Wordless Wednesday At Its Finest....

It's been a stressful week so I am going to post some pics from the past few weeks.

 Homemade Chicken Nooodle Soup...mmmm

My coworker Tamara and her man Brian

The love of my life...isn't he simply precious! 

Silly May-gen...that's his new line.

Michael & I on Halloween

The hubs and I on Halloween....

That's a short recap, but sushi and wine are calling!

What a Great Day...

This post is entirely dedicated to the amazing Greer Family. Today is Meredith's amazing mother's last day of CHEMO treatments! HOORAY!! This has been an incredible year for their family and I am so happy to say this is her last treatment! So see ya Chemo you will not be missed! Her mom has been so incredibly strong and inspiring during this journey. She is truly a woman of inspiration and strength. Words cannot express how truly GREAT our GOD is.

Meredith made shirts for this special day..here are the backs of the Greer girls...

Last treatment..hooray!

Could not be better way to start the week! Love you Greer Family!

Lovies...

So since I seem to have a VERY bad habit of only blogging once maybe twice a month..here comes another update from our busy lives....bulleted style due to the fact that blogger DOES NOT want me to upload pictures....

• we have celebrated halloween
• cooked yummy dinners 3 nights a week
• hung out with friends
• celebrated birthdays
• started more house projects...to be revealed hoopefully next week
• i have surpressed the urge to start pulling out our xmas decor
• starting to figure out holiday plans with both families...what a headache!
• gone to a concert or two
• and just having fun living life.
• Friday we saw the movie Due Date and it was hilarious! We litterally laughed about 90% of the time. it's a must see in my book..and btw when did Robert Downey Jr. get it together..he's looking awfully handsome..
• After the movie we went to Scott & julie's to meet their new baby Cole. He's super precious just like his big brother is..Slate..aka the LOVE of my life. I don't think I could love a child anymore than i do him..he is the coolest 2 and a half year old...
• saturday jonathan headed to katy for a poker party for his brother's bday...he had a great time...and i headed in town for a girls day because i am not much of a poker player...
• sunday was a day of shopping in san marcos for my brother's bday..he lives in san antonio so we met him there for a little bday gathering. can't believe my brother is 23!

Seriously upset that blogger is not cooperating currently...tomorrow will be a post of pure pictures...im off to find a delish vegetarian recipe to make tomorrow night..wish me luck!

Time Flies....

when you're having fun...and even when you might be having a little less fun. I cannot believe it is already October. In Texas the past few weeks we have been spoiled with some oh so fabulous weather. I have tried to be outside as much as possible enjoying the weather from running to going to the park and tailgating for football games..i have made every attempt to be outdoors.

The past month has been non-stop. Jonathan and I have been on the go..and i would say that's an understatement. From being out of town to out with friends..we haven't had much down time..which quite honestly i have thoroughly enjoyed. I love that i have made so many new friends and am reconnecting with old friends.  I will say that without a select few of them...things would have been much worse.

Now that things have started to "slow" down..I am making a conscious effort to be more active and eat more healthy. We I have been a cooking and grilling machine the past few weeks. I promise to post recipes because everything has been excellent and super easy!

My friends Jenn, Heather and myself have started a bootcamp here in Greatwood. Our friend is the personal trainer and he is AMAZING! It is on Thursday night and Saturday morning...yuck I know but Justin is great and I know it will be something to look forward to... I have been running roughly 6 miles a week...i swear its the weather! I hate to run but with the cooler evenings we have been blessed with..I find it much easier to go out for a run. All in all I just want to be healthy again and having my abs semi back would be icing on the cake...well since we arent indulging in sweets too much around..you know what I mean.

How's that for a catch up of the last few weeks?!?!? The Lenz casa is very busy...hope everyone is enjoying the fall weather...

I'll leave you with a few random pics...

Race for the Cure...Jenn, Mer + Slade, Me

                                              Me, Jenn, and Tina at the FBCF....

                                                        Jenn & I ready for the Fair

 BK & I on my birthday...love this girl!

Scarf Swap

When my friend Meredith posted about her 2nd annual Scarf Swap I knew I wanted to participate again. Last year it was so fun and I am a sucker for scarves...I have a small (10+) collection of them in my closet.

This year I was paired with Caitlin. She is also a newlywed who wears boring scrubs like I do so I knew I wanted to give her something that would give her scrubs some color...

Here is the scarf I gave her:

And here is the one she sent me:

I was so excited to open up my package and find this scarf...too funny that we sent each other the same one but in different colors! Thanks Caitlin I can't wait to wear it hopefully this weekend.

Tomorrow is Wednesday...yay!!

That's a Fact Jack....

It's a fact that I am currently obsessed with all the new fall collections that are making their way out into our stores and my inbox. From the colors and textures to the overall style I.AM.IN.LOVE. Only problem is now that I am working at a SNF full-time I wear black everyday..that's our uniform. Not that I am complaining but it is going to be a bit harder justifying buying clothes as often as I was if it not black...but I am still going to covet the following items...

i would gladly take any of these items from jcrew to just show a few...

or these any maybe these might be making an appearance to the lenz house very soon....

are you noticing that NOTHING i have posted is black?!?!

since these two are grey ..thats fairly close to black isnt it?!?! maybe i could swing it.

not having much luck with the dress hunt online...im meeting an old friend next week for a little retail therapy...lets hope i score a few cute dresses for the weekend!

and since i didnt actually post a pic..here's one of the hubster and i in chicago this past July.

weird lighting but it was late after we enjoyed a drink at the Lounge on the 95th floor of the John Hancock Building. Have a mentioned how much I love that city and want to go back already?!?! Too bad our annual conference is in Philadelphia..boo! However our next vacation will be to a beach/desert locale...it is in the works. I can hear the angels singing in my ears....

Incidentals...

Gotta love em...never fails when a little extra cash is laying around it is quickly spent by something not fun! You see in our backyard there are two gazebo/canopies...well that oh so lovely storm that came through earlier this week ripped them to shreds.

exhibit a:

The other gazebo that covers our grill area no longer has a canopy.

So after some measurements, digging through folders, locating manuals, two new canopies have been purchased...im happy but would have much rather spent that small fortune or something more exciting!

The next incidental purchase this is coming soon will be a new fan for the living room

exhibit b:

a few weeks ago i was in the office doing lord knows what and I heard a nice crashing sound. I immediately assumed it was J. I looked outside and everything looked ok. I looked into the living room and the fan was resting nicely on our ottoman. Luckily no one was sitting on the couch. We are now on the hunt for a replacement fan. Finding the right one has been a challenge so far, but I am headed to a lighting store next week...hopefully I will get lucky. Just dont feel like spending 200+ for a fan...

Oh the joys of homeownership.

Im off to find a super cute dress for my birthday next week...cant believe it is September tomorrow!

Back to the Basics....

So it's been awhile..roughly a month since I lasted blogged...and honestly I don't have the urge that I once did to come home and share random tidbits of life..

You see when I was working with kids all day long I felt the need and want to get on here and interact with ADULTS! Since I have started working with adults and have made the switch to working with adults for at least the next year or so I have adult conversations all day long...I don't crave the adult conversations as much as I used to because now I talk with them all day long. I will admit that I am pleasantly surprised with the love of the adult population. They are so genuinely thankful and appreciative..it is refreshing. Dont get me wrong once the hubs and I are ready for our own kids I will probably head back to the schools in order to have the schedule and time off. But that is def a few years off...JJ and I are enjoying being newlyweds and traveling right now...we are both not ready for the responsibility of caring for another individual...and we are okay with that.

In other exciting news one of my of grad school friends is preggers!!! She is having a girl and I am co-hosting a baby shower for her here at the house at the end of September. I cannot wait to shower that sweet mother to be! I have been in full planner mode and cannot wait for her to see everything we have come up with for the shower. We are all crossing our fingers that her fam will be relocated back to Houston before the baby baker makes her arrival in December!

As this summer comes to an end I am relieved, sad and excited...relieved in the fact that the triple digit temperatures are subsiding and fall is headed our way hopefully soon. Sad because summer is one my favorite times of year and it has been an amazing one. Lots of great memories from Summer 2010. I am excited because that means my birthday is right around the corner! I must admit that at first I was in denial..26..sounds so blah! But if its anything like 25 then I am happy to celebrate another year. I have decided that this year we will celebrate the whole week! Terrible I know, but why not? 

So all in all the past month has been busy between traveling, making the switch from kids to adults, and doing a few things around the house. But this blog is going back to the basics....the happenings of your average husband and wife..and all the fun that comes with marriage, homeowning and being in your 20's. 

Hope everyone had a fabulous Monday. If you haven't entered in Meredith's Scarf Swap..you should! Last year I received 2 beautiful scarves and they are two of my absolute faves!

Here's to hoping Tuesday will be better than Monday.

Curiosity Killed the Cat...

I have a question or questions for those of you out there. I know the following questions will get answers from both sides, which is completely fine and am open to them. So however you feel please have some restraint if you feel very strongly against my opinion but answer them honestly.

Can married people not go out with friends without their spouse????

Can married people not go out and have fun anymore??

Can married people not have friends of the opposite sex without people thinking there is something going on?

My answer to these questions is simple...yes. I think it is perfectly fine to have a night out with friends without your spouse being there. Since when did marriage equal staying at home and falling off the face of the earth?? Just because people get married doesn't mean they can't have fun still...i mean come on people! Now with the last question...I have always had super close guy friends my whole life. My bestfriend is a guy..we have been friends since we were about 8 months old. He is someone I would do just about anything for on the face of this earth. A few of Jonathan's friends have even become extremely close friends of mine. We talk on at least a weekly basis.

the reason I bring this up is because a few weeks ago I spent the weekend with some grad school friends (girls & guys). They live in houston, but in town so I just spent the night. The hubs was out of town with softball so it was easier and safer. On both nights I saw friends of mine from high school and got asked the same questions over and over "arent you married" "where is your husband" "you are out without him"...and the list goes on people. So it really started to bother me that all of these people were what seemed to be bothered by the fact that I was out, having fun and not with my spouse. I spoke with the hubs after the fact about how people kept asking me those same questions and he didnt mind me going out with friends etc. I know I shouldn't let other peoples opinions bother me so much, but I do..I am working on it currently, but it will be a long road I am sure....

So there you have it. Maybe I am in the minority here but we will see how you feel.

And We're Back....

Refreshed, revamped, relaxed and just feeling good. Although I am still wanting to be in Chicago! I think I told him several times that I would move there in a heartbeat. LOVE IT THERE!!!! I am already trying to figure out when I can get back there...I am thinking when my brother graduates in December would be a perfect time!

Sorry for the hiatus, but it was something that was not planned but was needed. Our life had been kinda crazy the past few months and now I think everything is going to calm down for a bit! Thank goodness.

As my summer is coming to a close that means two things: MUST make a decision about my job and MUST start getting back in shape and watching the carb intake...yikes!

Needless to say this summer has been an amazing one so far. We have traveled, which is was the alterior motive to working in the summer to be quite honest. We made a decision to reap some of the benefits of me working...why not?!?! what else should we be doing in our 20's??

Pictures to come soon! Hope everyone is enjoying their summer like we are...happy tuesday! Thank goodness it is a 4 day work week for us..

Wordless Wednesday....

I am sick in bed..oh joy! Could not be worse timing between work, an out of town wedding and July 4th festivities this weekend....must feel better like yesterday...

Hope you are enjoying your Wednesday fellow bloggers.

Home Sweet Home...

We are back from vacation and loved every minute of it...a post about that to come later...just wanted to say hello and let those of you know we made it back safe and sound.

Wishing I was still in Scottsdale...

instead I will settle on the neighbors pool to soak up some rays after I workout...gotta get back in shape..WOW!

Giveaway Winner...

Well this post is a bit delayed that is for sure. It is not that I forgot, but with the school year over today I have been in overdrive trying to get everything finished for today and I have been trying to catch some sunrays afterwork.

I also decided that I would send everyone a little something for summer. Who doesn't like to receive something in the mail?!?! However not all of you will get the towel. So the winner of the beach towel is:

Mrs. Hesson at Meet the Hesson's.

email me at m_odom12@yahoo.com and I will get this in the mail to you shortly!

Hope Friday and I hope everyone has a safe and relaxing 3-day weekend!

Holy Matrimony!

Today JJ and I have been married one year. I cannot believe that a year has passed already..guess the phrase "time flies when you are having fun" is very appropriate. We have enjoyed the past year so much and have made so many incredible memories. I cannot wait to see what else is in store for us.

So happy anniversary JJ! You are truly a blessing and I thank Him everyday for bringing you into my life.

Here is a little trip down memory lane...well I am at work so these will have to work for now.

right after he proposed.

waiting on his bride...

probably my favorite picture of all time!

Happy Monday!

Can You Feel the Heat?!?! Summer Giveaway.

Since summer is fastly approaching is in full swing here in Houston..I started to think about some of my favorite things about summer.

I love being at the beach, being poolside, hanging out with friends on patios and of course enjoying llong summer days without a care in the world. Even though it is stiffling hot here I enjoy being outside for the most part. There is just something in the air about summer that makes everything seem better or not as important. What are some of your favorite things about summer???

I was browsing through Home Goods the other day and stumbled upon some oh so fabulous over-sized beach towels. I immediately put two in my shopping cart. Thinking this would be the perfect way to kick off summer. Well lucky you..I don't need two because JJ could careless about what his towel looks like. So I am going to have a giveaway!

The giveaway includes a beachtowel, nail polish and a surprise for the winner.

The beach towel is a multi-colored paisley print

The nail polish is called Princess.

So here are the details:

1 entry for becoming a follower

1 entry for commenting about your favorite part of summer

2 entries for anyone you send over to the blog that enters the giveaway.

3 entries for blogging about the giveaway.

The giveaway will end on Tuesday May 25th and the winner will be announced on Wednesday May 26th just in time for Memorial Weekend. 

So long spring and hello summer..well it kind of slaps you in the face as soon as you walk out the door here.

Happy Hump Day.

Currently Coveting....

Since I mentioned in my last post that we are headed on a vacation to celebrate our anniversary I have been going through my closet to see what I have, what doesn't look cute on me anymore and what I need to pick up before our trip.

What simply amazes me is that I love shorts and right now I am only liking two of the pairs I own. 3 of them are either too short, faded or just not cute anymore...so what is a girl to do. I don't want to spend 40 bucks on ONE pair of shorts...so I am thinking I might hit the outlet with my ID badge in hand and see if I can find something for 20-30 bucks. The 15% teacher discount should hopefully help in this department.

I am also wanting one more pair of shoes whether it is wedges or another pair of gladiators in either gold, brown or silver I need well let's be honest want one more pair for the summer. here are a few I am liking currently:

These are Nina's and right now they are offering 30% for ATN followers..

                            these are from Gap. Not too bad for 30 bucks.

Also from Gap for 30 bucks.

I am also on the hunt for come cute white denim jeans or capris. The problem I have noticed is that the pockets show through and I most certainly hate that! I don't like the fact that you can see through the fabric.

Any help would be greatly appreciated ladies!

Wordless Wednesday

T-minus 21 days until we are here....

so until then I will be catching rays poolside, so I am not as pale as I am today...

Busy Bees Part 2

My oh my oh where does the time go? It has been almost a week since my last post and I feel like it has been several weeks. Time is flying by..I have 7 more days at my school until summer vacation..now if I were only not working this summer then life would be complete. However I was given the option that if I did not work then my spending would have to be cut back dramatically! So basically I need to work to support my habits...filling out an application as we speak to turn in and then I start in early June...whew! I am quite excited about this new opportunity. I will be working with the geriatric population, which will be nice for a change. Not that I am not loving the kids still..just need a change for a few months. Working with children is the best form of birth control on this planet. And that is all I am going to say on that topic.

A few weeks ago I mentioned that JJ and I had been hard at work well that continued through this weekend. We mulched the front and back and planted more flowers. Well we were able to get almost everything completed before Saturday afternoon. JJ mentioned to me several months ago that we should do a crawfish boil at the house..and at first I was reluctant, but decided it would be a fun way to see some friends that we hardly see. So in lieu of a house warming party we had a crawfish boil. Now I say "in lieu of" because I did not want people to bring us gifts. We just had the wedding less than a year ago and I did not want people to feel obligated to bring us another gift since they just had for the wedding. JJ agreed so it was decided no housewarming party. I don't mean to sound trite, but I just wasn't comfortable calling it a housewarming party for the sheer fact that we did not want our family friends to feel the obligation that goes along with that specific party.

Well it rained like cats and dogs on all night friday and into the morning on Saturday and I was starting to get nervous. Luckily Jenn, Brian, and Tina came over early and helped me stay calm and get everything set-up for the day. It was a wild and crazy day filled with lots of great memories. I can't wait until our next event..well maybe I can. Here are a few shots from the day.

Tina, JJ and I trying to figure out the best way to cover the tables...

Some lifelong family friends...

couldn't have done it without them!

So all in all it was a great day. We didn't stop the entertaining Saturday night. We had Round 2 on Sunday evening, but it was much more low-key, but we had to finish off that crawfish. I think I can say without a doubt that we will not be eating crawfish for a few weeks!

I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend as much as we did.

PS The countdown is on...6 days until our 1 year anniversary & and 8 more days of working...

 

Wordless Wednesday..well sort of....

                                                   This is how I feel today!

This is what I am ready for....

Happy Wednesday!