I'm Baaaack!!!

# of March blog posts: 21
# of April blog posts: 6

Wow! That is a huge difference!! And I'd like to say I'm going to rectify the situation in May, but I have to be honest...we're going to be in Hawaii for 10 days and blogging will be the furthest thing from my mind. But I will definitely post all about Hawaii when we get back.

In the meantime, I definitely have lots of random updates (about enough to keep you busy for the entire month of May):

1. I have been meaning to tell you for a loong time that some things have changed since my artificial sweetener blog post. I essentially said "read my lips, no more artificial sweeteners" (and included stevia in the mix when I banished all artificial sweeteners from my diet saying I was sure there will be problems with stevia in the future just like how it ended up with splenda, equal, etc.). Well, it turns out I don't like coffee without sweetener, even when I use tons of milk, and I definitely am not going to start using real sugar (gasp)!! First, I just decided to give up coffee. I had no withdrawals when I gave up my daily morning cup because all of my addiction was to the artificial sweeteners. Then, Michael literally forbid me to give up coffee. He said it was "our thing" and one of the quirks about us that makes us the couple that we are....let me elaborate. When Michael and I first met, one of the first things that connected us was our love for coffee, especially Starbucks. We both had built Starbucks into our monthly budget and were each spending upwards of $60 at Starbucks each month ($2 a day for a venti cup of joe adds up quickly....imagine if we were big fans of lattes or something at $4 a pop!). So, Michael put his foot down, and I had to figure out what to do. I wanted to stay true to my words written in the artificial sweetener blog post! I tried agave nectar among many other natural sweeteners, but no dice. I finally realized the taste of stevia is a decent substitute, so I gave it a shot. I really do think it's the best option out there at this point, so for now, I am THAT girl who carries around little packets of stevia in her purse and thinks she's better than all you fools who are using splenda (just kidding...in a pinch, I still reach for splenda if I have to, but that has become very rare). In summary, I'm taking my chances with stevia and making my hubby one happy man!! (P.S. we make our coffee at home now and no longer spend outrageous amounts of money at Starbucks!).


2. I love going to the movie theatre. I don't know what it is...maybe it's just that I cannot watch a movie at home without falling asleep on the couch, and I actually do (regardless of what Michael says) like to watch movies in full and actually finish them. And I love having popcorn for dinner...with layered butter (sorry Chels!). Maybe it's that I usually get to go for free because I use all of our debit card points to order AMC tickets? But I know one of the main reasons is because this is the time in my life to go! No kids, no responsibilities! It's just one of the spontaneous things I like to do during this time in my life!

Here are some of my reviews:

17 Again
Sure, this story has been told before: 13 going on 30, Big (well, that's opposite), Freaky Friday, etc. But how many of them had Zac Efron in it??? How many of them had Melora Hardin and Thomas Lennon in them??? Zac Efron is well....Zac Efron in all of his glory. The storyline between Melora (Jane) and Thomas (Ned) is hilarious and makes the movie worth watching for all guys!! The movie is well-written, sweet, entertaining and will not soon be forgotten!


Melora Hardin and Thomas Lennon (as Jane and Ned in 17 Again)

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
Let me just steal one of Michael's quotes for this review: "I liked it better when it was called 'How to lose a guy in 10 days'". Matthew plays an annoying 30-something who viewers are supposed to feel bad for because he hasn't "found himself" yet and is commitment-phobic even when it comes to the "girl of his dreams", but it's just not charming anymore after the 20th movie, Matthew. Jennifer's character is not developed enough for anyone to even care whether or not they end up together at the end of the movie. This movie was a 100% waste of time and lives up to every cliche possible.


The Watchmen
If you know how the movie ends, let me know, and I'll incorporate your review into this post. I, on the other hand, walked out of this movie after one hour of wanting to commit suicide in the theatre. At least I got my money back.


He's Just Not That Into You
Cliche, cliche, cliche, cliche, boring, unoriginal, bad acting, still hate anything that Drew Barrymore stars in....need I go on??


Slumdog Millionaire
Really???!!!! This won all kinds of awards at the Oscars!!??! My review = "lame-O". One and a half stars. The "Who wants to be a millionaire" plotline was hokey and shameless at best. How annoying was the Regis wannabe constantly saying "Who wants to beee a 'meee-un-eeerre'"?? How incredibly depressing was the story? NO THANK YOU!!!


Role Models
HA-LAR-EEEEE-OUS!!!!!!! Have already seen it twice and ready to watch it again!!! I'm not a big fan of Paul Rudd (though he is the writer, so that probably needs to change), but have always loved Stifler (and his mom)....and Seann William Scott is as great as ever in the movie. The actor who makes this movie worth watching though is Jane Lynch. OMGosh! Where has she been all my life!?!?! She is absolutely hysterical! Ok, so you bs-ed a bs-er! Note to self: Add to "To Do" list - watch every movie Jane Lynch has ever been in.


Jane Lynch

Hannah Montana: The Movie
Review is forthcoming, but I have set a date with Amy to see this movie next Wednesday. I'm sure it will be incredible!!! Yes, for those of you who don't know me, I am 100% serious.


3. I planted 126 pink, purple, and white petunias in my front flower beds, and I am loving it!!! And they are loving all this rain!!

4. Madeline and Kosmo are NOT loving all this rain! They are fed up! They want to go on more walks and have big-time cabin fever. Madeline is reverting to her old bad habits of chewing up shoes and pooping in the house (at least we have wood floors) because the "princess" doesn't like to get her feet wet. She only pees once a day when I carry her outside and hold her by her collar and say "Go potty" a hundred times until she actually goes. Then, she prances back inside and acts mad at me for an hour. Kosmo on the other hand doesn't mind the rain, but just doesn't like that it means less walks and time spent outside. He always sticks his head out of the doggie door to look outside when it's raining. All you see is his little bootie and tail inside the house, while he peers into the backyard. It's so funny!

5. Madeline and Kosmo got groomed for the first time ever!!! I had been priding myself on the fact that I was brushing and bathing my dogs myself more than twice a month (to save $$), but then, I inquired about getting Madeline groomed and shaved a little (even though it's against Cavalier King Charles Spaniel breed standard) because her hair was getting incredibly long, and I felt bad for her getting so hot! Well, I realized that for $80, I can get both Madeline and Kosmo bathed, brushed, groomed, trimmed (hair and nails), conditioned, de-matted, and expressed (anal glands), so grooming is back on the table! The reason I am okay with spending $80 a month on grooming is because we were already spending $60 a month to get both of their glands expressed. They are the annoying dogs that require having that done at least once a month (yuck!), so since it's included in the price of grooming, why not get them groomed at the same time!?! Anyway, they looked beautiful and felt like brand new dogs!!! It's one of my new favorite things and makes me very very happy! They are getting groomed this Thursday, so I will post a picture of them after being groomed later this week. In the meantime, here's a favorite.


6. I bought my plane ticket so I can go visit Kristin and her newborn baby, Emery (and Josh and Wyatt too of course!!). To say I'm excited to meet Emery is the understatement of the year!!!!! I hope June 18th gets here incredibly fast!!! Here is a picture of Wyatt (3 1/2 years old) and his new baby sister, Emery. It will melt your heart!


7. To say I'm obsessed with Adam Lambert is also a huge understatement. He is incredible and by far the best Idol contestant!! He is electrifying and original...and is going to go all the way!!!!! His vocals are out of this world and he has everything it takes!






8. I have found some current music that I'm totally into! I know! This is BIG!! Actually, a current artist in general: Robin Thicke. And not just because he is Alan Thicke's son. I am seriously digging his music big-time!! My favorite is probably "Sidestep".




Here's a video of Robin performing "Sidestep" (before watching, just scroll down to the bottom of my blog real quick and press pause on my playlist):


8. Lifetime has been playing re-runs of "Reba", and Michael and I have been reminded of how much we absolutely love Melissa Peterman a.k.a. Barbra Jean on the show. She is absolutely hysterical!! Plus, we are big fans of DVR-ing re-runs of some of our favorite shows like: King of Queens, Friends, Seinfeld, Growing Pains, Full House, Who's the Boss, and Reba of course. If you have never watched an episode of Reba, it is worth it simply because of Barbra Jean....and Van!




9. I've hired the best babysitter and housesitter around to take care of things during our trip to Hawaii...and he's a college grad I might add!!! My brother, Carter will be holding down the fort while we're gone. I'm so thankful he's going to be doing this for us...and so are Madeline and Kosmo. I started writing the manual for him to refer to during his babysitting/housesitting about two weeks ago (and I apologize in advance)! But I don't feel too bad for him because I am paying him a pretty penny...just not quite as much as I would be paying Petsmart for the double private suite and daily daycamp.

I love my Carter!! Here are some fun/random pictures of him!










10. Kosmo's birthday presents are already starting to roll in! He's turning 1 on May 15th, and he's already received cards from Petsmart, G.W. Little, and an invitation to Nicki Cochran's (my SIL) graduation from Dallas Theological Seminary on May 9th! He is quite the popular dude!





So there's the update! I apologize for my shameless and self-indulgent excuses to exploit two of my favorite guys in the world on this post - Carter and Kosmo (Michael is #1 favorite guy by the way!).