recently, I have been doing better.  I have had 3 part time jobs since I graduated college (August 2008) and sometimes I feel like a complete failure.  But then I remember to be grateful to be married to a wonderful man who is lucky (in this economy) to have a great job that provides financial support for our little family.  Every time I get down on myself I just think about how it would feel for both of us to be job-less or homeless and again remember how lucky we are.  I know that I could try harder or be more persistent with my job search but that has been hard for me to do.

After I went to the Katy ISD job fair, I was really down about it but after a few days I picked myself back up and decided to not give up.  I may or  may not teach in the Fall and I am okay with that.  I am constantly sending out my resume, whenever I see a new job post on Katy's site I send it out.  My friend gave my resume to her principal and told me to continuously "bug" her (I won't get annoying, I hope!) so I sent her an email today to remind her about me.

I have committed myself to using coupons, finding where the lowest prices are, and getting great deals for groceries... I guess you could say it's my job for now!

Now for nostalgic and happy purposes... some Izzie photos (she is 10 months old now)

The day we first met Izzie:

Already Daddy's little girl:

First day at home:

So little:

So little, it's ridiculous:

Halloween, I was cruel, she was cute:

Ready to go shopping, or run away and chew up this bag.  Either way, cute!:

I know, I know... cruel again.  But luckily she is too big for this and she likes to eat any form of doggy clothing.:

Blurry, but this is the face I get when I ask her "Are you ready to go on a walk?"  Hahahaha!:

She use to barely fill up a corner of this bed, now she fills it up just nicely:

Swimming like a big girl!:

P.S. I just got an email from the principal written about above, and it said "Thanks for your interest in _____ Elementary, I will keep you in mind."  I don't know if that is to stop me from my emails, maybe I "bugged" her too much!  Oh well, at least she responded to my email this time!  There is hope!

What's for dinner?: Soup and grilled cheese

Crazy dogs and summer plans

Last week was filled with 2 crazy dogs, a nice ladies lunch, and a very lazy weekend.  Our dog Izzie and T's co-worker's dog Easy, were so hyper together.  They would run around for maybe an hour and then both lay down away from each other and pant then fall asleep.  They'd nap for an hour or two and then they'd be back at it again.  It was entertaining but tiring.  T took Easy on a run one afternoon and he said that Easy pulled him to go faster the whole run!  We also took both dogs on a walk on Saturday, Izzie was very bad on the walk.  She kept on wanting to play with Easy and she got in lots of trouble on the walk!

I am so excited for this summer!  We have a wedding to go to the first weekend of June, it's in Baton Rouge where we got married.  The wedding is (I'm sure) going to be beautiful and fun!  It's going to be nice to go back to BR and hopefully see old friends.  Later in July, we'll be going to Mexico to a RIU resort on the Pacific Ocean!  AHHH!!  I can't wait!  T's parents invited us to go and we went with them to Cancun almost 2 years ago to a resort and it was so fun.  There are lounge chairs and swim up bars in the pool!  I know where I'll be... laying in the pool with a nice cold fruity drink in my hand.

Last week I met up with some ladies I worked with (at a daycare I worked at for a month) for lunch.  It was nice getting to catch up with them.  One of the ladies is due any day with her second child.  She looks great and happy.  The other ladies are doing well also.  It'd be nice to see them more often, seeing as how they are the only women I know in Katy.  Sometimes I'm not so great at keeping in touch with people.

What's for dinner?: Soup and grilled cheese

What am I reading?: Dead and Gone

Proud runner

Oh my goodness, dinner last night was so amazing!  We had spicy sweet and sour chicken from the 2009 Cooking Light cookbook, though it took me quite a while to make dinner it was well worth it.  T and I barely talked through dinner because we were too busy eating.  Mmmm mmm, can't wait for the leftovers tonight.

Today I started off the day with coffee and then a 2 mile run.  I ran 2 miles in 20 minutes which is about what my time use to be last Fall, I know it's only 10 minute miles but I think that's pretty dang good for someone who only became a runner this past year.  I remember in middle school dreading the fitness test and running the mile.  I don't think I ever ran the whole mile during gym.  I may be a slow runner but I'm still a proud runner!

Tonight one of T's co-workers is bringing over their lab for us to dog-sit until Sunday.  Izzie and Easy are going to go crazy together.  Hopefully Easy doesn't hump Izzie, she always seems to get humped by every single dog she comes into contact with, even my parent's westie who is so much smaller than Izzie.  I can't wait to see the two of them run around the yard (and I'm sure the house) and make each other super tired.  Tonight is also a new episode of Glee and I'm hoping that it is better than the past few episodes.  It is also laundry night, no woo hoo for that... neither I nor T enjoy folding and putting away laundry, but then who does?

What's for dinner?: Leftover spicy sweet and sour chicken, brown rice, and egg rolls.

Boring Monday

This weekend was almost exactly what I predicted, a nice boring weekend.  On Friday night we made homemade pizzas with a wheat crust from the cookbook Now Eat This! and re-discovered my dislike for my rolling pin.  I have a plastic-y one and it slips and slides every where and can't get a good grip on doughs.  So needless to say, the pizza doughs came out awful.  I burnt the 1st one and got mad because I hate ruining meals, but the 2nd and 3rd pizzas came out better.  They were tasty.

We woke up early on Saturday and made breakfast burritos, we did not go running as I had planned for us, T got up too late and it was too hot outside.  Then I lounged around for a little bit, I wasn't ready to trade in my pajamas for regular clothes.  I eventually showered and we walked over to our neighborhood pool.  It was the opening day for the pool so we went and got our pool key.  The water looked refreshing but perhaps a little cold.  We made our way to Michael's and bought box frames (ones to preserve items instead of pictures) and T framed his newspapers from when LSU won the National Championship in 2007.

For dinner I decided to put 3 of the individual pizza doughs together and used my new wooden rolling pin (one that doesn't have handles and its just one long piece of wood) and it was awesome!  I made a regular sized thin-crust pizza with sauce, mozzarella, and pepperoni and it was delicious, a little dough-y but I'll work on that for the next time.  We had our friends over from Sugarland and enjoyed the homemade pepperoni pizza, an HEB mozzarella pizza, and salad.  After dinner we sat outside in the front yard and drank some beers and chatted.  Eventually we went to the backyard and enjoyed some music on our outdoor speakers.  It was so nice to have them over and we had a fun time.

On Sunday, I woke up early and went running with Izzie.  For breakfast I ate a banana and a peanut butter cookie Larabar and oh my goodness it was so good!  I think it is my favorite one.  I just love peanut butter so I guess I'll love any Larabar with peanut butter.  We went to church and then to Subway for lunch.  After lunch we watched Julie & Julia, that's a good movie and inspired me to make our menu for the week.  I went grocery shopping afterwards.  For dinner we had leftover grilled chicken, I had it with a salad and balsamic dressing.  I made No Pudge Fudge brownies for dessert and they were good but a little sticky.  But hey, if I can eat healthier dessert and it be a little sticky I'm ok with that.

Today was filled with Law and Order Marathon, I love Mondays and Tuesdays because of it.  Though they are mostly re-runs today I saw some of the new ones from this year.  I didn't do a single other thing, besides walking Izzie.  We (me and Izzie) napped for a little bit.  Boring, I know!

What's for dinner?: Spicy sweet and sour chicken (from Cooking Light!), brown rice, and egg rolls.

Spicy Pickle

Today I met T for lunch at Spicy Pickle and it was delicious.  I had the Garden State sandwich and it was so good, it had mozzarella (which was what sold me, I love cheese especially fresh mozzarella slices), mushrooms, roasted red peppers, purple onion, tomatoes, spinach, and a honey balsamic vinaigrette on a wheat ciabatta roll... yum yum yum!

After lunch with T I headed home and stopped at HEB, I got some things for dinner and some more Larabars.  I really liked the ones I've had so far so I got some more flavors and another peanut butter and jelly because it was so good.  I also picked up some other healthy snack bars.  And I got some dark chocolate peanut m&ms, those things are so good.  Tonight we hope to have our friends from Sugarland over and have homemade individual wheat pizzas.  I love having them over, she's my friend I met at my ACT program and they have the same wedding anniversary as ours which is fun.  Other than that I'm not sure we'll be doing much this weekend.  Tomorrow morning we're going to wake up early, go for a run, and make breakfast burritos.  We might put rocks around all the trees and some bricks around the house to make space between the mulch and the house (to keep termites away).  Boring but low-key weekend, hopefully.

What's for dinner?: Homemade individual wheat pizzas, salad, and no-bake peanut butter bars for dessert.