Zucchini Fritters

Hello again. I can't believe I've got another post up so soon! I love the Blogger app on my phone!

Just wanted to share a recipe I made this evening for dinner. I wasn't overly hungry and decided to make something easy.

I grabbed my cookbook, called Vegetarian, by Metro Books. 

It has some awesome vegan and vegetarian recipes in it. I decided to make some zucchini fritters.

I did play around with the recipe a bit and I baked them instead of frying. I also didn't make the jam. They turned out awesome!! And they were so awesome that I forgot to take a pic. Dang it! It's a tried and liked recipe so I've got it marked to make for Stephen. 

Anyway, it's been super busy at work. The holidays are upon us and people are piling into the grocery store to hunker down on their staples. I'm actually ready for it to be over so it can go back to business as usual.

Have a great week!

Laters.

Thanksgiving Vacation

I've been on vacation since Sunday, November 29 and it's been wonderful. I spent Thanksgiving day with my family in GB and then headed to OKC on Saturday night to spend my week of vacation with Stephen.

I have been cooking for him all week and taking his lunches to him at work. I baked about 7 dozen cookies for him and the workers at the base. I've done some cleaning and lots of relaxing.

Tomorrow is our Thanksgiving meal. We are having turkey breast, mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables and deviled eggs. Stephen will have lots of good leftovers for next week at work.

I'm kind of bummed because my schedule will be super hectic once I get back due to the holiday. It was soooo busy and chaotic before the Thanksgiving holiday.

I bought a planner to help keep my life organized. I'm a huge list maker... Lol. So the planner works great! I've loved putting to-do's and daily notes in there. 

Anyway, I wanted to do a quick update and will try to post more when I am done with vaca. I've got two more days and it's back to work on Monday. Hope you have had a great week!

Laters.

Hello!

Oh my.  I can't believe how much time has passed.  It's been so long since I posted, yet not much has changed.  Isn't that weird?  I just wanted to check in and let you know I am still here.  Life is just happening and it's been a struggle to update.  I keep forgetting about the blogger app on my phone.  I guess I could be blogging daily if I just used the app!

Anyway, I scored some great cookbooks from B&N this evening.  I scoured the shelves for about an hour and decided on three.  Here they are!

Jamie Oliver's Everyday Super Food.  I love all things Jamie Oliver and absolutely loved his show on the Food Network.  He's an amazing chef and advocate for health and nutrition.  I can't wait to try some of the recipes!

I also got Vedge, by Rich Landau and Kate Jocoby.  I loved the look and feel of the cookbook.  The recipes were simple and I love pictures.  I hate getting a cookbook and there are no pictures of the food!  People eat with their eyes first.

Lastly, I also purchased Easy Vegetarian.  Again, I like the simplicity of the book and the pictures. This is the one I will probably cook out of when going to Oklahoma.  Stephen has challenged me to find more vegetarian recipes since he is wanting to move toward that healthy lifestyle.  I am on board with that!

I can't wait to start cooking!  I think I will try my first recipe this week.

Hope you are all doing well.  I can't believe Thanksgiving is next week.

Laters.

Good Morning

It has been awhile since my last post. I've been pretty busy at work, travelling back and forth from OKC and just enjoying each day.

I have made it to several football games back home. I have even gone to a few away games.

This year I am trying to be more actively involved with my home town. I became a booster and have been actively supporting the football team this year.

Let's see, I have not done much blogging. I have been watching a lot of Vlogs. I have about four of them that I watch on a regular basis.

I think it would be pretty cool to have one, but I don't know when I would have the time. I barely have enough time to update my blog.

So, I will check in here from time to time. But I can't guarantee that I will be up to date on my reading.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Laters.

Hi Guys!

It's been a good day.  I have the day off and I have already done so much!  This morning I had a health screening.  I hit all of the requirements except the weight portion (I never make that one).

After my health screening, I did some grocery shopping.  I am making some goodie bags for my high school football team.  I love doing that stuff!  Each bag will be personalized with the player's name and jersey number.  I am putting a Gatorade, granola bar, fruit snack and peanut butter crackers in each one.  They will be handed out in the morning when jerseys are handed out for the pep assembly. I am super happy to make them!

I also bought some good food today for my meal plans for this week.  Since I am following a mainly Pescetarian diet plan, I bought lots of vegetables and some fish for this week.  Here are a few things I will be cooking/making this week:

• Hummus
• Salmon packets with steamed vegetables
• Sweet potatoes
• Southern cabbage
• Loaded salad bowl
• Cauliflower mash

I am also teaching the Kid how to make another meal.  Since he has decided to go into fire science, he wants to learn to cook larger meals.  I am teaching him how to make crock pot pork chops.  We will probably prep that one tonight so we can put it on first thing in the morning.  I know it's pork, but I think it will be okay if I have a small portion.

I will try and take some photos to let you know how I did with the meals.

One other thing I am trying to do is cut out as much dairy as possible.  It just messes with my stomach.  I love all things butter, so that will be the hardest part.  I already drink almond milk and rarely eat any cheese or ice cream.  Baby steps, right?

I also bought more make-up today.  It's getting cooler so I tend to wear more make-up in the fall and winter months.  I don't like clogging my already big pores during the summer with make-up.  I am also in love with some new lip color.  I will have to post some selfies on another day.

Well, I better get to prepping for dinner.  We are having tuna and rice casserole tonight.  Hope you have had a good day!

Laters.

Finally Caught Up

With blog reading anyway.  My laundry is another story.

I did finally finish up on 4 weeks worth of blog reading.  I will admit I did some skimming.  All of the food blogs I follow, I actually skipped.  I can always go back if I want to read up on recipes.

I got back around 1 pm and went to my hair appointment.  Lisa (my hair gal) looked so tan!  She has an outdoor above ground pool and has been enjoying it all summer.  I think she has one more week before she decides to close it.  Lisa is heading to Hawaii in a few weeks to visit her son and will be staying almost one month!  I am jealous!

Anyway, I got home around 2:30 and heated up some leftover pasta, then got on the computer and just got done.  Whew!  Lots of reading!

I need to get all of my laundry sorted and get a few loads completed.  Heading back to work will be challenging since I have had 7 full days off.  But it's been so wonderful!  Colorado was gorgeous and did not disappoint the second year in a row.

Here is a small view from our balcony.  The picture does it no justice.  My favorite place was Woodland Park.  It was up in the mountains and just beautiful.  I was so much in awe of the beauty around me, I didn't take any pictures.  I was just soaking it all in.  It was so beautiful, I almost cried.  Clouds were passing me in front of my face.  I could feel the condensation of the clouds, feeling lighter than a mist.  It was amazing!

Well, I guess I better get started on this laundry.  Tomorrow starts the daily grind.  We open our new apparel dept and I have a store walk tour to attend tomorrow morning at my old store.  It will be a busy few days and then I am off again on Monday.

Hope you are all having a wonderful week!

Laters.

Project 50

I have been catching up on blogs all day. I had to go back four weeks to catch up. I'm still in the process of reading now, but I should be caught up by the end of this week.

My boyfriend and I have decided to vacation in South Korea next year. My mom was planning a trip back and wanted me to go. I am really looking forward to the trip, since I have not been back there since I was born. Before I head back to South Korea, I really want to lose at least 50 pounds.

So, I have come up with a diet plan that will keep up with my every day, crazy life. I did a lot of research while I was on vacation last week. I am looking forward to getting back down to the weight I was 10 years ago. Lol... I've got one year to do it!

I will track my progress each week. There are a couple of apps I plan to use on my iPhone to help me. I promise not to bore you even more with the details, but I will update a few times to let you know about my progress.

I head back to Kansas tomorrow, back to work on Wednesday. It's been a fantastic vacation!

Laters.

Vacation Is Almost Over

We got back from our vacation to Colorado yesterday.  It was great!  I had so much fun and the scenery was breathtaking.  I know I haven't posted much and I am way behind on my favorite blogs.  I will be spending some time today and tomorrow catching up to see how everyone is doing.

Hope you all are having a fantastic weekend!

So Busy

Sorry. It's been so busy. Plus... I've been obsessed with Vlogs on YouTube. I have been thinking about starting one. Thoughts?

My Boyfriend's T-shirt

There is nothing better than coming back to Oklahoma, enjoying a nice long hot shower, then throwing on my boyfriends T-shirt. It makes me feel so much better.

I'm back in Oklahoma for tomorrow only. Then I had back to the ICT on Wednesday. We have a vacation coming up. We are going to Colorado springs again this year. I can't wait! We are both super excited to go back and revisit some of our favorite places. I think we may make this a yearly trip. 

Hope you're all doing well. I need to catch up on the blogs. Enjoy the school time traffic! That is definitely something I don't miss during the summertime.

Laters.

Blah

It was a 13 hour day.  Not going to post much because I am a week behind reading blogs.  So that's what I am going to do before bed.

Night!
Laters.

Crazy Busy

Work has been so crazy lately! Today I put in 14 hours. Whew! And it's soooo hot outside! Ugh...

I'm just a complainer tonight. Lol...

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

What's Up?

Hey there! It's been a minute. It's going to be a super short post1

I had a three day weekend and I am spending it here in OKC.

We decided to grill tonight.

Check out the salad!

Yumm!!!

Here is a big plate of food from dinner. I didn't even try to eat it all.

Stephen's mom came by today. It was nice to see her.

We have been lazy this weekend, which is nice.  Hope you all had a great weekend!

Laters.

My Store

Hey! It's been awhile since I last posted. It's been pretty busy at work. We hosted a walk-thru at my store last week.  That was fun!

Here are a few pics of some of the depts in my store.

Bakery

Produce

 Deli

More Bakery

Green Rack

Meat Dept

Seafood Dept

More Produce

I am super proud of our store team for doing such a good job presenting their departments to the visitors.

I will try and do a better job of updating more.  I really like my new store and love that it's just minutes away now.

Hope you all have a great week!

Laters.

Grilling and Chilling

Today was a great lazy day. We got yo around 9, had breakfast, then got ready for our movie. We headed to AMC and watched Trainwreck, which was pretty good. I could have gone without the super cheesy ending, but that Amy chick is pretty funny.

After the movie, we got gas and grabbed a bite at a local Mexican restaurant. It was pretty good and the food was authentic. I really wished they had horchata, but they didn't.

Once we finished our meal, we headed over to Stephen's mom's house. He worked on her truck AC and we looked at old photos of Stephen when he was in the army and at West Point. He looks so different now. He's way better lookin now!!! Lol...

Once we left his mom's house, we headed back home. We are eating a late dinner. I've got everything prepped for the grill, along with a fabulous salad. I've got a load of laundry in the washer and I'm all packed to head out in the morning. It's been a wonderful vacation. I'm already looking forward to our next one when we head to Colorado Springs again.

Hope you all had a great weekend.

Laters.

Sleep

For some reason, all I want to do is sleep.  I am not sure it's because I am here during the day by myself, or what the deal is.  I slept in until 9 am this morning.  I stayed busy throughout the day, but fell asleep around 7 am.  I was just so tired.  Maybe it's because Stephen works 2nd shift and I am trying to stay up when he does.  I am not used to going to bed at 3 am!

Right now I am boiling a dozen eggs.  I am making tuna salad and will use some of the eggs for that.  I may even make some deviled eggs and leave some hard for salads this weekend.  I am glad Stephen is off this weekend so we can spend more time together.

Well, I am going to get busy.  Looks like it will be another late night!

Laters.

Lazy Day

It's going to be another scorcher here in OKC.  Looks like a lazy vacation day for this girl!  I am going to head into the city and take a Starbucks over to Stephen's mom.  She works in a location with no air conditioning.  She will like an iced tea or something.

I made some scrambled eggs this morning with diced onions, peppers and pesto.  Yumm!  The eggs were an ugly green/brown color, but who cares!  They tasted amazing!

I'm going to clean the kitchen today, then do a small load of laundry.  I might even clean out the shower today if I feel like it.

Stephen just got in from mowing this morning.  He works 2nd shift, so mowing in the morning is so much better than trying to do it in the afternoon or evening.

Better get going.  Hope you all have a fantastic Friday!

Laters.

Grocery Store Snob

I hate to say it, but I have a problem.  I'm a grocery store snob.  When you work for the same grocer for almost 20 years and have grown accustomed to outrageously high standards, you expect the same everywhere you go.  Today was not that way.

I stopped into Sprouts in OKC to grab our usual vegetables.  The quality was subpar.  Sprouts was out of organic romaine hearts and the vegetables looked bad.  Brussels sprouts were brown and some were moldy.  Many of the grape tomato containers had a few moldy fruit in them.  And, they didn't have any fresh salmon.

So, after purchasing 4 organic bananas and my 21 grain bread, I headed over to Crest.  The quality was much better and I although their organic section isn't great, I still got great quality.  They didn't have any of my salmon either and the guy behind the counter was trying to tell me that farm raised salmon is better for you and tastes better than wild caught salmon.  Sigh....  Yep.  I kept my mouth shut.  I wish grocers would educate their employees on the facts about the products they serve.

I also purchased my $4.75 dozen of cage free organic eggs.... Whoa!  I told Stephen we need to start investing in chickens.  Oh well, the eggs last us a long time, so I wasn't worried.  It's still cheaper than getting them fried up in a restaurant.

Shopping can be difficult for me, especially when I am away from my usual group of stores.  I will take pictures of my store one day so you can see where I work and how fantastic the store selection is.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.  Stay cool!  It's hot out there!

Laters.

Made It!

I made it to OKC.  I am going to grab a shower and do some light reading before Stephen gets home.  I will give a proper update tomorrow.

Laters.

The Storm Before the Calm

That's how I felt today.  I have so much to do at work before I start vacation.  We had a long meeting today and we have a walk-thru on Tuesday next week.  Guess who will be out of town until Monday?  This girl!  I have so much to cram into one day tomorrow, that I am working on some of it tonight.

I work for a major grocery chain here in the tri-state area (Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska).  They are a part of the Kroger chain of stores.  I have worked for this company for almost 20 years and I absolutely love my job.  Currently, I am an assistant store manager for one of the top marketplace stores in our division.  My store sits on one of the busiest street corners in the city and is considered a multi-million dollar corner.  We have a ton of shops and department stores in the area, as well as a Super Walmart, Sam's Club, Super Target and National Grocers within one mile of my store.  We are doing quite well.  :-)

I would say my store is more upscale than all of these other retailers.  People come to this area to spend money.  The clientele is completely different than my old store.  I am not complaining.

Anyway, I need to get a few notes typed up for another assistant and then I am heading off to sleep.  I have a big day tomorrow and I will be in Oklahoma with Stephen.  I can't wait.  It's been over two weeks and I really miss him.

Hope you all stayed in from the sweltering heat!

Laters.

One Week Complete

I have been at my new store for one complete full week and am loving it!  Who knew grocery business could be so fun...  hehehehe.

Today I worked on the United Way Campaign, helped produce fill strawberries, blueberries and cherries, prepped and packaged pies for bakery, filled items in the dairy and made a few spreadsheets.  Now that I come home for lunch every day, time flies by.

Yesterday, one of my old bosses came in with his family. I got to meet his adorable granddaughter.  Of course I had a gift bag waiting for her when she arrived.  She loves all things Mickey and Minnie Mouse.  Her gift bag was pink with white polka dots, had 2 white balloons and 2 pink balloons on it.  Inside was a Mickey Mouse beanie doll, a Minnie Mouse bingo game and a bubble wand.  She liked everything!

Tomorrow I am going to visit the twins! They are one week old.  They are so beautiful.  K has been sending me a pic every single day.  I am going to save them so I can do a video clip when they turn a year old.

Well,  I am off to read some blogs while I eat my peanut butter chocolate popcorn. Yes, it is divine!

Laters.

Too Many Places To Go

Today was one of those days where I had too many things to choose from.  I didn't sleep in like I had hoped to on my first day off from the new store.  It was rise and shine around 7:30, which is early on my day off.  I hopped in the shower and then headed to the store to update a spreadsheet for a contest I am doing with our cashiers.

I had an oil change and tire rotation scheduled at 10:15 and they were done in less than an hour.  I need to remember to schedule it on a Wednesday again in the future as Monday and Friday seem to take so much longer!

After my oil change, I talked to one of the manager trainees I am mentoring on the phone.  He seems to be doing very well and likes his training.  He is going to do a fantastic job when it's all done.

I arrived home around 11, had a hot dog for lunch, then decided to lounge around for a bit.  I mulled over visiting the twins today, or taking a nap, or doing laundry, or doing some shopping.  I decided on a short nap and then met up with my friend Kris.  He and his daughter needed to go to the mall to get her a dress for a birthday party coming up.  Kris isn't great at shopping, so obviously I said I would help.  Upon arriving at the mall, I stopped in the middle of Penny's and announce loudly, "Welcome to our Mothership!"  hehehehe.... it was so funny!

We found a super cute dress at Rue 21 and I bought Kelsie her shoes for a belated birthday gift.  Two pairs of sandals for $21 was not bad.

After shopping, we decided to hit PF Chang since I had a gift card.  Neither of them had ever been so I was more than happy to take them.  It was a lot of fun and we ordered lots of food to share.  We were overly stuffed and they had plenty to take home.

We said our goodbyes after dinner and then I headed home where I found some of my online shopping packages waiting for me.  Yay!  It's a partial order: (2) short sleeve cardigans, a corral print shirt and a dress that doesn't quite fit exactly the way I want, but once I lose a few more pounds, it should be perfect.

Speaking of weight loss, I have been doing pretty well this week since I am able to go home for lunch every day.  I am heading to the YMCA after work tomorrow to walk a few miles.  It's an 8-7 shift tomorrow and I have lots to get done!

Hope you all had a great day!

Laters.

I'm Still Here

Hey there!  I am still here.  It's been so busy and crazy since my brother's wedding.  I finally transferred to my new store yesterday and it's been going great!  In fact, I am working late tonight and am at home on my lunch break typing this up.  I only live a 7 minute drive from the store, so I can come home for lunch every single day.  Loving it!

Anyway, I have a ton of reading to do to catch up on my favorite blogs.  I hope to get caught up by Wednesday.

Hope you are all doing great!  Happy Monday!

Laters.

Close Friends

Do you have a lot of friends?  What about close friends?  Best friends?

It puzzles me how time changes so many people and relationships, how circumstances (sometimes out of our control) can put real stress on friendships.  And I also laugh at how life sometimes comes around full circle and presents us with people who we were close to as children.  Perhaps we can thank technology for that -  Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Vine, Blogger, etc.

I was thinking about this yesterday.  Growing up, I had very close friends thru grade school and middle school.  In high school, I didn't really have super close friends because I tried to be friends with everyone.  In college, I had zero close friends and as I have grown older, close friends have come and gone.  Maybe they weren't so close?

I do have those friends in my life now, the ones I consider close, who I don't even talk to every day, sometimes not even every week.  They are the ones who you know that no matter what, you can always pick back up where you left off and continue on.  Those are some of my best friends.

Anyway, I am rambling now.  It's going to be a hot weekend and the 4th of July holiday will be the busiest week of the year for our stores.  It surpasses Thanksgiving week and Christmas week, all because it's on the first week of the month.  There will be many family picnics, family reunions and get together, barbecues and dinners.  Starting on Wednesday, it will be a mad house in the store.  I am somewhat thankful my last day at this store is on July 4th.  The store I am going to is bigger and will be busy, but not crazy with first of the month shoppers like the current one.

At my current store, we do a lot of EBT and WIC orders.  Many of our wonderful customers use their funds all in the first week of the month and they load up!  The store I am going to is the complete opposite.  They don't care what day of the month it is and come almost every day for daily needs in their households.  To compare, my current store is what we call a 1st of the month store and the store I am going to is more upscale.  I don't know how else to describe it without being offensive in someone's eyes, so I guess I will leave it at that.

I am going to miss my current store.  The people are amazing and I really like working with all of them.  My store manager is awesome and she has taught me so much.  I guess all good things come to an end so something better awaits.

I am working late today and I have tomorrow off.  I haven't had a regular Sunday off in awhile.  I won't be going to OKC on Sunday because I have to be at work on Monday at the crack of dawn.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Laters.

Hhhhhhhhhhhot!!!!!

Ugh... this is why I don't like summer.  It's my least favorite season.  First favorite is autumn, but not until after the cooler temperatures start rolling in, usually mid-September to November is my favorite time.  This is followed by Spring, then Winter and last is Summer.

It's so flippin hot outside!  And it's the humid muggy kind of hot that you really only find in Kansas and Oklahoma.  I don't know how people did it back in the old days and I am sooooo glad I didn't have to live like that.  I will take my modern comforts of air conditioning on a day like today.  I feel bad for so many who don't have that luxury.  If any of my friends have no air conditioning on a day like today, they can stay with me!

I worked the early shift today, so it didn't get bad until about lunch time (12:30).  I didn't get much sleep last night due to heart burn.  But I feel better now and will probably get to bed early tonight since I have the early shift again tomorrow.

My official last day at my current store is July 4th.  Of course, I have to close, which totally sucks, but what can you do....

I am really looking forward to working much closer to home.  I can come home for lunch every day and get some stuff done around the house.  I can prep for dinner every single day and have it ready to cook by suppertime, much earlier than I do now.  Instead of eating so late, we can eat earlier.  This is sure to help the waistline!  I hate eating so late some days.  It's really bad for you.

I am having leftover chicken and rice now and will grab a shower and do a load of laundry.  I will do some reading tonight before bed.

I forgot to mention that my friend, K, is dilated to 5!  We may have twins in a couple of days!  Yay!

Hope you all had a great Thursday.

I leave you with this TBT picture I received from an employee about 4 years ago.

U Rock!

I love it!  I have passed it on to someone else who totally rocks.  :-)

Laters.

Wonderful Day

It's been a wonderful day so far.  Two years ago, my ex and I broke up.  It was a really bad time and I felt so guilty for wanting to call it quits.  I will save that story for a rainy day.  Anyway, today I decided I would spend the day paying it forward (PIF) to as many people as I could.

I started off at Starbucks this morning and paid for the car behind me.  This is my quick go-to PIF and I try to do this once a week.  I once paid for someone's order amounting to $32!  Lol....  Bet they were surprised!

After Starbucks, I met a co-worker for breakfast.  I have mentioned K before and today I met up with her and her two kids at Village Inn.  She is having twin girls and she could pop any day now!  While at Village Inn, we got to see my favorite waitress.  She takes really good care of us and always gives me a coffee to go.  I made sure to leave her a really big tip today - 50% of the bill.

We made our way to Target.  I asked K to get together a list of all the things she still needed for the twins.  The twins are girls btw.  Anyway, she had the list and we proceeded to get the items (I missed out on the baby shower due to the wedding).

We got another Fisher Price rocker, a baby tub, a bunch of newborn clothes, bottles, diapers, baby wash, a bumper for the crib (I bought her a crib a few months ago) and a few other items.  I spent a little over $300 there.  She started to cry at the register (pregnancy brings on those emotions!) and said she couldn't believe I got everything on her list.  She thought we were only going to grab a few things.  Lol....  I loved doing it for her and she is so sweet.  K is a good mama and her other two children are so well behaved and wonderful kids.  I know she needs help.  Unfortunately, she can't really depend on anyone on her side of the family.

Her boyfriend is amazing and so is his side of the family.  I think she is in good hands.

After PIF at Target, I had a hair appt to get to.  I gave my hairdresser an extra tip today for doing such a good job and taking great care of my locks for me.

I then headed to Carter's and found a huge sale on clearance baby clothes.  I purchased a few more things in premie size for the girls and grabbed a salad from Doc Greens.  Remember when I said I was going to eat my way thru their menu?  Today I got the Dr. Fiesta salad.  It's now my new favorite.  Lol...

Dr. Fiesta

Today has been an awesome day.  I could have spent it wallowing about and feeling bad about myself.  Instead, I used it to PIF to some special people in my day-to-day life.

Tonight I am cooking supper for the Kid and I.  He has requested my baked chicken and rice, with a side of roasted Brussels sprouts.  We won't eat until later, so using the oven won't be so bad.

Hope you all had a wonderful day!  I sure have.

Laters.

Hot, Windy and Cranky

I am in Oklahoma and it is hot and windy.  Stephen is cranky today (which makes me cranky) because he has a sore back.  We just returned from the chiropractor.  I don't understand why people spend money on them.  Whenever my back is out of whack, I always do lots of stretches and then use a heating pad or ice.  I feel better the very next day.  Whenever he goes to the chiro, he feels like crap the rest of the day and it's still sore.  The aches and pains are still there for almost another day.  I can do my own treatment at home with no cost.  But I guess if it makes him feel better, than that's on him.  Just wish he wasn't such a baby about it.  hehehehe.....

It's super windy and hot outside.  I saw a huge jackrabbit outside with the longest ears ever!  I wish I could get a picture, but they always race away before I can get my phone out to get a pic.  This jackrabbit is the size of a small dog.  I can't get over how big it was.

We are grilling sockeye salmon tonight with a myriad of vegetables.  I will probably do some light cleaning and a load of laundry.  I am so glad I am a clean person and don't need people to clean up after me.  That gets on my nerves about some people I know.  They can't clean up after themselves and they are grown adults!  smh....

Laters.

In the Heat of Summer

Looks like we hit over 100 degrees.  You know it's hot when the store starts to feel warm on the inside.  It's usually pretty cool in the store, but I was sweating while working on the sales floor.  I took a cool shower as soon as I got home tonight.

I work tomorrow and then I am heading south to see Stephen.  I am looking forward to going down and spending time with him.

Well, it's a short post tonight because I want to read blogs before bed.

Laters.

Eating My Way Thru Doc Green's

It was certainly a long day.  I didn't get to bed until 3 am!  That's what I get for taking a late nap.  I woke up at 9 am and started a load of laundry.  I got ready for work early and stopped by Doc Green's to grab a salad to go.  I am eating my way thru their entire menu, one item/one week at a time.  It's soooo good!

I ordered the Dr. Grilled Veggie: Field greens, grilled zucchini & yellow squash, grilled portobello mushrooms, roasted red peppers, red onion, avocados and balsamic vinaigrette dressing.  It was pretty good.  I am not a fan of balsamic vinegar, but this wasn't too bad.  I have decided to start off at the top of their menu of salads and work my way down.  This was my second salad and now my second favorite.  The first salad I tried was Dr. Beeks.  The description is as follows: Field greens tossed with cranraisins, feta cheese, candied walnuts and raspberry vinaigrette.  I also added some grilled salmon.  It was delicious and is still my favorite so far.

If you are interested in trying new restaurants, I use an app called Zomato.  You can create an account, check in to restaurants, write reviews, add pictures and see what other diners are saying about the restaurants.  I have quite a few reviews on the app from my food blog.  I haven't done a review in ages or a blog post on my food blog.  I hope to resurrect the blog once again soon.

Anyway, after picking up my salad, I headed to work and ate my salad in the conference room.  I like to eat in there because people rarely go in there.  It's a nice place to sit and not be bothered.  I worked 12-10 today.  I did clear off my desk and packed up a few things for my upcoming move to another store.  I am now starting to look forward to it.

Well, I better hit the hay.  I have to be in by 6 am and it's almost 11:30.  Hope you all had a wonderful Thursday.

Laters.

A Wedding, A Walk and Apricots

Prepare for an extra long post!

Here are some pics I took of my brother's wedding....

The Vows

The Rings

The Kiss

The Happy Couple

The Bride

Cutting the Cake

New Family Pic

Our New Family

After getting back from Concordia, I headed straight for OKC.  Stephen did not go to the wedding, so I headed down there to spend the last of my vacation with him.  I went for a walk on Sunday and took a picture of what I call Horse Corner.  The house in on the other side of the trees on the left hand side.  This is a different neighbor that has a few horses.  The horses were on the other side of the trees that day, but here is a nice shot of where they hang out when they want shade.

After getting back from my walk, Stephen and I hit the backyard.  We picked lots of apricots from his two apricot trees.  There are so many of them and I hate to think these will be wasted.  We stopped by the new neighbor's house and offered them to stop by and pick as many as they wanted.  I got a small bucket and filled it up.  I am now making canned apricots and apricot jelly as I type this.  It's a three hour process and since I took a nap today, I figured I would get a post up in between tasks.

Apricots

I worked 12-10 yesterday for my first day back and was already off again today.  I went to lunch with a work friend, hit the YMCA and did an hour of cardio (walking, biking and elliptical) and then made supper.  I grabbed a little nap around 7 and slept until 9.

The apricots in light syrup are done and the popping noise from the lids have popped!  Yay!  My first successful canning venture!  The apricot jelly is now in the boiling bath water and will be done soon.  These beautiful orange fruit look and taste so divine. I love the color these give off.  I will get some photos tomorrow in natural light so you can see how vibrant they are.  Not to mention the apricots smell heavenly!  The jelly will go nicely on toast or English muffins.  I packed everything in the small jars, even the apricots in light syrup.  Since there is just two of us, no sense in wasting any fruit by packing it in big jars and not being able to eat all of it.   Not that it should be a problem... but for my first time, I wanted to do smaller portions.

I had a wonderful week of vacation and I am looking forward to another week coming up in mid-July.  I am not planning on going anywhere except Oklahoma.  I have not heard on a start date for my new store, but it may be as early as next week.  I hope it's soon.

Hope you all had a fantastic week!

Laters.

Vacation - Day Six WEDDING DAY!

Today is wedding day!  I get to see my baby brother get married.  I was so emotional at the rehearsal yesterday. It was so embarrassing.  I think I got all of the crying out of me.  I have to speak in front of the congregation and I can't cry in front of 200+ people.

Anyway, I will try and post more later.

Laters.

Vacation - Day Five

Well, I guess I didn't realize how stressed out it can be doing a wedding.  Holy cow.  I also can't believe how much family my future sister-in-law has.  I think my SIL is having a small anxiety attack.  Too many questions for that poor girl.

I was in charge of the supper last night and lunch today.  Last night I got enough pizza, tacos and "extras" to feed a small army.  For lunch today, I got sandwich fixings, veggie trays, chips, cookies and condiments to feed the same small army for two days.  There are so many kids!

I am hiding out in my hotel room at the moment, awaiting instructions from the decorators or for my parents to arrive.  Whichever happens first is the way I am going.

It's been drizzling all day.  I am anxious about tomorrow.  I want it to get here already so everyone can stop stressing out.  Weddings can bring out the worst in people.

I will get some pics up later for you to see.  Hope you are all having a fantastic Friday!

Laters.

Vacation - Day Four

Today marks the middle of my vacation.  Hard to believe it is already halfway over and we haven't even had a wedding yet.  We are leaving to head out of town soon.  I have everything packed and ready to go.  I still can't decide what I am going to wear tomorrow at the rehearsal dinner.

Once we arrive, we will be put to work getting the reception area all decorated.  I think the church is done.  Heck, I don't know.  I do know I have to read a passage from the bible during the ceremony.  It's strange. I never go to church, am not the least bit religious, but I was chosen to read during the wedding.  I asked my brother if he would be mad if I rapped the verse.  He laughed and said I would say something like that.  And no, I can't.  Darn!  I've got mad skills!

Anyway, I guess it's time to make sure The Kid and The Yak are all ready to go.  I can bet you one of them forgot their toothbrush.

I will check in later this evening after supper.  Have a good day!

Laters.

Vacation - Day Three

Good day!

The shower is fixed.  Yay!  The maintenance man came by this morning and fixed a leaky part in the wall.  I also got a new spray nozzle for the kitchen sink.  I love where I live.  They are speedy when it comes to maintenance and you don't have to pay extra for parts and whatnot.

The nephews are playing a video game downstairs and anxiously waiting for my kid to get home.  He is going to take them swimming.  The pool is right across the parking lot.  My townhouse is the closest to the leasing office, so it's super close.  It is within throwing distance!  The nice thing about it is my townhouse is brick, so I hardly hear any noises from the pool.  Sweet!

I got my shopping done.  The only things left on my list is to vacuum and prune Henry.  Supper will be easy. We are having leftovers from lunch at Old Chicago!

I think I might go by Bed, Bath and Beyond this evening when I take the local nephew home.  I would like to get a new shower curtain.  I am tired of the one I have.  Maybe something in blue?

Anyway, it's a scorcher out there.  The boys will need extra sunscreen this afternoon.  Hell, I may even take a nap!

Laters.

Vacation - Day Two

This day is almost at an end.  Talk about busy!  Whew!  Here is what the day looked like...

I got up around 7:30 (no sleeping in again) and got myself together. My boss texted me and asked if I could run the meeting today at the store.  I was going to be up there anyway and told her I would.  I also got the chance to tell the team I was transferring to a bigger store.  They were all sad.  I almost cried.  I don't have a start date yet, but I am looking forward to this opportunity.

After my time at the store, I ran to the Asian market to pick up some stuff for my mom: tea, peppers, fish.  I had to make two different stops at two different Asian markets.  Those places can be an adventure.  The one I usually go to is a Vietnamese store.  The workers and owners there are super rude.  I won't be going there anymore unless it's a last resort.  The second stop was better, except the store was unorganized.  Oh well.

Once I got all of my items, I headed to the airport to pick up my Aunt Sookhi.  The Wichita airport has been newly remodeled and I was in and out in less than 30 minutes.  That means I didn't have to pay for the parking garage!  One of the perks of living in a smaller city, I guess.

I drove my aunt to Great Bend, where my parents live.  My mom called about 3 times during the 2 hour trip to see how close we were.  She cooked a bunch of Korean food and was anxiously awaiting our arrival.   We arrived home and were promptly moved to the back living room to eat lunch.  It was delicious!

My sister came by and dropped off my nephew, aka The Yak.  He is staying with me until the wedding.  He has been bouncing off the walls since he got here.  I have managed to make sure he got in a good bath and had a good supper of Arby's roast beef sandwiches.  Lol.... He got to pick tonight.

Now I am finishing up another load of laundry.  It must sound like I do a lot of laundry.  I actually probably do.  I do at least one load a day.  If I let it go a couple of days, which I did all last week, it builds up.  Besides, I went shopping yesterday and needed to rearrange my closet.  All of my fall/winter clothes are in the guest bedroom closet and my spring/summer clothes are in my room.  I bought several new summer blouses to add to my wardrobe.

Tomorrow's agenda for vacation is as follows:

• Maintenance man will be by around 9 am to fix the shower (no water pressure)
• Grocery shopping around 10 am
• Pick up my other nephew around 11 and take the boys to lunch
• Come back to my house and let the boys play, go swimming, etc.
• Clean my kitchen
• Vacuum the upstairs rooms
• Prune Henry (my plant)
• Take the local nephew back home
• Cook supper
• Get packed to leave on Thursday

Whew!  It's going to be a busy day tomorrow.

Hope you all had a good day!

Laters.

Vacation - Day One

Vacation all I ever wanted
Vacation had to get away
Vacation meant to be spent alone

Ah.... the Go-Go's.  I know you are all humming this tune now.  I am!

I am on vacation for the next eight days!  WooHoo!

First day of vacation and this chica wakes up at 7 am!  My goodness.  I will never learn.  Lol.

I was going thru my comments and I received a comment from The Lies of 4th Avenue Blues.  I popped over and the drama continues.  Can't say I am surprised.  Jonathon sure has left a foul taste in a lot of people's mouths.  People keep emailing me about it.  I commented my thoughts on this blog.  I guess if you want to really piss people off, this is what happens.

Anyway, enough of that.  I had lunch with the Kid this morning.  We went to the Egg Crate Cafe, which is close to where we live.  I got the combo meat breakfast.  It comes with 2 strips of bacon, 2 sausage links, 2 eggs, hashbrowns or country potatoes and choice of bread.  It was so much food for an awesome price - around $8.  I couldn't finish it all so the Kid had to eat the rest.  He got the pancake combo.  HUGE portions!

Here is a pic of my breakfast plate.  So much food!

I do have an agenda each day I am on vacation.  I have already met with a co-worker to discuss their progress in their new training class.  I have started a load of laundry.  I have a few more things on my list for today:

• Shoe shopping with the Kid for the wedding
• Shirt shopping for the wedding
• Two loads of laundry
• Clean the upstairs bathroom
• Change the bedding in the spare bedroom for my nephew's visit.

I should be busy the rest of the day.  Hope you are all having a great Monday. I know it's not everyone's favorite day, but it's as good as you want it to be!

Laters.

A Day Off!

I am so happy I am off tomorrow!  That means I only have to work Saturday and Sunday and then it's vacation.  I love that I get 6 weeks off every year.  That is one of the perks of my job.  Of course, I had to work 20 years for the company to get it, but at least I have it.

I am in OKC this evening.  I haven't been here in a few weeks and I was really missing Stephen.  I will head back Saturday morning.

When I arrived, I found a fur ball in the bedroom.  Gross.  That's a downside to having Gabby.  She coughs up fur balls because Stephen doesn't brush her enough.  One good thing is that she doesn't shed cat hair around the house very much.  I would have a fit if she did.  I can't stand having animal hair on me or my clothes.

Anyway, work was crazy busy.  We had a couple of visitors (district suits) come in today.  I didn't really walk with either of them.  We were just too damn busy!  Business picked up today, so most of it was a blur.  It's one thing after the other.  I don't even know where all of the time goes.

Well, I want to read some blogs and watch a little more of the Gilmore Girls before Stephen gets home from work.  Hope you all had a good day.

Laters.

1st of the Month

Man... if you have ever worked retail grocery, then you know how crazy it can be during the first week of the month.  Everyone comes in to do their shopping.  Lots of people at my store are on government assistance and they get their money at the first of the month.  We also have some shoppers who work aircraft and they also get paid at the first of the month, some bi-weekly.  Regardless, our store is jam-packed busy and it gets a little hectic.

Retail grocery has its ups and downs.  The upside is seeing all of the different kinds of customers who shop.  I love to people watch and we have some funny characters that come in every week.  For instance, there is a guy named Timothy who is an alcoholic and on several medications.  He's a character.  He will come in several times a day, each time his state of consciousness is altered further.  It's come to the point where our security guard has to follow him around so he won't bother other customers or employees.  He has sandy brown hair, is gaunt and bony.  His voice is sassy and if he could snap his fingers when he talked, he would.  I walk the opposite way when I see him coming.  Timothy will stand and talk to you all day if you would let him.  But we can't, there is work to be done!   Especially at the first of the month!  :-)

Costco opened today in Wichita.  I am so thankful I don't live anywhere near the intersection of Kellogg and Webb.  I feel sorry for anyone who travels thru that intersection.  Now with Costco opening, it's only going to get worse.  Screw that. I will stick to the west side of town.  Traffic is so much better and we have almost everything the East side has, some things are even better.

I am having a vegetarian dinner tonight.  Brussels sprouts are roasting in the oven and I am going to make a nice hearty salad.  I will probably get to bed early this evening.  I can't wait for vacation.  I start Monday and don't have to go back to work until the 23rd.  Sweet!

Hope you had a Happy Hump Day!

Laters.

Free Time

Yay for a day off!  I am so excited!  I have a hair appt at noon thirty.  These locks are in need of a fresh coat of color and a serious hair cut.  I got 4 inches cut off the last time, but I need to cut another 4 inches.  It grows so fast plus the extra weight off will be good during the summer months.

After my hair appt today, I am meeting my friend Chris for a late lunch at Jason's Deli.  I love that place!  They have a yummy salad bar.

Some time today, I plan on cleaning my bedroom.  I need to sort and hang clothes, vacuum and dust.  Bedding will be washed today and different sheets will be put on.  I have a rotation every two weeks.  Ya, I know.

My son keeps his room much cleaner than I keep mine.  He actually said something to me two days ago, "Hey Mom.  How come you make me clean my room and keep it clean and it's cleaner than yours?"  Touché, my dear.  Touché.  So ya, it's time to clean my room.  I mean, it's not a disaster or anything.  I just have work clothes on the floor near my closet, a few work clothes on the other side of my king size bed and a few clothes on my dresser.  I get so busy in the morning trying to figure out what to wear.  Sometimes I change my mind last minute and instead of hanging the clothes back up, I just throw them on my bed, or the floor.

I do have a system for dirty clothes.  In my closet, I have 4 different laundry baskets.  Each basket is designated for specific clothes: darks, lights, towels and bras/socks/panties.  As soon as one fills up, I take it downstairs.  I just recently came up with the system because the previous system of just dumping the clothes in the middle of the laundry room floor wasn't working.  I hate sorting, so I decided I would just sort them as the clothes came off.  That way it takes the extra work out of it.  I know it's not rocket science, but my boyfriend would call it a super genius move.  I think so too!

Well, I better get around here.  I have a few blogs to read and I want to eat a very light breakfast since I will be eating a very late lunch (2 pm).  Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Laters.

Ken - I wish you had a blog!  I love corresponding with you back and forth.  You mentioned a religion thing with your wife's parents.  What kind of thing was it?  As for my parents reaction, I can't wait to see it also.  :-)

New Opportunities

Got some great news today!  I am transferring to another store.  I'm super excited because this store is only two miles away from my front door.  This means I don't have to leave the house until 10 minutes before I am scheduled, plus I can come home for lunch every single day!  WooHoo!

I will find out in a few weeks when my official start date is.  I will miss my old store tremendously, but I am always open for new opportunities.

I am starting to get a little nervous for my brother's wedding in two weeks.  Partly because my family has not met Stephen yet.  This should be interesting.  Stephen is not your ordinary 50 year old guy.   He is tatted up, has gauged hoops in his ears, bald and has a tongue ring.  I know, I know.... you are shaking your head, right?  I did too!  When I first met him.  Lol...

Anyway, my parents are a little old fashioned, Republican and they have a way with words.  My boyfriend is open minded, Democrat and doesn't ever mince words.  It's going to be great!  (save me)

Seriously tho, I would be lying if I didn't say I was a little nervous.  He isn't the typical guy I have normally dated, which is probably why it works.  I guess I shouldn't worry over it.  It is what it is.  I am a grown adult.  My parents can't tell me what to do anymore!  ya, right...

Did I mention I am super excited about my new work adventure?  :-)

Laters.

Longest Week Ever

I am so glad my store manager comes back to work today.  It was the longest week ever without her.  I worked every single day this week and working late tonight and tomorrow night before I finally get a day off on Tuesday.  Whew!

We have a sales event going on in all of the stores across our division.  It's to promote the BBQ season.  I am not a fan of BBQ, but I do love to grill.  I think there is a huge difference.  Have you ever been to a BBQ grilling contest?  I can't stand the smell of all that cooked meat.  Yuck.

Anyway, we are going to be sampling some great recipes this week.  One thing I would love to try is grilled pineapple topped with blue cheese.  Now most cheese lovers know that fruits high in acidity do not pair well with cheese, but since the pineapple will be grilled and has more of a smoky sweet flavor, the blue cheese should do well.  I am excited to try it in the near future.  Of course, I will post some pics so you can see.

I did buy some Brussels sprouts yesterday.  I am going to roast them in the oven tomorrow.  I also love roasted broccoli.  Have you ever tried either?

Well, I better get ready for work.  I want to stop by Starbucks and get a green tea.  Hope you all had a lovely weekend!

Laters.

Bittersweet

Today was crazy.  We had 5 people call in sick or didn't show up.  Another person quit because of "personal reasons" and a few showed up late or had to leave early.

It was also a bittersweet day.  We had to say goodbye to one of our co-workers as he has been accepted into the management development program for our company (learning to do what I currently do).  He will do a wonderful job.

He gave me a card today with a very nice letter.  I will share the letter with all of you tomorrow.  I forgot it in my desk drawer at work.  It made me cry!

Anyway, I am glad to be home.  Today was tiring and tomorrow will be a long day.  I am working a split shift so I can watch my niece run in the prelims for her 4x100.  They should do very well.

Have a great evening!

Laters.

Ken - thank you so much for stopping by.  Please feel free to stop by and comment whenever you like.

Karen - I think I will probably go with a black or white flat.  I hate open toe shoes.  Lol....

Presents and A Wedding Dress

Today was more of a day off.  I only went in for about 3 hours.  I had to go over schedules with the dept managers, walk the back room with my grocery team, and help the front end while the leads were in a short meeting.  After all of that, I met a friend and grabbed some lunch at Red Lobster.  I had the coconut shrimp.  Yumm!

After lunch, we hit the mall to do some shopping. I had to stop by Dillards to get a nice leather rolling tote for our customer service manager, who also is a good friend of mine.  He was accepted into a management training program, so I know he will need one.  I love buying presents for people!  Probably why Christmas is my favorite time of year.

Next up was the hair salon so I could pick up my Biolage shampoo and conditioner.  They were having a sale... (2) one liter bottles for $35.  I also stopped by Lane Bryant and found a dress to wear at my brother's wedding.  It's a summer dress, but I got a cute cropped black short sleeve open sweater to go over it.  It's perfect for women with big boobs.  Lol....

*Photo is courtesy of Lane Bryant

I don't know what kind of shoes I will be wearing yet, but I thought the dress was cute and it looks good on.  Not sure what Stephen will be wearing, but black and white goes with anything.

Now I am home and will probably do a bit of laundry.  I don't want to take a nap but I might if it feels right.

Hope you are all having a fabulous Hump Day!

Laters.

Wash My Hands

I have washed my hands of that other drama blog.  I have left a last comment and have unfollowed.  I already feel better!

I like my honest boring life!

Laters.

Memorial Day

I was scheduled off today but decided to go in and work.  My store manager is off on vacation this week and she has put me in charge.  We have some "company" coming in tomorrow and I wanted  to make sure all of the departments were ready.  They have been so busy with filling all of their displays and shelves for the customers so I knew they would need some help.  I worked 8:30 to 4 pm...  not too bad for a day off!  Lol...  At least now I will be able to take some time off on Saturday to watch all of my niece's races at the State track meet.

Yesterday I posted about all of the blog drama that's been going on with a blog I used to follow.  That guy has really got some nerve.  I can't believe all of the lies he has told over the years and someone has finally caught him and put him on blast.  I knew it was bound to happen sooner or later because once you read someone's blog for so many years, you see patterns and see the lies happen.  I never really minded, except this time it went too far.  He chose to use someone's pictures, said he was in a romantic relationship with her and also stated she had a mental illness, all of which were false.  I think he's gross and disgusting.  If I were this woman, I would press charges to the fullest extent.

His blog is all lies.  Why post pictures that are not yours?  He can't even post pictures of his own food, when he clearly has the capabilities to do so.

I love the blogs I follow.  These are real people who post real pictures of what is going on in their lives.  I appreciate that.  I love to read how others are doing across this big world of ours.  I guess if I wanted fiction, I would just read a book.

Anyway, enough about that.  I am getting nervous for tomorrow, but it should go pretty well.  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and was able to share it with those you love.

P.S. I changed my profile pic to a more recent one.  I am such a sucker for car selfies!

Laters.

Blog Drama

Goodness.... I can't believe how much drama a blog can bring!  Lol... I am glad it's not me who started the bull crap.  I would like to say that everything you read on my blog is true.  I use real names and pictures.  Everything is mine.  I don't have to beg, borrow or steal from anyone else to get people to follow or "like" me.  I could give a rat's ass how many followers I have.

Yes... I have a foul mouth at times.  Usually when I get heated up.  Hehehehe.

Today was a crazy day at work.  The weather was okay, not like the ten straight hours of rain we got yesterday.  We should actually see some sunlight tomorrow.  I am scheduled off, but plan on going in for a couple of hours to get some work done.  Our district manager is visiting the store on Tuesday and I want to make sure everything is top-notch for that visit since my store manager is on vacation.

I was going to head to Oklahoma for the night and day off tomorrow, but decided to stay home.  I need to get some work done around the house, do a mountain of laundry (I kid not... there is a mountain in the basement) and see my niece tomorrow.  She is preparing to take the ACT again and wanted to use a practice prep test.

I hope you all had a restful Memorial weekend.

Laters.

Awesomeness!

My niece did an amazing job at Regionals yesterday. She is ranked 2nd in the 100m going into State and her 4x100 team is ranked #1. They also broke the school record!

I am super proud of her!

Hope you are all having a wonderful weekend!

Laters.

Rock n Roll

I went to a concert tonight. We saw The Used and Chevelle perform at the Diamond Ballroom. It was my first time at that venue, and it will probably be my last unless they can do something about the heat. It was very brisk out, but a sauna inside. Even the bands were complaining on stage.

Anyway, I preferred The Used over Chevelle. I have never heard either band or their music, so this was quite an experience. I'm glad I wasn't the oldest person there! Ha!

It's back to the grind tomorrow and then I am off Friday. I have a lunch date with my former boss and then it's Kansas Regionals for track and field. My niece is currently ranked #5 in 6A division and #15 overall in the state in the 100m. I can't wait!

Hope you all had a good hump day!

Laters.

Quick Lunch

I'm grabbing a quick lunch at the Village Inn. I've been super good since starting my healthy eating. I am having a "cheat" meal today because I deserve it! Lol...

Anyway, I got an email from a man trying to call out a blogger I follow. I can see his point of view, but in all honesty, I just don't care. I'm not going to waste a bunch of energy bringing someone else down when I only blog and read blogs as a form of entertainment. I mean, how do we really know who is telling the truth? Everyone can embellish as much as they want and we wouldn't even know it.

Anyway, I'm done with the subject. For now... I have asked some follow-up questions for this inquiring blogger, so we shall see what comes from it.

Enjoy your day! I'm off tomorrow! Yay!

Laters.

Off To A Good Start

I'm off to a good start this morning. Here's my banana and water! So far, no headaches!

Business has picked up after the rain showers this morning. I'm taking a little break from trimming corn in produce and bagging groceries! Woohoo!

Oh my... I never should have found this mobile app. I'll be updating all the time!

Laters.

Hello From the Parking Lot

I'm working 8-7 today and I'm sitting in the parking lot with a few minutes to spare. I always forget about my mobile blogging app! I could be posting every day with this sucker!

Anyway, it's raining this morning. I love a nice steady rain shower. We need it pretty bad. Kansas and Oklahoma have been in a big drought for some time now.

I've decided to ween myself back off of Starbuck's every morning. Lol... We will see how long that lasts. I know I can expect a headache the first two days. I've done this before.

Another thing... I've gained 20 pounds since meeting Stephen two years ago. Hold the bus!!! That's crazy. I guess it happens when you get comfortable with someone, but now I am uncomfortable with myself.

Wow, I am loving this app! Well, I better head inside. I'm sure we will get super busy when the rain stops.

Hope you all have a great Saturday!

Laters.

All City

My niece ran her races in the All City track meet today. Happy to report she had a personal best in the 100 and her team had a personal best in the 4x100.

I am so proud of her! We went to Red Rock Canyon for supper to celebrate.

I also will not have any voice this weekend as I left it on the track from screaming. Haha.

Laters.

Happy Hump Day

I can't believe I have been away for so long.  It seems as though I don't ever blog unless I am in OKC.  I rarely have time to do much when I am back home because my job is so demanding.

It's overcast here and it looks like we got some rain last night, early morning.  I have plans with Stephen's mom later.

I am going to try and catch up on about 12 days worth of blog reading.  Lol.... this will take me all day.

Have a great day everyone!

Laters.

There'd An App For That?

I finally downloaded the Blogger app on my phone. Now I can post from anywhere. No worries, you won't get any crazy posts from me at work, although I could tell you some stories that would blow your hair back. 

They should come up with a grocery store sitcom. It would be great! Just come to my store for a day and see all the drama that unfolds. Lol...

Hope you all had a great weekend! Signing off from my iPhone...

Laters.

Queen of Hearts

It was a beautiful day here in Oklahoma.  We ended up going to the Edmond Arts Festival.  I really liked it!  The festival had more of a home town feel than the OKC festival.  The third booth I went to was amazing.  The artist, Vladimir Ovtcharov, is originally from Bulgaria, but now resides in New Mexico.  I was drawn to the Alice in Wonderland theme of his booth, pieces he and his wife have done.  He also had several twisted whimsical pieces that I loved.  I saw a particular piece called the Queen of Hearts.  The eyes of this original piece were amazing.  After stopping and looking around, we continued on our way.

The festival had a lot of jewelry, which I am not a fan of.  I think of art a different way and don't consider jewelry as art.  I know, it's wrong of me.  But it's my opinion.  I like to look at obscure sculptures and paintings.

After going thru the festival, it was apparent I couldn't stop thinking about the first booth I loved.  So... we went back.  I looked closely at every painting, skimmed thru the prints.  As I stood there looking, the artist came over and asked if I was having trouble making a decision.  I told him I had never purchased a high dollar piece before.  I kept looking at the Queen of Hearts piece and he could tell I really liked it.  He said if I wanted it, he would also give me his book and would sign the book.  After much debating inside my head, I finally decided to purchase it.  The artist could probably tell my excitement because he asked if this was my first purchase of an "original" painting.  I said it was.  I told him I couldn't stop thinking about the painting throughout my entire walk thru the festival.

He grabbed his book and signed the inside page.  I also purchased a print of another painting I really liked.  The book is called On The Way To Imaginarium.

Here is the painting...

Crazy, isn't it?  The eyes have it.

Today is going to be a day of relaxation.  We may do some yard work, but I don't plan on getting out of the house except to do some grocery shopping.  We grilled salmon last night with a bunch of organic veggies, with plenty of salmon for leftovers.  All that is needed are veggies for tonight's meal.

Hope you are all enjoying your Sunday!

Laters.

Good Morning

Good morning!  I know I haven't been here in a bit.  I trust you are all doing well.  I have been so busy with work.  I got the weekend off and I am in Oklahoma.  Stephen is still snoozing away, but once 8 am hit, I couldn't sleep anymore.

Not sure what is on the agenda today.  I do know I plan to relax for a lot of it and enjoy the time off.  I also need to catch up on blog reading.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend!

Laters.

Inspiration

I have received some inspiration from a blogging friend (I hope I can call her that).  Karen, over at Life is Good, takes daily walks and posts pictures of her walks.  I always love looking thru the pics, as though I am right there with her, walking along.

Yesterday I decided to go on a walk.  There really isn't much to look at out here where Stephen lives.  He lives in a housing development right outside of a small Oklahoma town, very near Oklahoma City.  In fact, on a very clear day, I can see the buildings in downtown OKC from his yard.

I started off on my walk thru the neighborhood.  We are towards the back of the development, so it was a half mile walk to the main road.  I didn't feel like taking pictures of his neighbors' houses.  They may have called the po-po on me if I did.  lol...

Once I got to the main road, I took a few pics.  Not much to look at.

Here is an old shed.  Looks abandoned.  There is a stream off toward the back, where the first line of trees are.

These beautiful yellow fields are abundant here in Oklahoma.  It's canola!  I would have never guessed it.  The flowers are very vibrant, especially up close.

The best part about where Stephen lives is what is near his back yard.

Hello there horsey!  Would you like an organic carrot?

This is Stephen feeding the horse.  I wasn't quite that brave.

As soon as I gave the carrot to the horse, it snapped it right in half as I was trying to take a picture.  I quickly moved my hand so it wouldn't get devoured and got this great shot of the carrot snapping in half out of the horse's mouth.  Ha!

So much thanks to Karen for giving me some inspiration in getting out yesterday and walking around the countryside.  I walked a little over 2 miles.

No walking today.  I just got back from grocery shopping for Stephen so he has plenty to last him the next 3-4 days. I won't be back until Friday night.

I have all of the laundry done and am packed and ready to go tomorrow morning back to the ICT.  I have a hair appointment at 10 so I will be leaving here around 7:30.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Laters.