Football!

At this present moment I have no clue what is going on with the Cardinals. Maybe they won last night maybe they didn't. I don't try too hard to keep up with their pre-season it will be different when the regular season begins. As for the Cowboys....they lost! Again! Safe to say the city of Dallas is getting a little bit nervous as to what the 2010 Cowboys season will be like. One could cut them some slack since it's pre-season but they sure did look bad last night.

The Cardinals biggest problem is replacing Warner. Can you believe Kurt Warner will be on Dancing With The Stars this season? From football to dancing! Weird! I think he is the first quarterback to appear on the show. But I could be wrong!

I'm certainly ready for the season to start. There is no season I look forward to more. Football, autumn temps, and my bday. What could be better? Lol!

10 Day Program is Done!

The 10 day cleansing program is over! Yay! I got down to the weight I was thinking was doable for me to get to during the program. So I'm happy. Was it hard? Yes and no! There were elements of it that were difficult. Wednesday and Thursday of last week where the hardest, my energy was seriously lacking. By the time Friday came though my body was adjusting to the new way of eating.

I lost a few pounds and my skin looks great! I would recommend a cleansing program to others and I will definitely do it again. I'm also proud of myself for eating so much fish! I can honestly say I enjoyed some of the aspects of the program so much that I will implement them into my normal eating routine. Fish will be something I will gladly fix once a week at least now.

Now lets talk about things I'm hungry for...Subway, pizza, and a chicken chimichanga with a strawberry margarita! I could also go for a burger and fries. I did fix a very healthy turkey burger meal for dinner tonight so I got that craving somewhat under control already(no fries though). I'm not going on an eating binge or anything like that but I hope to indulge in these items at different times in the near future. Other than Subway it's actually been awhile since I've had pizza or a chimi. Subway is a place I often frequent at some point during most weekends. Long ago it used to be my Monday night thing. I would go get Subway then return home to watch Monday Night Football! Best of both worlds!

Possibly a Good Shopping Weekend

Well it's tax free weekend here in TX. I've never heard of tax free weekend until I moved here. None of the other states I've lived in have had such a thing.

Basically this is the best weekend for parents to get their kids ready to go back to school. And if you aren't a parent then it's the best weekend to do a little shopping for maybe some clothes that you might need in the fall and winter months. Last year I went out to see the natives doing their shopping thing but I didn't buy anything except lunch that day. I was incredibly curious to see how crowded the malls would be last year. However, this year I plan on taking part in the shopping. I can think of a few clothing items I'm in need of.

Wait a Minute, Where's Cody?

Yesterday I was walking the boys in the late afternoon. During the walks I'm always juggling a few items, mainly keys and 2 leashes. Two leashes that are attached to dogs that have 2 completely different walking styles. Simon is on a walk to investigate all trees, bushes, and signs he comes across. Cody merrily walks about soaking up the sunshine and commonly looking for people that might want to pet him. During this particular afternoon walk I remember Simon pulling me in a certain direction, I had to get a hold of him then I had to readjust my keys in my hand plus grab my sunglasses as I had started to knock them off in my hurry to get Simon under control. A few moments later I look down to discover I only have keys and 1 leash in my hand. I glance down to see Simon on my left side. I look to my right side for Cody....nope, no Cody in sight. I look back behind us and there he stood many feet back just waiting for me to realize that I had dropped his leash and he was no longer walking with us. Both of my boys simply stop in their tracks when their leashes have been dropped which is a good thing. I still can't believe I dropped his leash and didn't realize it the second I dropped it. That's the part I've had trouble accepting!

I can see some of the humor in the situation this morning! However, I was beating myself up about it last night because I kept thinking of all the horrible things that could have happened to him. That's exactly why I will never be the type of dog owner that has her dogs out and about with no leashes. In our old neighborhood it was common practice for people to walk their dogs up to the nearby park with no leash. I don't understand how people do it. I dropped Cody's leash for just seconds and was horrified once I thought about all the things that could have happened while his leash was not firmly in my grasp.

10 Day Program!

After church on Sunday we went to breakfast then to the mall. While we were at the mall my boyfriend wanted to stop in at GNC health store. In the past few months we have talked about possibly doing a body cleansing program together. I would call it a cleansing diet. But my boyfriend isn't fond of the word "diet" so it's a cleansing program/plan/etc.

I wasn't anticipating starting such a drastic new way of eating when I woke up Sunday morning. However, by Sunday evening I was becoming committed to this 10 day program. Although I must admit I was a little unwilling at first since I couldn't distract my brain from wishing that I had finished my pecan pancakes at breakfast. Lol! In the past when I've started a diet I have a feast before starting, a one last meal type of thing. When it came right down to it though there was no way I wasn't going to do the 10 day program for a few reasons. One being that I wanted to show my support to my boyfriend by going through it with him. Another reason was because I've never done a body cleansing diet/program, so I figured it would be good to try. Plus I could stand to lose a few pounds.

All we are eating is fish, veggies, fruits, rice, and just last night we allowed ourselves some almonds. Safe to say, I've never had fish this much in my entire life! I'm doing well though eating the fish!

It's such a drastic change in eating that it's definitely taking a toll on my energy level. I was going through all my normal activities with some slightly difficult moments here and there. Then today, Thursday, came along now my energy level is seriously down. I barely had enough energy to walk the dogs early this morning therefore working out is likely out of the question! At the end of today we will have made it halfway through the program. Just 5 more days left!

Bandanna Pugs!!!

As I mentioned back on Friday, once the boys arrived home from the groomers I would take some pics of their cuteness with those bandannas on. This time around the boys were looking a bit western as if they were ready to attend a square dance. Lol! And of course I appreciate that the bandannas are red!

The photo shoot at home turned interesting when I got the Texas hat out. I attempted to put the hat on Simon. He has no tolerance for any hat. He didn't hold still long enough for me to put it on his head. No worries, that's why I have 2 pugs....what one pug won't tolerate maybe the other one will? Cody was a tiny bit more willing than his brother. Yet he wasn't thrilled about it. He refused to have it on his head so the compromise was for it to hang off to the side. Notice his face and how his ears are dropping lower in the first pic, then even lower in the second pic. He is clearly not happy. The best pic is the last one, the hat is behind the boys and no longer an annoyance to them. We might have to frame that pic and send it to Grandma!

Blog Anniversary!

Today is the 1 year anniversary of this blog! Yay! I've enjoyed posting for the last year. I can't believe it's been a year already. I had the idea to start a blog at the end of July but I waited until August 13th to make my first post. August 13th was my grandparents(dad's side) anniversary. I wanted to be able to easily remember what date I started my blog. I knew the easiest way was to wait for a special date that I used to celebrate.

I have great childhood memories of celebrating their anniversary with them. They always seemed to choose dinner at Camelback Inn Resort. I always had the prime rib dinner followed by strawberry pie for dessert! Yum! One year I accidentally dipped into the horseradish instead of sour cream. Horseradish on my baked potato was not a good thing! Trust me! Lol!

The best thing about this blog especially for someone that isn't living in the city that the majority of her family is living in...it helps my family to know what's going on with me. One of my cousin's commonly tells me that if he hasn't heard from me via texting in awhile he at least can go check my blog to know what 's going on with me. It's also nice to record my experiences here. Lots of things about TX are still somewhat new to me.

Pugs Day Out!

Things are rather quiet in my neck of the woods today. The boys are getting groomed. It's not that the boys make a lot of noise but their presence in a room can certainly be felt. When they aren't here it is a tiny bit strange! Their new groomer is at their new vet complex too. The groomers do first come first serve "appointments". No appointment times are given. I'm still deciding whether or not I like that.

The boys seemed rather happy to be at the groomers today. No climbing up into my arms. They both instantly jumped into the same chair in the lobby and politely waited. It was cute and funny!

Simon's favorite part is getting his nails trimmed! Yeah right! That part is like torture to the poor little guy. As a baby he watched me trim Cody's nails, let's just say things didn't go so well. I think watching that scene scarred Simon! He actually starts sweating when you get nail clippers out around him. Cody's not fond of his nails being trimmed either or fond of water for that matter, but he's a rather cool customer. He goes with the flow and realizes it has to be done so endure!

They are so spoiled, they know that when they get groomed they receive a special treat once we get back home. The second we walk in the door their focus is on the treat, especially Simon's focus. Cody takes a few moments to rough up a toy then he jumps on the 'we want a treat' bandwagon with his brother. My favorite part of the boys getting groomed is the cute little bandannas they come home with! I will likely take a pic and post it tomorrow of the bandanna pugs!

Cowboys Afternoon!

Well it's finally that time of the year again: football season! One of the highlights of my Sunday was kicking back to watch the Cowboys play in the Hall of Fame game. Watching football while eating homemade burgers and fries...definitely my idea of a great evening! Glad the Cowboys won too! I know it's just pre-season but it still builds momentum.

This yer the Cowboys celebrate their 50th anniversary. Well technically it's their 51st year but they are celebrating the 50th anniversary this season. Confused? I was a little confused at first too. Basically it's like this, the Cowboys are choosing to celebrate their 50th anniversary now that the 50th season(last season) is in the books! It's a celebration of the last 50 Cowboys seasons! It makes sense that they waited until after the 50th year was officially complete before celebrating even though it's slightly confusing to people. Plus last year it was all about the new Cowboys stadium. This way the 50th anniversary can take center stage!

Side note to my Cowboys loving cousin....I owe you a 5oth anniversary shirt! Please no one else in my family get jealous. It's a special occasion and he's been a fan for a good amount of those 50 years!

Random Thoughts pt. 6

I just finished making some of the most delicious pancakes I've ever made, in my very humble opinion! I made large pancakes almost as big around as my plate. It was fun! I love breakfast but I rarely take time to make anything more complicated then pouring a bowl of cereal. Today however I really was in the mood for some pancakes. My sous chef(Simon) was equally pleased that I wanted to be in the kitchen cooking something up this morning. He actually woke up from his nap to come see what was going on.

On the list of things to do today is to take exciting trips to Petsmart and Target. Our Target is currently being remodeled it's about to become a SuperCenter with groceries. I'm pleased with this. The location of the nearest Target is better than the location of the nearest Wal Mart.

Last night I talked to my mom on the phone. It was rather funny to me maybe not to her. But I kept thinking of another thought to say. We would hang up then I would call her back with another thought. As I called her back for a third time I asked her if she was starting to question why on earth she wanted a kid so bad? She laughed and jokingly told me I can be slightly annoying from time to time. Lol! What person isn't from time to time though? On the phone during one of our conversations I was trying to explain to my mom how I can see for miles here. In Phx you can't see for miles. You might be able to see down the street but that's about it. Compared to TX it's more hazy, I don't think you realize the haze the city has until you live somewhere that doesn't have that haze. Plus things there are built closer together more compact. Downtown Phx is especially compact! There are definite areas here that are more dense and compact but your ability to see for miles doesn't seem to fade. The land her is flat though, the mountains around the Phx area block many vantage points. It was very similar in Seattle. I could see for miles there too. I lived 15 miles from the Space Needle but I could still see it from my apartment complex.

I love the way the areas are more spaced out and not compact here in the Dallas area! Another plus about living here! I remember reading about how spaced out Dallas is before moving here. Of course I didn't accurately understand until I moved here and was able to see the contrast from where I grew up.


The boys are cozy as I type this!

A Day In the Life of Simon!

The other day Simon was staring at me. Now this is not out of the ordinary. He commonly stares at me. I would like to think it's because he thinks I'm the best looking human he's ever seen. Sadly I truly doubt that's what he's thinking. While he was staring at me I began to think about his actions over the course of each day. The moments when he is at peace doing his own thing compared to the moments he is staring at me. I think the moments he spends staring at me nearly outweighs all other moments. My mom and I have often joked that Simon has a secret palm-pilot telling him what time it is and what should be going on at that particular time.

A typical day in Simon's life starts off by being fed about 30 minutes after I get up for the day. Simon knows he doesn't get fed right away so he takes his time getting out of bed especially in the winter. As soon as he sees me head for the kitchen though his anxiousness slips into overdrive. Once he's fed and only after he has licked both his and Cody's food bowl he then arrives in front of the door ready for his leash because it's time for the morning walk. After the walk the boys are tired again! Nap time! Might as well sleep, as he understands many hours must pass by before anything else happens for him. Late afternoon rolls around, along about 30 minutes before Simon feels he should be walked he follows me around the apartment. Longingly giving me glance after glance. His anticipation for his walk is clear! After the late afternoon walk he is once again at peace for a very short time. He continues to keep an eye on me fairly soon after the walk because he knows dinner time is drawing near. Once he gets dinner he takes up his position as sous chef while I begin to prepare my dinner! When my dinnertime is over, Simon realizes snack time is up next for him. This is the part of the day when the staring at me is at an all time high! After I finish dinner he never once breaks his gaze. Finally, snack time arrives. Then it's walk time again! And after that he puts himself to bed. He's done for the day!

I like how he puts himself to bed I think it's cute. When he was a puppy he used to just disappear on me after the evening walk. I would soon discover he had sought out his bed and was fast asleep. Cody on the other hand likes staying up with me! Which is fine too! I love how Cody is my shadow from the second we get up in the morning until he is put in bed at night. The difference is Simon follows me around with great anticipation of something. Cody genuinely wants to be near me and share the day with me. I love them both equally! I appreciate the uniqueness of each of their personalities. I continue to get a kick out of observing my puggies!

Run Boys Run!

The A/C in the fitness center at my complex is broken so I decided to take the boys for a little extra walk to help me make-up not being able to go to the fitness center. We were going along just fine when all of a sudden some sprinklers came on. Imagine the surprise of Cody! Simon commonly looks for water while out on a walk so he had no issue with it. Based on the location of where the sprinklers came on at we couldn't get around them. The 2 options were climb a steep hill or go in the street to avoid the sprinklers. In a split second I decided on a third option...run!

I looked down at Cody. I told him not to worry it's just a little bit of water. I then gave the boys the command to run. They know exactly what the word means and what to do when they hear it. Over the years they've always been walked and we've had to run across numerous streets to avoid cars. They are experts in knowing when to run! So I gave the command, we all three took off running on the sidewalk lined with green grass that was being doused with water from many angles. I didn't realize when we first started running just how far down the street the water soaking sprinklers went. It turned out to be quite the jog for the little pugs. I'm happy to report Cody survived the sprinklers. I will continue today to crack a smile when I think about what Cody must have thought when I first told him we were going to run through the water. LOL!!!!

Movies!

My boyfriend and I often discuss whether or not Hollywood is broken. It seems like they are putting out some rather weak and worthless movies in recent months. I would actually go so far as to say the movie options have been rather disappointing since the writers strike which was at least 2 and a half years ago. In the last year I can easily name on one hand the good/worthwhile movies I've seen in theaters. Those would be: Avatar, Alice in Wonderland, A Christmas Carol, The A-Team and How to Train Your Dragon. I must admit 4 of those 5, I saw in 3D Imax!

I said the other day I now judge a movie based on whether or not it holds my attention. If I fall asleep it's a dud! Or possibly I'm just really tired. However it's most likely that the movie is a dud!

The worst movie that we have rented in recent weeks was Unthinkable. To us it was unthinkable that they made the movie. We kept waiting for it to pick up. We were sure it was going to get better. Well, it didn't get any better!

Another movie we rented recently was Legion. Now it wouldn't appear that this would be my type of movie. It has some creepy parts. However, it kept my attention from beginning to end. I never drifted off!

We are in the final month of summer. Back to school time is right around the corner. What great blockbusters mesmerized the general public this summer? Very few. Shrek The Final Chapter, Toy Story 3, and Inception seem to have created the most buzz but that's still not a long or impressive list. Yep, possibly Hollywood is slightly broken.

Lasagna Night!

Anyone that knows me even just a little bit likely knows how much I love to cook. Some people crochet! Some people garden! I get in the kitchen and cook something up! It's a therapeutic hobby for me especially when I'm trying to create a new dish or my own spin on a recipe. Seriously if it wasn't for my addiction to football, Grand Slam events, and the Food Network I wouldn't need cable! I even read cookbooks like they are novels!

Well, I'm always looking to make something that I haven't made before. So I gave myself the lasagna challenge on Friday evening. It was my first attempt at making lasagna ever! I make a a few versions of spaghetti and a good chicken marinara pasta dish as well. But never ventured into lasagna making, I've always heard it's difficult to make.

I read 2 different recipes than as I do with numerous recipes I decided to do my own thing since I was set on making a healthy version! It did take a long time! Obviously lasagna is all about the layers. It took time to create the three different layers. I was completely satisfied with how the lasagna turned out. It was well worth the time and effort. Best of all, we couldn't have ordered a healthier version of lasagna at any restaurant.

How much of a healthy cooking food dork am I? I was sure that with the ingredients I chose that it was healthy. However, yesterday morning I sat down with pencil, paper, nutrition facts from each ingredient, and a calculator to do the math per serving. It's amazing to me to see the difference! Yay, my lasagna night wasn't a flop!