My Merry Christmas List!!

Why I love Amber Smith...She gave me something to Blog about after about a month of not blogging...man, we have just been CrAzY busy these days! But here goes...I love these lists!!!

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate: Umm, both actually, my NEW favorite thing is "Land O Lakes Cinnamon Hot Cocoa (available at your neighborhood grocery store) - It is SOOOO delicious! But you all know my LOVE for Egg Nog (Leslie) and I just had some left-over Peppermint-Eggnog Punch from a shower I had last week-DELISH because it has ice cream in it-what's not to love there???

2. Santa always wrapped presents but I am beginning to be a BIG fan of the NOT wrapping-that makes such good sense-however, I would have been out of a job there in college on X-mas break. One year my mom actually stuck me in the cold garage with a long folding table and had me wrap all the gifts! Burrrr!!! HaHa-I LOVE wrapping - the prettier I can make the bows the better!

3. ONLY, ONLY white lights for the tree/house! Because Brad wouldn't spend the extra dough for the pre-lit tree, I decided to "pre-lit" my own tree-now every year we just struggle it out of the box, fluff, and plug it in! What a miracle-it was just that first year that killed me to wrap a 10 Ft tree with 1200 lights!

4. I don't hang mistletoe but I have actually gone to the florist before to get some but the didn't have any-very disappointing.

5. We always decorate the weekend of Thanksgiving-this year we were babysitting my niece, Reid for the weekend and when she woke up from her nap the tree was all done and she looked up and then down and then up again and then got the biggest smile on her face-it was priceless!

6. My favorite Holiday meal is Christmas Eve at my parents house. As tradition holds it, we always have a huge Lobster dinner with salad, bread, lobster, and even sometimes crab legs! I LOVE this night most of all...I also love Christmas morning breakfast and "shrimp dip" another family favorite!!!

7. My most Favorite holiday memories include...unwrapping our Christmas pajamas each Christmas Eve, getting my Cabbage Patch Kid (I cried because mine had short blond hair like me and my sisters dolls had long hair-there started my obsession with wanting long hair-still don't have it though) I also remember the long hours of decorating the house from when I was younger. We put Christmas carols on the record player (complete with the "Chipmunks Christmas" and danced around the house decorating) We still do this every year-we just use the CD player or Dish Network Satelite Music Channel!!

8. I don't ever remember "knowing the truth about Santa" we used to sneak into my parents room and watch them put out gifts but I always thought Santa came after that. Dad used to set our burglar alarm and tell us if we came out of the hallway of our bedrooms it would set the alarm off-I knew it really worked like that and was scared to death that I would scare Santa away if the sirens were going off-so I never got out of bed!

9. We only were allowed to open one gift on Christmas Eve:it was always matching pajamas for us-we still hold that tradition from year to year and it is my favorite one!!!! We have even recruited the boys and grandkids in the tradition too.

10. Santa always got Chocolate chip cookies but I don't remember doing that very much...we do it more now as adults for my dad than anything.

11. Snow-I think it is beautiful and I like to look at it-sitting by the fireplace, drinking hot cocoa, wrapped in a blanket with flannel pj's on, etc...I really don't like to be cold most of all but if I am bundled up warm, I love the snow.

12. I cannot ice skate but I do have a good memory of a "father-daughter date to go skating at the old PrestonWood Mall. We weren't very good and we even got in free because they were closing soon, but it is a special memory with my dad.

13. Wow, my favorite gift...Brad proposed on Christmas night - the ring was in my stocking from his parents! I opened the last little gift tucked away at the bottom and it was a little box that I thought was like a paper weight-when I held it up to show Brad the top popped off and WOW there was a beautiful ring! He dropped on one knee, asked me to marry him, and I said yes! I was so happy-I didn't cry and he always gives me a hard time about that-I was just too happy to cry!

14. The most important thing about Christmas for me is being with my family and upholding our traditions. Our family only really has Christmas traditions : we ALL spend the night at my parents, eat our lobster dinner, open our pj's, play games in our pj's (Mexican Train, Uno, Farkel), wake up have Christmas morning, and have Christmas breakfast which is my mom's awesome breakfast casserole, cinnamon rolls, and orange breakfast punch! I just love when my whole family is together!

15. My favorite holiday dessert is Brickle Blonde Brownies (although I have been making them thru-out the year these days) and my mom's Peppermint Ice Cream Pie. My sister Amy and I used to have Vanilla Ice Cream and Ginger Ale every New Years Eve we were together-that is Yummy too!

16. I think I have mentioned all of my favorite traditions...I do have a new tradition that started this year...I went to the PrestonWood Baptist Christmas show and it was UNBELIEVABLE!! It was so beautiful and moving...I loved the "holiday festivities" at the beginning and was so touched by the story of Christ in the second half. It will move you to tears as Christ is crucified and then is raised-Angels are flying above Him and a 500 member choir is singing and it is just an amazing glimpse of Heaven. It was spectacular!!!

17. My tree topper is a big bow with funky beaded spirals spraying out-a little "untraditional" maybe but I love it.

18. I love giving gifts-especially when I know it is something they have wanted or something that is creative!

19. My favorite Christmas Carol: that is honestly IMPOSSIBLE for me to choose BUT here is a list of my faves...
Faith Hill's "Where Are You Christmas?" from the Grinch
TransSiberian Orchestra "This Night" (Cannon in D version-not really sure if that is the title)
Christmas CDs from Mariah Carey, SheDaisy, Aaron Neville, Kenny G, Celine Dion...Sirius Music Channel 6002 or XM Satelite Channel 23... the list goes on and on...I absolutely LOVE Christmas music...thankfully Brad does too - or he might go NUTS this time of year!! You should hear him singing to the SheDaisy CD!!!

20. Candy Canes...ummm, impartial...don't love 'em, don't hate 'em. I DO like peppermint flavored things though...I just wouldn't go sit and eat a candy cane!

Thanks to Amber for helping my in my busy, blogging slump! As y'all can tell I love the holidays and now some of you may know why! Hope everyone has a wonderful and safe holiday filled with everything you love and enjoy about the season. I am thankful that our Savior was born and that we can celebrate his birth! That is the best tradition of all! Merry Christmas!

My Thankful List!

I have really enjoyed reading everyone's lists of what they are thankful for over the last few days-now it's my turn...

I am thankful ...

1. That I have a husband who is my best friend, tidy roommate, and faithful man of prayer! (He is also manly enough to play "Pretty, Pretty Princess" with his nieces!)

2. That my immediate family is all within 20 minutes or less of each other. There is nothing like being able to meet for burgers at JCs every weekend.

3. That I have the best 2 sisters anyone could ever ask for-I love how we are getting closer and closer as we "grow up".

4. That I have 4 beautiful nieces-all healthy and happy-that I get to see whenever I want-and that each have a different name for me-MaMere (Abby), MeMe (Mallory), MerMer (Reid-although I really think she is saying a form of "mama" but I am going to take it anyways), and little Emily can't say anything yet but Chad and Allie call me "Aunt Meredith"

5. For a two wonderful dentist offices to work in each day-Today, one dentist hired the high school band to come play the UT fight songs b/c she is a longhorn and the other dentist is an Aggie! It was crazy trying to clean teeth with "The Eyes of Texas" being pounded out down the halls. When was the last time you had a pep rally during your cleaning?

6. For an incredible church family with an amazing small group that I know continually prays for one another.

7. Being able to have a relationship with God and the avenue of prayer.

8. Being 27 and having all 4 of my grandparents still living-my Daddy Bill is 92 years old, still walks 3 miles a day, and can eat a horse and still be as skinny as a string bean.

9. That my family has not had to endure any sort of tragedy yet-although I know when we do we will be strong enough to face it together.

10. For gift certificates for pedicures-Thanks Tiff-my toes were in need of some attention!

11. For the patience God has given me regarding having a baby-I know He will bless us in His time-and I am thankful that since we don't have kids yet we are able to love on our nieces and so many of our friends kids-I am thankful that He is preparing us daily and teaching us to rely on Him.


Now for my fun things I am thankful for:

Blue Bell Ice Cream
Electric Blankets (Brad doesn't want to use the heater)
Free Scrubs for work
Grocery Coupons
Heated Seats
Velour jogging suits in brown, black, light blue, and turquoise
Gym memberships
Blogging & Email
Arbonne sea salt scrubs
Peanut Butter
My 45 minutes a day to watch General Hospital
Christmas Decorations and Christmas Music

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! Hope everyone has a safe and happy weekend with family!!

Surgeries, Surgeries, and More Surgeries

Let me tell you about the day...now this is craziness...let's start out with the week...Monday, my boss' s little 9 month old had his 3rd surgery-a successful one thank goodness! So, she was going to be out the whole week. Her partner, who normally only works one day a week, said she would work all week except Wednesday. Monday rolled by, Tuesday came and went, and then Wednesday hit. She again wasn't planning on working so we saw patients in the morning and then scheduled a computer training for the afternoon-very productive day. We went to lunch at 11 and as we are sitting there, by boss calls and says they are going home, baby Carson is doing great and is going from ICU to home! Great! She even stopped by the bakery on her way and dropped off some goodies to have for our training-how awesome is she to think about that on the way home from the hospital?!?!

Anyways, we get back and her partner called and said she is on her way to College Station to take care of her sick mom and possibly won't be back for work on Thurdsay-which would be a crisis because we had a lot of new patients that have to be seen by the dentist by law. So, we frantically call our boss, tell her the situation, and she says she will come in for Thursday. Whew!

Then, Thursday came:Dun, Dun Dunnnn!!! She walks in this morning and into our staff meeting and told us that her baby's stitches had come out last night on one side and that he was probably going to have to go back into surgery this afternoon! The problem came when her partner called and said, "My mom is in the ER being admitted for something, and my dad is upstairs in surgery for kidney stones!" OH MY! To make matters worse, my boss's husband was also scheduled to have surgery on his toe THIS afternoon! I mean seriously, have you ever heard of so many people having surgery? Thankfully, little Carson was ok and he did not need to go back into surgery-we managed the day, Dr. W bought us lunch at Chili's, and even got done about 2 hours early since we had moved so many patients up! It was a whirlwind of a week!

I am thankful though that everyone's surgeries went well and hopefully that is the end of them! Like so many other blogs, pray for the family at our church that lost their little 11 month old baby girl! She was 2 weeks apart from my niece and my sister has been teaching her in craddle roll this quarter. I just don't know how they are dealing-it crushes me to think of losing my precious niece-much less a daughter.

I pray everyone has a safe and fun weekend! Time to eat less so you are hungry for turkey!

Why I Love This Blogging Business

There is something to this "blogging"! Over the last few days, I have re-connected with so many people. I have found college friends that I haven't talked to in about 4 years, found a way to daily connect with 2 old roommates that have moved away, learned that a dear friend and her family are in desperate need of prayers, laughed histerically at several funny kiddos, and finally been moved by inspirational words of faith and love and the wonders of being a mom, sister, and friend.
There is nothing better than to KNOW you can go to certain friends blogs and get a good laugh. I always rely on Holly and Leslie for that no matter what. I love to read Alyssa's blog because she always has the most gentle, sweet reminders that make me appreciate my sisters and friends. The "ZooKeeper" amazes me with her creativity and vibrance even over the internet. I love to hear and see pictures from those sweet Arizona girls-I miss their mom and consider her as my sister that lives far away. I always learn something fun about being a mom from most of you, but I love to read the silly things that Cori and Kate do together-I know they will always be close like Cori hopes. I enjoy going thru the new moments that all of the new moms are having with their little girls and am THRILLED that someone else is as googly over their niece as I am about my 4!! I am also thankful for those of my friends that are just as bad as posting as I am and STILL have pictures from OSU homecoming on their blog! haha...
So, to all of you, I salute you and thank you! You brighten my day, make me laugh, cause me to reflect, and bring me inspiration of some kind each day! Keep 'em coming - even if I don't post for another 3 weeks!

Got a Problem, Do Ya???

A few of you have recently complained about my boring-not-updated-enough blog. Well, to you I say hhhggg! If you really want me to post my daily happenings here they are:
Wake up-Put on scrubs (color-coded for the day:brown/turquiose, grey/pink, aqua with striped ribbon, black/khaki, & navy) Don't have to take a shower because I took one the night before so I could sleep 15 minutes later.
Fix hair, makeup, put on shoes-realize I better get going!! Say bye to sleepy-head(who has not stirred once) and turn on "1310 the Ticket" as I walk out of the bedroom. Take my BC and allergy medicine, Grab a spoon full of peanut butter and bottle of water and head out the door!
Listen to Kidd Kradick on 106.1, Quick Staff meeting to go over the crazy patients, and then start scraping away!
Here I can begin to give you the nasty details of my day with people that come in that haven't brushed since 1985 and wonder why I need to make them come back for a 2nd, 3rd, or 4th appt to get their teeth cleaned and to prevent them from falling out! There are always the clean ones though that make my job easy-whew-please keep FLOSSING!
Clock out-work out (maybe) and then watch General Hospital while fixing dinner. After dinner eat chocolate chip ice cream, read, watch tv, read blogs, etc...
SO there you go! That is why I don't blog everyday! That would be boring to tell you that everyday, but I will try to do better!! The fun thing is that I LOVE reading everyone else's blog!
Have a great weekend everyone!

A Little Thing Called Hope

To all those Alias Fans...This just in from the ShowBiz Top 5 on Kidd Kraddick...

Jennifer Garner is now on maternity leave. But she spent the next to last day on the set of "Alias" making out with her real life ex-boyfriend Michael Vartan. The scene was the first time Michael has been back on set since his character, agent Michael Vaughn, was gunned down in the season premiere. Witnesses say the scene looked like a wedding and according to sources, it's a dream Jen's character Sydney is having where she's dreaming about being with the father of her baby again. Despite what you might think, sources say there was little on-set tension between the former luv-uhs. Jen and Michael enjoyed a little chit-chat between steamy takes, and then Jen headed home to hubby Ben Affleck. While waiting for baby to arrive, Jen's been going to yagoa classes. Ben sneaked a ciggie while waiting for her -- going back on his promise to quit. Jennifer caught him and he was seen apologizing profusely.

Lost Sneak Peak...

For those of you into LOST, if you look at Kidd Kraddick's website...
www.kiddlive.com and scroll down you can find a link to the LOST website with a password and it will link you then to a page of the actual script...You might want to read it for some insider info...If this is old news - sorry - I am behind on my TV investigating!

First and Last

Tagged!

First Memory: Laying in my bed staring at my little slide and thinking there was a wild monkey hiding underneath it and I didn't know how I could run out without it getting me!



First Kiss: Brad Meyer in 4th grade by the fence at Shannon Ruppman's house. First Real kiss was Justin Gibbs my first night as a freshman at ACU in James Mayo's dorm room. RANDOM!



First Concert: Every Brothers at Starplex where you could sit out on the grass-it was great!



First Love: let's just count true love: Brad - no question



First Thing You Think in the Morning: Ugh, why is it still dark outside?



First Book You Remember: Oh Say Can You Say by Dr. Suess - My dad used to read this backwards to me - it is a book of tongue twisters - and I would laugh so hard that I would start having asthma attacks & mom would get mad at us! One of my most favorite childhood memories!



First Pet: Freckles, a cocker spaniel that was MEAN-bit me and got 6 stitches in my lip-still have a scar.



First Question You Will Ask in Heaven: I can't even imagine - I have so many...



First Thing You Think of When You Hear Vacation: 3 months-we'll be in Maui!!! Happy Birthday Dad!



First Best Friend: Kathy Hurley



Last Time You Dressed Up: Church on Sunday-not too fancy though-church is too COLD



Last Time You Cried: Saturday when I got lost returning our rental car :( I only cry when I'm frustrated...



Last Time You Told Someone You Loved Them: Today to Brad of course and to Mallory & Macy-my upline



Last Really Fun Thing You Did: I spontaneously went to the movies with my friend Kristin from work and we saw In Her Shoes...other than that Las Vegas and Kentucky



Last Thing You Watched on TV: Amazing Race



Last Halloween Costume: 7th grade Cheerleading Uniform-I was chubby in 7th grade!



Last Concert: CELINE DION-the BEST!!!



Last CD I bought: Amy Stroup - incredible



Last Thing I ate: Sonic-naughty but it was 1/2 price burger night!! who wants to cook after the movies??

The Bad Luck Continues...

Thursday morning I went to DFW to catch a flight to Louisville, Kentucky with one of my good friends Mallory and her sister, Macy for an Arbonne convention that was fantastic!!!
Here is how it went...
10:30 AM Arrived at airport, checked bags (which I NEVER do) wait to board
11:40 AM Scheduled departure
12:00 PM First announcement of water in a closet of the airplane
12:15 PM Deboard the plane as they are tearing up the floorboards
12:30, 1:15, 1:45, 2:00 - All times we watched on the screen of new departure times
2:05 PM Originally scheduled time of arrival in Louisville and we are still at gate B15 waiting
3:15 PM Moved to new gate to get on a new plane to take off
3:30 PM Announcement that the new plane has Instrumentation problems-wait another 15 min.
3:45 PM Announcement from the pilot that the flight has been CANCELLED!!!!
4:45 PM Rebooked on a flight to Nashville, TN because all other flights to Louisville are booked and the earliest we would get there direct would be Friday afternoon.
7:45 PM Arrived in Nashville however our bags did not
8:00 PM Picked up the rental car and GPS that Brad reserved for us and drove 3 hours to Louisville
11:30 PM Arrived at the Hyatt in Louisville-again with no bags

Friday morning:
6:45 AM Rolled out of bed and went to the conference-the hotel gave us toothbrushes-we didn't even brush our hair.
12 noon Got lost returning rent car because the GPS navigation didn't work
5 PM - Conference over for the day and Mallory & I had luggage waiting at the hotel-Macy's was still missing. Ugh-it was awful but at least we could all share and Macy and I can wear the same size!
5:25 PM - Never happier to be clean in my life!!! :) And I will NEVER again check bags!

Saturday morning:
7:00 AM - Macy's bag finally arrives
5:52 flight to DFW- I had one foot on the plane, Mal & Macy already are seated, and they stopped boarding because someone on the flight before threw up all over two rows-including the walls and seat pockets and the cleaning guy just wiped it off with a paper towel! GROSS! It was actually the row behind mine too!
6:02 PM Take off and home to Dallas! THANK GOODNESS!!!

Although the travel part was the biggest nightmare, our conference was incredible. It was a very motivating, encouraging, even spiritual experience. Arbonne and the opportunity it gives people is such a gift.
Hope you all had a great weekend and it was a little less nuts than mine!

Viva Las Vegas

Whew-I'm tired!!! I am not complaining by any means-I am just exhausted from our whirlwind trip! Las Vegas...Sin City...I would agree with that! We had fun but were also ready to come home too!
We got there Friday morning at 9:15, checked in, walked around, and hit In & Out by 11 am. Brad couldn't wait to sink his teeth into a Double-Double. YUMMY-they have the best burgers in the West-if only they would come to Texas.
The rest of the weekend was spent walking, walking, walking! I got the best exercise ever for vacation-we must have walked 7-8 miles a day...my dogs were barkin!

Here's the highlight of the trip...Friday night my mother-in-law and I went to see Celine Dion! Now keep in mind that I like her in the very low key since not a member of the fan club by any means! However, this was THE best show I have ever seen. Actually it is tied with seeing Beauty and the Beast on Broadway when Tony Braxton was Belle, but that is another trip.
So, back to the incredible show...she was amazing...I actually cried (heavy tearing of the eyes no boo-hooing) TWICE because it was so moving. The first time was when she was singing "I'm Alive" - so awesome. And the second time was during her encore when she sang "What a Wonderful World". Everything was so beautiful and the dancers were excellent-they are choreographed by the same choreographer for Cirque De Soliel so they were very unusual but neat and extremely talented!

Well, that was just Friday and I could have gone home after that I was done! We did also see Danny Gans-very funny I just got sick and missed part of the show (which I think was because I ate a 2 lb lobster entree that was DELICIOUS but who eats that good on a daily basis??) We got to ride in a limo to that show because we went with a highroller friend of the Moore family. Finally we saw Cirque's "O"-very very amazing. How they do all that I will never know!

Vegas was fun and I am glad that I went but I can officially scratch it off my list and not go back - that is until Celine signs a new contract and has a new show...then I'm there. Maybe by then my lungs will have cleared and we will be emphysema free-man those casinos are smokey and we didn't even play that much! We came home with about ehh $30?? Nothing exciting but we didn't lose money!

When my mom-in-law sends me pics I will post some-we are so backwards and don't have a digital camera yet...not til kids...so give me a couple of days to get them posted!

A Tribute...

Today is our 3rd anniversary! It is funny to me to think that we have already been married 3 years and then again it seems that night was so long ago. We actually had a low key night-Brad came home early from work with a migraine, slept it off thankfully, and I stopped at PeiWei and we had an oh so romantic dinner on the couch before bible study. That's ok though because on Friday morning we are headed to LAS VEGAS for a long weekend trip-full of fun and excitement.


I told an assistant at work today(after getting gorgeous flowers) that Brad is a much better husband than I am a wife. I mean that in the best compliment toward him. He is the strongest person I have ever known. I call him my rock because he is the most constant and stable person. There is no wavering and in a world of grey, fuzzy areas, Brad is a crisp black and white. He is confident and secure never affected by what others may think of his beliefs. He doesn't make decisions on emotion but thoroughly contemplates every option. (Sometimes I question if he has any emotions other than toward the Cowboys winning or losing) He is calm when I am a lunatic, steady when I am unsure, and encouraging when I am down.


He constantly proclaims his belief in me and tells me I am capable of doing anything I want to do. He is driven and strives always to be a better person, leader, and husband. If we fight it always ends in, "I'm sorry, I will try to do better" when most likely the reason we are fighting is because I misinterpreted something and I know it is my fault. He would never do anything to intentionally hurt me and it hurts his feelings if he thinks he hurt mine. He gives me everything I need and want. I am not allowed to do the dishes after dinner-he always does that!!!! He will fill up my car with gas and then back the car in so that I can just drive straight out in the morning to go to work. He has even been known to turn on the heated seat and make sure the radio is set to KissFM for me too! We also have this long gutter that runs on the ground outside my window in our bedroom and when it rains it is REALLY loud (like a tin roof) He will go out in the pouring rain and cover it up with the lawn chairs to that the rain won't wake me up or keep me up all night! I mean who does that?? He really is the greatest! He always thinks of the smallest things-in fact he is always thinking of me-he is so selfless! (I really am not as high maintenance as this is all sounding, he just literally thinks of everything) The sweet thing is that all I have to do to keep him happy is to feed him! And he isn't even a picky eater-just so there is food to eat he is happy!


It's funny how our two lives criss-crossed so many times before we ever met...I have his signature in my NuNu pledge book, we sat in the same section of chapel for 3 years, and I even went to his parents church in Wichita Falls for a year before I met him. God knew the right time for us to meet...he knew the right time for us to fall in love and it wasn't immediately. God knew Brad was exactly what I needed and would be my mate. We balance each other out completely...we used to say that he was type A and I was type B, but somewhere along the lines we both just settled in the middle and balance each other out.


I am blessed beyond what I can type in a blog about the wonderful husband I have. I won't slather you with anymore drippy love nonsense about Brad-he will be embarrassed that I even wrote all of this. I pray that we have many more years together and will happily tell our kids and grandkids all about when we were young and in love! I am so thankful that God brought him into my life.

All I Wanted Was...

Well, congrats out to me for blogging 2 days in a row! Ha~don't count on this being a regular occurrence...
So many of you expressed your annoyances with Walmart over the weekend and so I decided to completely avoid that whole scenario. On my way home from work this afternoon, I made the daily call to Brad to check in and ask what he had for lunch. Now I am not trying to be an overbearing nosey wife, I am merely trying to meet his dietary needs for dinner-truthfully he just doesn't like to eat chicken if he has had it for lunch which really annoys me because all I really cook quickly on the fly is chicken. So, guess what...Chick-Fil-A was on the lunch menu which meant I HAD to come up with something else~Thankfully Brad mentioned he wanted crab legs. Ugh...no matter how great that actually sounded to me it meant I had to go to Sam's. Ok, Ok, I gave in and thought...4:30 go to Sam's...home by 5...be at the gym by 5:15-5:20ish...ok, that would work.

UNTIL...dun...dun...dun...I am quickly filling up my cart at Sam's with pork tenderloin, steak, bread, everything one needs in bulk, and I hear this...
"Attention Sam's Members. We have currently lost our phone service and can only accept cash or check payment. No debit or credit cards will be processed." UGH...I never carry the checkbook anymore...it stays in the drawer and comes out only on Sunday morning for the contribution. So, I put all of my groceries back and head to the freezer section to get my crab legs. Great deal by the way...2 lbs Russian crab legs for only $10.88!!! Superbly delicious...thankfully, I had the $20 cash from Saturday that Brad's dad didn't let me spend since he bought my lunch and movie ticket! Whew! I'm safe there. I checked out and went on my merry way.

I thought, well, I'm right here, let me run into Walmart and grab a few things and be done with all this...I quickly grab a cart and rush around grabbing groceries again and actually make it to the deli and order my SaraLee Honey Roasted Turkey sliced very thin and then I hear it...
"Attention Walmart Customers!" OH NO- You've got to be kidding! "We are currently only able to take cash and check. Our phone lines are down and we cannot process debit or credit transactions. I am sorry for the inconvienence." I just couldn't believe it...so I told the deli man to scratch that order-I would have to come back another day. I put everything back on the shelf and decided just to get the salad that I knew I had to have for dinner, paid thru self-check-out and got out of there as fast as I could!

As annoyed as I was, it helped me get a better workout than I might have otherwise and our dinner sure was good. I highly recommend the Sam's crab legs if anyone likes to eat them. Super deal compared to any seafood restaurant and they only take 4 minutes in boiling water! Might be a little difficult with kids, but I will babysit if you want a romantic, quite dinner at home one night!! :)

Now, no good meal would be complete without ice cream, so Brad and I are going to now top it all off with our favorite, BlueBell Triple Chocolate! He'll be in heaven eating that and watching Monday Night Football! Hope y'all have a good night!

P.S. On a good note, we had a Lunch-And-Learn with the OralB rep today and we each got free electric toothbrushes. Mine didn't work (or so we thought) so she gave me another one but it was different. Come to find out, I messed with it and got it charging so now both are gearing up to clean my teeth after my ice cream finale! I will try them both out and let you know which one I think you all should get~as your person online blogging dental hygienist, I vow to bring you the latest and greatest in dental health news and products! You know I want you all cavity-free!

Recommendations...

I know, I know! I am a terrible blogger and you are all sick of seeing Reid pop up on your screen but come on-you know it gives you a little laugh every time you see it!

Brad left yesterday afternoon for a guys weekend just outside of Canton. I was thrilled to have some alone time, but yet none of it ended up being alone at all. (Except of course my sleep~no crazy men came over!!) My family met up at my sister's house last night for dinner-it was delicious-thank you Festive Kitchen (with a new store opening in McKinney next week and with the BEST cookie dough EVER)-and several of our second cousins came over, too. That was a blast to see them and their kids! Their kids were amazing-so well behaved at ages 7, 6, and 3. They ate their dinner (even ate spinach salad), had impeccable manners, and played so well with all my nieces. Hats off to Ben and Rachel for raising such awesome kids. Ben is in seminary and said that they have been reading the book Sheparding A Child's Heart by Ted Trip. After hearing him talk about the book, I wanted to go out and read it to be prepared. You may all know about it already but just in case, go get it! It sounds like a great tool to help raise strong Christian kids!

After the party was over, my parents, Todd and Laura, and I all played Farkel! If your family is into playing games and you have never played this dice game...I HIGHLY recommend it! Super easy, fun, and a great way to pass the time over the holidays! We can play forever-it has even replaced Mexican Train as the #1 game in our collection!
After my victorious win, I headed home to crawl in bed, watch the recap of Fashion Police Emmy's 2005 (Halle Berry takes the award!!), and fell asleep around 11:45. It was the BEST night of sleep-I didn't even stir until 7:07 am~that's what happens when Brad is gone~no talking, snoring, or whistling and I sleep great! Sorry Brad!


After getting out of bed at 9, I called Brad's parents because they always go to the movies on Saturdays. Before I could even invite myself, they invited me and we saw "An Unfinished Life" with Robert Redford, J-Lo and Morgan Freeman. (and the cute hunk from Sweet Home Alabama??) It was extremely good-very Shawshank Redemption/Legends of the Fall type movie! A huge surprise for me because I really just wanted to see "Just Like Heaven".
What a great day! Unfortunately, Brad's golf weekend got rained out thanks to Rita, but they had a great time and were home before I got home from the movies!


I never really title these things until after I write them because they always go a different direction. This blog is just my list of recommendations for the day!

Another Laugh...

I feel since I lead a rather uneventful life of cleaning teeth and don't really have super exciting stories to tell of my sweet children who say such funny things, I will then have to live vicariously through my most precious nieces.
There is this long standing tradition in my family of my dad wearing goofy masks around Halloween or dressing up in Jams and coconut bra's to "streak" my mom's friends at parties like Bunko and then there is this Wilma wig. Laura wore this one Halloween when she was Wilma Flintstone. We periodically put it on random people like my grandma or poor innocent children.
Here is your introduction to Reid! She really is the cutest thing - happiest baby ever - and honestly this is the most hair she will have for several years...babies in our family tend to be bald until about 2!
Have a great weekend!

To Go or Not To Go???

I have been posed with the dreaded question of "Mere, are you going to Homecoming?" This truly has been something I have avoided the past 3 years; however, I have legitimate excuses each year. Three years ago October '02, we had just gotten married a month earlier and were finally getting to move into our own house after shacking up with my sister for the first weeks of marriage-oh which really wasn't that bad-We actually all had lots of fun! October '03 was then Laura's turn to get married and we happily decided to attend her wedding in Maui instead of going to stinkin' Abilene... Last year I thought for sure I wasn't going to get out of it because it was Brad's 5 year reunion, but low and behold my big sister came through for me again and up and got pregnant and gosh if her first baby shower wasn't planned for that Saturday of Homecoming! Another three hours each way avoided!! BUT oh what to do this year...it is technically my 5 year reunion...even though I am a proud graduate of MSU they still include me in all of the ACU propaganda for the Class of 2000...but I really don't have an excuse NOT to go this year...other than that drive! (I'm sorry, I am not a ride in the car for any length of time person)
Truthfully, I should probably go to put on my purple and white and put my paws up...I should wake up at the crack of dawn and go to Kojie breakfast to cheer on those NuNu's while throwing bisquits at them. I should stand in front of Nelson Dorm where I lived on the 3rd floor Room 322 and watch the floats go by remembering the hours we spent stuffing that chicken wire. I should wait to see what the "Gob-Mobile" is this year and watch those Subbers beat their pledges down the street! I should flood into Moody to attend homecoming chapel and sing "The Lord Bless You and Keep You" and laugh thinking that I honestly thought that was the ACU alma mater until I attended Welcome Week my freshman year. I should go to support the tradition of Christian Education that has been long standing now for 100 years. Most of all though, I should go because I do love ACU and the memories and friendships I made there. Maybe all my decisions weren't the best and I know I didn't take advantage of all ACU had to offer, and maybe I have lost touch of friends along the way, but to remember that each experience I had led me to where I am today is such a blessing. God has directed me to exactly this place, this marriage, this family, and this life and for that I am grateful.
So, to answer the burning question, yeah, I think I will go to homecoming this year...If for nothing else, to see James and Leslie-we will have a LOT of Alias and Lost to discuss!!

A Labor Day Laugh...

For several trips to the lake now, we have been trying to get Mallory on the jet skiis but to no avail. This is actually quite ironic because she is super tough and really is never afraid of anything whereas her sister is the biggest chicken you'll ever know. My dad, BobBob, even calls them Fearful and Fearless because Abby is afraid of everything and Mal isn't. Well, a few weeks ago, Mal actually got on the jet ski and had such an exciting time...This happened each time she got on-after about 10 minutes she was OUT! You might have to click on the picture to really see her napping! I hope everyone has a great Labor Day weekend!

Speaking of Alias, (and no this will not be the theme of my blog) Michael Vartan has been kicked off Alias because Jennifer Garner feels too uncomfortable around him! All this courtesy of Kellie Raspberry's Showbiz Top Five on Kiss FM...www.kiddlive.com Publishers say it isn't true...

Some blogger I am - I haven't posted anything in a month and a half! So, while I sit on hold trying to fix a client transaction, I will update!
We have had quite a few changes in the last month or so. First of all, I have changed jobs! I now work for Tammy Weyandt who some of us go to church with at PC. She is so sweet, the office is new and close to home, and I love the rest of the staff. It is great to be in a new place~I was on the high road to burnout. After Leslie left and moved to Abilene, I was MISERABLE at work. Not that work was good anyways, but at least Leslie and I could talk about Jennifer Garner all day!! I am working there 3 days a week and then I also am working at Drs. Williams and Sivie's on Fridays...they are the most incredible dentists who pray every morning at staff meeting and the office team is the best! It makes such a difference to be in two Christian offices! Now, you have a direct online blogging dental resource available to you anytime.
Last Friday, Brad and I got our FOURTH niece! Emily Marie was born at 3:34 weighing 7 lbs. 1 oz. She is so cute and Chad and Allie say she is a great baby. Right now she is sleeping, eating, and making dirty diapers...sounds like a good 1 week old to me!
As for my other nieces, Abby is growing up too fast. She called me last Friday and said..."MereMere, Allie is having her baby today, Call me when the baby comes!" I just melted when I heard the voicemail...Then she wrote her name in baby Emily's book at the hospital and it was so good and legible I couldn't believe it. She is only my niece and I can't imagine what you parents are thinking about each day with your own kids...
Well, I was going to give you a funny photo of my other niece, Mallory, but Brad just admitted that he deleted the email...I will retrieve it and send it on next time! Have a great holiday weekend!
P.S. Has anyone started seeing the LOST and Alias previews on ABC yet...I am SO excited TV is almost back!!

Seven Things...

Seven Things I want to do before I die...
1. Have a baby and/or adopt from Honduras, Guatemala, or China
2. Travel to Europe, Australia, & all 50 states (Oh and I want to go to Austin, TX-I've never been there and I have lived in TX my whole life)
3. Raise happy, healthy, Christian children
4. Grow old with Brad-my grandparents have been married almost 73 years!!
5. Have grandchildren and be as fun as my parents are with theirs
6. Have enough money to always be able to help others
7. Laugh every day and pass it on to others

Seven Things To Do This Year...
1. Build my Arbonne business
2. Save enough money to do InVitro next year
3. Get in the habit of working out in the morning before work
4. See Celine Dion in concert...that will happen in October
5. Be more positive and encouraging to others
6. Be a better wife, sister, daughter, and friend
7. Learn to Sew!! (I have had a sewing machine for 2 years and still don't know how!)

Seven Things I Can Do...
1. Eat ice cream every day
2. Clean teeth all day with bleeding gums but also faint at the eye doctor
3. Handle emergency situations with the help of Brad and 911
4. Love on all 4 of my nieces unconditionally all the time
5. Cook a delicious pork tenderloin thanks to my dad
6. Faux paint anything
7. Make a mess out of anything that's clean

Seven Things I Can't Do...
1. The splits...although I have dreams A LOT that I can
2. Eat bananas or nuts
3. Run far, catch flying objects, or jump high
4. Manage to catch the boiling water from always boiling over and burning the stove
5. Understand how technology works like the internet, phones, TV, etc...
6. Pay full price or pass up a bargain
7. Sleep when Brad is talking, snoring, or whistling while he sleeps

Seven Places I've Traveled...But Remember I Haven't Been To Austin, TX
1. Honduras
2. Lithuania
3. Guatemala
4. Cabo San Lucas
5. Cancun
6. Maui
7. Kauai

My Seven Top Favorites...
1. My family especially playing Farkle or Mexican Train in Colorado or at the Lake
2. General Hospital-I know but I can't help but PVR it every day
3. Blue Bell Chocolate Chip Ice Cream or Braums Lime Sherbet Freeze
4. My black flipflops especially after a pedicure
5. NutriMinC RE9 and Clear Advantage skin care from Arbonne
6. Heated Seats in my car
7. An hour long massage (preferrably in Hawaii, but anywhere now is good)

It's official-I'm a blogger...what have I gotten into? Can't wait to fill you in on all of the exciting things that don't happen at our house! I will try to keep up with y'all but I really don't have ANY good advice on potty training, ditching pacies, or helping big brothers deal with new little brothers! oh well...I will just give you lots of good hygiene tips for your teeth and keep you posted on our journey to invitro and beyond! NiteNite!