Category Archives: Friends

Chunky Dunker’s Night!

Good evening!

Tonight is Chunky Dunker night, and I have been looking forward to this night all week!! I post a new Chunky Dunker’s post every Wednesday evening, and you will have the opportunity to comment, and cheer each other as you each go through your journey to get fit and healthy!!! We will discuss hints, tips, and ideas on losing weight, staying motivated, and achieving your fitness goals, whether that is to lose 5 pounds, to do 10 sit-ups, or just incorporate some healthy habits into your daily life!!

I am happy to report that I have been working out, eating MOSTLY healthy, drinking my water, and am working on getting my sleeping back in check again! I did hit a small patch of roughness today, when I had a pretty stressful day at work, so I had asked my sweetie to make me some comfort food this evening, but IT WAS SO WORTH IT!!! Yum! 😉

I am just plugging along on my posts, and I even have an idea on putting up some random tutorials on how to do all different kinds of things like beauty, fashion, gardening, decorating, and other miscellaneous hints to help you, and me, turn your house into a home! I would love to hear your thoughts on that, in the comments section above!!

Anyway, let’s get this show on the road, and I will see you in the comments section for Chunky Dunker’s night!!

Have a FABULOUS evening!! 😉

 

 

A Magical Evening!

Good evening!!

Tonight Jason and I, along with our friends Dawn and Errin went out to watch the new movie Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II, in 3D. This movie, in my opinion, was the best movie of the entire Harry Potter franchise. Even though I have read the books quite a few times, so I pretty much knew how everything was going to end, I still found myself on the edge of my seat and talking to the movie screen as if somehow I could miraculously change the fates of the characters in the movie!

It is so strange to think that this book and movie series, that have been such a mainstream part of our lives for the past many years, is coming to a close. It is the end of an era. The Harry Potter series was the book series that got me excited about reading again, and not only reading, but reading and talking about what I have read with friends, and family. I heard this evening, a rumor really, that JK Rowling was talking about possibly doing another book series involving the next generation of characters. I think that it would be pretty cool to see more details about what happens next in the Harry Potter world, but I am not sure what kind of conflict could possibly arise, after everything that the characters have gone through with Voldemort – the really nasty, evil villain in the series – for those of you who have somehow managed to stay buried under a rock all this time and still do not know! 😉 I think that it would be pretty cool to see more details about what happens next in the Harry Potter world, but I am not sure what kind of conflict could possibly arise, after everything that the characters have gone through with Voldemort – the really nasty, evil villain in the series – for those of you who have somehow managed to stay buried under a rock all this time and still do not know! 😉 I am not sure if there are going to be additional books or not, but I do know that her website Pottermore.com is up an taking registrations for a new kind of adventure with the Harry Potter series, I can’t wait to see what it is.

Talking about villains, didn’t you just LOVE Snape??? This movie made everything he did for Lilly Potter, hence also for Harry Potter so amazing! He made the ultimate sacrifice for all that he loved. I just love his character, having to play both sides of the coin without ever getting caught by the bad guys, and Alan Rickman, one of my favorite actors by the way, plays him just beautifully!!

Anyway, I am going to leave you with this preview of the last 2 movies which comproses of the last book split into two movies!

Enjoy!!

Have a FABULOUS evening! 😉

Note to Chunky Dunkers: I will see you tomorrow evening!! 😉

The Many Faces of Happy!

Good evening!

Man, WHAT A GREAT WEEKEND WE HAVE HAD!! Whew! Sorry for shouting, I just had to get that out of my system!!!

Well starting at the beginning, Friday Jason and I went over to our friends’ Rachel and Kevin’s, who we hadn’t seen in the LONGEST TIME!!! We met up, and the guys cooked us girls a very healthy barbecue dinner of grilled chicken and vegetables! YUM!! (YOU GUYS ROCK!!!)  After dinner, Jason and I had fun playing with their adorable daughter, Alyson, the four of us spent the next few hours catching up and playing a very competitive, and comical game of Apples to Apples. I am happy to announce that although Kevin won first place, I am very happy to announce that I came in from last place to snatch up second place!!! We had the most AMAZING fun, and I can’t wait to get together to do that again soon!!! 😉

Saturday I met up with my girlfriend, Dawn to do some second hand shopping, at a place called Big Gals Consignment, why the heck haven’t I been shopping in that place for years!?!?!? It is AMAZING!! Clean, high quality clothes at a REALLY, REALLY great price!!

Anyway, after our trip there, we went to another place to see if we could find the perfect wedding dress for Dawn, and we weren’t having too much luck, that is until we finally decided to go to Nordstroms! It was not 5 minutes after describing her dream dress to me, that the sales lady brought in EXACTLY what Dawn was looking for!! It looks stunning on her, and made her light up with happiness, AND it was the BEST PRICE!!! WIN! WIN! WIN!! – I was VERY GLAD to be a part of that!!!

Before we left Nordy’s, I had to head over to the MAC counter to pic up something, you know me and how much I am a MAC girl!!! The lady who was helping me there had the most stunning eye make-up complete with gold glitter, and the most amazing false lashes, so Dawn and I decided to make an appointment to come back the next day and have a makeover ourselves with an emphasis on a smokey-eyed wedding look for Dawn, and a diva-like dramatic eye look for myself, both looks including learning how to apply false lashes!

We then met back up with the guys downtown for a nice lunch over at the Wild Pear, which has THE BEST FOOD!!! I had to mention that, because I am going to share pics of that place later in the week – their decor is STUNNING!! If we doubled the width of the place, I could just live there!! I am just sayin’! 😉

So, today was the day of that appointment and Dawn and I headed over there to get our new looks done, we were so excited, and Sammy was there to entertain us and take all sorts of pictures for us!!! I would like to say that everything went perfectly, but that would be too perfect wouldn’t it. Let’s just say that Dawn and I both had two different people doing our makeovers, and mine was phenomenal and Dawn’s was, well…let’s just say that we are going to schedule another makeover for Dawn again, but this time with my sales lady – Lacey!!

Even though things didn’t go exactly as we had planned, we had a lot of fun, and after getting back to Dawn’s place, where both Errin and Jason were busy visiting and watching movies (oh, did I mention, our makeovers took a little over 2 hours???) We fixed Dawn’s makeup, applied makeup to Sammy, which, by the way, made her look like she was 25, so that was kinda freaky – but you’ve gotta know that Sam LOVED it!! 😉

After begrudgingly leaving Errin and Dawn’s so we could head home and get some laundry done so that I didn’t have to go to work naked tomorrow (you are welcome Chris and Julie!!!) Jason and I picked up a little something for dinner, rented and watched Red Riding Hood, which was a little lackluster in all honesty. All-in-all I think that has been one pretty GREAT two and a half days!!! We have had a ton of fun, and Jason and I are really blessed with really great friends, and even more blessed that we get the opportunity to spend some quality time with them!!!

Anyway, Jason and I are getting ready to head upstairs for some quiet time before going to bed this evening!! If only EVERY weekend could be filled with as much friends and fun as this one has been, I think our lives would just BUST AT THE SEAMS with JOY!! 😉

Have a FABULOUS evening!! 😉

Working Out & Feelin’ Groovy!!

Good evening!

I have had a very busy, but very satisfying day today!!

First of all, dare I say it??? but work is actually getting better! I am not sure why, but the vibe in the office is really lightening up and it is making easier to want to be there day in and day out!! I think we can all finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, and so far – IT’S NOT A TRAIN!! WHEW!! 😉

At the end of work today, I had another Zumba class, and I must tell you – I am still pretty sore from Tuesday’s class, so mamma was modifying LIKE CRAZY today!!! 😉 Still left sweaty, sore, exhausted, and so glad that I done it!!! This is a six week class, and I can see that as the weeks go on it is going to get easier because I am going to have learned all of the dances. But, let me just tell you about an amazing moment that happened in class this afternoon. Those of us who were new, were learning moves to a new song. Well, one of the moves in this dance is something I have seen actual dancers do. I am not sure I know how to describe what it was, but it is basically where you plie, and your entire upper body sways left and right as your arms follow along – kind of like you are pretending to be a field of wheat in a nice breeze, It is a great stretching move, and in that moment, it was almost as if time had stood still, and I was graceful. I felt the motion from my abs all the way up to my fingertips, and it was right there, in the middle of crazy Zumba class that I felt real peace. Is that just crazy??? It was quite the divine moment for me. I am going to try and look it up on YouTube and see if I can find that dance move so that you can see what I am talking about.

Anyway, class ended and I came home and had a really healthy dinner with my sweetie; baked potato with fat free vegetarian chili – so DELICIOUS!! YUM!!

After sneaking in an episode of Bones – yes, we are STILL trying to get caught up!! It was time to go swimming!! I love swimming. I have loved swimming for as long as I can remember. I can remember swimming in my grandfather’s pool with my mom, dad and sisters and just having soooo much fun! Well, this evening, being as sore and tired as I am, I still managed to squeak almost an hour in!! My sweetie makes swimming fun, now!! We just talk, and play, and chase each other, kind of like little kids!!

Well, we have just gotten back to the house, I am sitting in his bathrobe, that smells just like him – I just LOVE that smell, and we are enjoying our dessert, which is a bowl of fresh strawberries, some light cool whip, and two graham crackers. I mean, seriously, what could be better than that???

After I am done for the night, I am going to head upstairs and get a little reading done – I am reading all about southern women, and southern culture/lifestyle! I think I have somehow tapped into a part of my heritage or something! I am just CAPTIVATED!! Anyway, more on that in another post!!!

One last thing before I go…I was reading an article this morning, and it was basically 3 friends stating 5 things that they do that make them happy. It made me think about that all day. So before I share my 5 Happy Things with you, I want to ask you to share with me in the comments section above, Dad, I am talking to you too!! 😉 What are 5 things that make you happy!! I know 5 might seem like a lot, but you can do it!!

My 5 Happy Things are:

  1. Car rides in the country (My daddy used to take my mamma out for drives in the country, and I have ALWAYS thought that was just SOOOO ROMANTIC!! Good job, Dad!!!)
  2. Sitting in a comfy corner, snuggled under a fuzzy blanket, reading a great book with my girls sleeping in my lap!!
  3. Sipping sweet tea out on the back porch while enjoying the sounds of nature, and of course that is always better with someone you love!
  4. Finishing something I never knew I would ever get the opportunity to start – like belly dancing, a collage class, or Zumba!!
  5. Helping someone just for the sake of seeing the expression of happiness, and gratitude on their faces.

I can’t wait to see your lists!!

Have a FABULOUS evening!! 😉

My Sistah’s In Town!

Good evening!

My sister, Jennifer, got here early this evening, oh and of course her hubbie Austin too!! 😉 What this means is, there is no way that I am getting to bed on time tonight! I know, she is a GREAT influence on me!! 😉

OH, I know what I wanted to talk about this evening! This morning, I had received a quote of the day on my cell phone and I wanted to share it with you!

“What can you do right now to begin to turn your life around? The very first thing is to start making a list of things to be grateful for.”
~Joe Vitale

So, that is what I wanted to share with you this evening, a list of things that I am grateful for!

  1. God loves me more than I can ever imagine
  2. I have a hubby that absolutely makes me a happy girl
  3. One of my sisters are here for a visit
  4. I have family who love me
  5. I have friends who love me
  6. I have two puppies who make me feel sooooo loved
  7. I am healthy
  8. I am happy
  9. I am free
  10. I have a well paying job
  11. All of my needs are being met
  12. I am creative
  13. I have a lot of books
  14. I have a comfortable roof over my head
  15. I have a reliable car
  16. I love living in the Pacific Northwest
  17. I am loving my walk-in closet
  18. I love my art studio

What this adds up to is one VERY BLESSED girl!!

Have a FABULOUS evening!! 😉

Happy Independence Day!

Good evening!

I am going to make this a quick posting this evening!

My sweetie and I have just gotten home from spending the evening with our friends, Dawn and Errin. They are in the process of moving into a beautiful new place, and we had fun hanging out over there for a while and just catching up, before we all headed out to dinner and a movie.

We headed downtown to go to Cinebarre Salem 7, which was a first time visit for Jason and I. This place is kind of like Northern Lights that you get to eat your dinner while you watch the movie, except that the movies are first run movies, and the prices, unfortunately, are much steeper – OUCH! Other than that, the food was delicious, the company was fun, and my sweetie and I enjoyed the movie we watched and had a nice discussion about it on the way home. But before heading home, we made one last stop to watch the fireworks display from over the riverfront. I just have to quickly say, that I love fireworks, they make me feel like a kid again!

Back to the movie for just a moment. The movie we watched was Larry Crowne, with Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts. This movie is about a middle-aged man who loses his job and then decides to head back to college. We all agreed that this was probably not our favorite movie of his, but  it was still  a really sweet movie. My favorite part is the message, not that I gleaned for myself, but one that my husband said he was taking away from this movie:

Sometimes making important decisions, even though they are difficult, need to be acted on in the moment. Don’t let procrastination or fear of the unknown keep you from doing what you know you should be doing to take care of you and your family, this just might change your life.

I wholeheartedly agree!

I hope all of you have had a safe, healthy, and happy 4th of July!!!

Have a FABULOUS evening!! 😉

PS: The simple guy who has every reason to think his life has stalled will come to learn an unexpected lesson: when you think everything worth having has passed you by, you just might discover your reason to live.

Happy Coastal Friday!

Good evening!

Trina, Jason and I  all spent the day at the Oregon coast today, and had a blast!! We have gotten home not too long ago and we are all pooped out!! But we REALLY had the MOST fun!! 😉

My youngest sister, Trina, and my sweetie, Jason! Aren’t they soooo cute!?!?!

Now Trina and I!

Me and my sweetie!!

We followed this flock of birds that were flying really low to the ocean. We started with them in Depot Bay, and when we got back to Lincoln City, we were SURE that we saw the same group of birds again!! TOO FUNNY!! 😉

Look at this happy girl!

Her and Jason had found two little “friends” while exploring down at the beach!

I am not sure who is the bigger kid here!! HAHAHAHA!!! I just LOVE these two kiddos!! 😉

This is what my sweetie looks like when he is absolutely having a GREAT day!!! 😉

He picked up a new piece of drift wood that he is going to spend the next few months having fun carving! I can’t wait to see what he comes up with!

I just LOVE going to the beach, and going with family makes it even that much more special!!  We spent the day playing at the beach, shopping for used books, searching for saltwater taffy and peanut butter fudge (yes, Daddy, we heard you!! ;-)), eating good food, and hanging out having a FANTASTIC time!! 😉

I can’t wait to see what happens tomorrow!! 😉

Have a FABULOUS evening! 😉

Mamma Needed That!

Good evening!

I had a pretty rough day today, and it just seemed to get worse when I got home – HOWEVER!!! I just finished watching one of Craig Ferguson’s comedy shows, and I

LAUGHED MY HEINIE OFF!!!

I REALLY NEEDED THAT!!

Laughter really is the best medicine, isn’t it??

Well, tonight is Chunky Dunker’s night, and I have to admit that this week I have been doing pretty well, foodwise, and have lost about 7 1/2 pounds total!! YEAH!! That is pretty impressive when I think that I have been steadily going up every week instead of going down, and NOW my body decides to cooperate! That is alright, better late then never!!!

My sister Trina is coming up from Roseburg tomorrow to stay with us for the weekend! That will be a lot of fun! I am taking Friday off of work so that we can go spend the day together over at the coast! I CAN’T WAIT!!! I just know we are going to have a lot of fun, and don’t worry I will make sure to take lots of pictures to share!!! 😉 I am going to miss her whole first evening in town, because I am working and have my dance class tomorrow night, but I know it will just give Trina and Jason time to spend some quality time together!!!

Have I told you that my sweetie has been sick?? He has been coughing like a fiend and is really congested in the chest – it almost sounds like bronchitis!! Not fun!! I am happy to report that he is feeling better today, he practically slept the past two days away!! So, to see him up and moving around, albeit slowly, is still encouraging!! He is DETERMINED to be better by the time Trina gets up here tomorrow!! One way or the other, the weekend is going to be a blast!!!

Alrighty, I am going to wrap this bad boy up this evening!! I am meeting some of my fellow Chunky Dunkers in the comments section of this post this evening!! So, I had better get to it!

Have a FABULOUS evening!! 😉

Wrapping Up a Delicious Day!!

Good evening!

I have had a VERY SWEET Friday hanging out with my sweetie! We stopped at the craft store so I could get some missing supplies. After which my car battery decided to conk out, and my mother-in-law very sweetly came to give us a jump, so in turn, as a way to say thank you, we took her out to lunch and had a very nice visit with her!!

Next Jason went to the pet store to get the dogs some treats, while I headed over to St Vincent’s to see if I could find anything that might help me organize my craft room – no luck today! BUT, Jason and I quickly met back up again, and we headed over to Borders to do some book perusing!! I bought a few books, one of which was a book on Uncluttering my life, which I will tell you about in another post, but was really ironic, because I have been going through some SERIOUS shopping issues right now!! I can’t say that I am a shop-a-holic, but when you have so much stuff that you are bringing it in faster than you can get it back out – that is a problem!!

I have psychoanalyzed myself and have decided that what is happening is that throughout the past 8 weeks, while working on uncovering my inner artist, I have discovered that there really was a different me inside than what I was letting show on the outside. So, what I think I have been doing now, is letting her shine a little more! My style is softening up and becoming more girly, my hobbies, and free-time activities have really changed, and I have been re-stocking supplies (so to speak) to support the new me, HOWEVER I haven’t let go of the old me and all of her trappings yet!! In all honesty I am a little scared! Old Christina has been around for such a long time that it almost feels kind of like a death, which is ok, I just have to get some support as I get my environment in new Christina shape, while getting rid of anything that doesn’t honor my authentic self, which includes all of this old clutter!!

My sweetie has told me that he would help support me/cheer me on, while I pack up boxes and make some serious headway in getting rid of all of the un-me things in this house, tomorrow morning!! Which is EXACTLY what I am needing. I think I am finally at a place where I am cool with letting go of those old disappointments, unfinished projects, unread books, unworn clothes, craft supplies, etc. etc. etc. You know, all of the miscellaneous stuff that I have been holding onto just because “I might need it someday!” So, I am hoping to be able to post some serious before, during, and after pics tomorrow of some of the areas I am going to tackle! I would like to see, by Sunday evening, some SERIOUS progress having been made!! I will keep you posted!! 😉

Where was I? Oh yes, back to today! After we left Borders, with new books in hand, we stopped at another craft store – I am in search of a mini crown rubber stamp, and for some reason am not finding any!! Anyway, next we stopped at the grocery store to pick up some deli sandwich, that we used  for a light dinner when we got home. YUM!! and finally, we watched Gnomio and Juliet, which was such a cute movie, but I must confess, I may never look at gnomes the same way again!!! LOL! 😉

I am excited to see what tomorrow brings, I know we have a date night with some good friends of ours tomorrow evening, so that will be fun!!

Until tomorrow…

Have a FABULOUS evening!! 😉