A Day Late

Yesterday was my brother, Brian's 30th birthday.

Unfortunately, I was on the road and couldn't get a proper post done yesterday, but a little late is better than nothing, right?

Happy Birthday Brian! Enjoy your birthday weekend!!

Jeggins?

Please tell me you watch Kell on Earth {on Bravo} ...

If you're not watching you're missing out on a lot of bitching and clueless girls who "want to get into the fashion industry" but then can't cut it good fashion knowledge.

Kelly Cutrone, owner of People's Revolution {former employer of Lauren Conrad and Whitney Port -- does she still work there?, both of MTV reality fame}, is a very honest ball-buster in the cutthroat world of fashion PR.

I pretty much love watching this show. From Stephanie V. effing just about everything up and male models collapsing and messing up a fashion show installation to Kelly's adorable 7 year old daughter and a male assistant who wears anything from denim overalls to a full-length black gown, this show has it all.

On a recent episode {the same one where the male model collapsed} models were installed for a Genetic Denim show during fashion week. One of the female models is wearing jeggins {jeans + leggings = jeggins}. And, although I'm still a little unsure as to what they are exactly, I'm definitely sure I'm not quite aboard that train {yet, anyway}.

Are they leggings material with denim markings printed on them? Are they made of denim but are just so stretchy they emulate leggings?

Here are a few pairs that I've found online. I'm thinking I need to see these in person, and they'll definitely take a try-on before jumping on the jeggin {btw, Kelly says jeggin but I'm not comfortable with saying it so slangily, unless of course that's what they're called. And let's be honest, if that's what Kelly Cutrone is calling them, that's most likely what they're called...} bandwagon.

J Brand {$165}

Joe's Jeans {$92}

Blank Denim {$78}

Divine Rights of Denim {$40}

The first three pairs of jeggin{g}s are from shopbop.com and the last one is from lulus.com {a great place for affordable but trendy clothing that not everyone will have because it's not Forever21}

Random Thursday

• So, I'm not really a coffee drinker, but there's this one that I love from Starbucks. Whenever it's cold or nasty or cold and nasty, I have to have it. It's a white chocolate mocha and it's da bomb.

This brings me to a couple of weeks ago. I was grocery shopping {one of the things i loathe} and I saw that Hersheys makes a coffee creamer in a white chocolate mocha flavor! I was so.excited! I didn't buy it then, because, well {I said it earlier}, I'm not a coffee drinker. The last couple of times I've been back to the grocery store I've looked for it but all they had was nasty caramel macchiato and some other flavor that I didn't want either...but the one they didn't have was white chocolate mocha! Ugh!

Since I had struck out at least three times and I had a dinner date at Victoria's with a friend on Tuesday, I hit up a different store in Norman and lo and behold...there it was!! I purchased that sucker without hesitation.

So, that brings us to today. Today was my inaugural go with our coffee maker. 

See, when J and I got married we registered for this gorg Cuisinart coffee maker {that my dad says makes the best coffee}. We got it and the poor thing only gets used when my pops is in town -- about 5 or 6 times a year {come more often parents!}.

This morning, I was hell bent on making coffee and trying my new creamer. So, I put the coffee in and poured the water up to the specific marker and voila! ... so I thought. The coffee maker made all the usual brewing noises, but I only ended up with half a cup of coffee in the carafe! What happened??

As I was cleaning it out ... J noticed that I had not put the lid on the pot. Oops...there's my mistake. Turns out you have to have the lid on the pot so that the liquid will drip down from the top into the pot, not pool in the top with the filter {like it did for me...}. Whoops! 

Maybe my attempt at coffee will be better tomorrow. I'm thinking it can only get better from here, right???

• I get a lot of headaches. And, yes, they're as much fun as they sound. I've been known to go to bed with a headache, but usually, I'm able to relax enough when I'm sleeping that I wake up sans headache. But the opposite thing happened to me today. I went to sleep feeling fine, and woke up with a headache. And, even after my run, the headache was still rockin'. 

• The cruise is just weeks away which means that wearing a bathing suit is just weeks away. Gasp! So, I figured that that this morning was THE morning to do a bathing suit run through. Usually when I make this bad decision, I get nothing out of it. But this morning, I figured out that I have a bunch of cute bathing suits that are definitely cruise-worthy. Yeah! Plus with all this running I've been doing {remember, I'm running a half-marathon?}, I'm not quite as critical of my barely-covered bod. Double-yeah!!

 

What do you think of this cute suit? I'm not sure I like how the top ties ... but I love the colors and tie-dye/ikat print.

• I know I've mentioned my love for the Olympics, but what I don't love about the Olympics is the fact that they're keeping me from my usual shows. I'm way behind on Vampire Diaries and J and I are behind on Greek, RHoOC and Amazing Race! 

Although I'll be sad to see the closing ceremonies, I'll be glad to get back to my regularly scheduled tv-watching. Plus, I'm thinking the end of the Olympics signals the beginning of the second half of this season of Gossip Girl, plus we're that much closer to Glee coming back! 

HMT: Update

I'm on my last week of half workouts before I'm supposed to run the race. And, since the Ardmore race is about four weeks away, I'm doing really well.

I ran 9 miles this weekend, and I'm so proud of my pace and ability to finish!

I had plans to do my long run on Sunday {as usual}, but the weathermen were preaching all-day rain, so I had to do a quick change of plans and run on Saturday. I'm really glad I did. Even though it didn't rain all day, it was definitely colder on Sunday and the wind was a little fiercer.

Anyway, onto how my run went.

I ate the Jelly Belly energy beans before my run {like usual}. I love those! I think they work really well. I can feel the energy they give me before I even hit the pavement. By about mile 6.5 or so, I thought I'd try a Gu. I've been really hesitant to try these because I have a serious issue with food texture and the fact that they're gels worried me.

So, I stopped {and stopped my Garmin thankyouverymuch} and opened the Gu. I sucked down half of the berry flavored Gu and I almost gave it all back. It took all that I had to keep it down.

Although I had issues with the texture, it tasted fine and it definitely helped out my energy and was probably a big help in getting me through all 9 miles.

I've been taking a water bottle with me on my long runs, too. I'm really trying to get used to eating and drinking while I run, because I know I'll need to do that during the actual race.

So, I finished 9 and I couldn't have been much happier with my pace and time. I kept my pace at 9:20 {which I haven't really been able to do on my long runs recently -- I usually slow down when I get past 5 miles}, so I think I have the Gu to thank for that. And I'm thinking if I can keep my pace at 9:20 during the actual race, I can run a sub-2 hour half. Yes! But, this half isn't about time or pace, it's about finishing. I have a goal of running a half-marathon and as long as I cross the finish line, no matter my time, I will have accomplished my goal.

Anyway, I have a 10 miler this weekend, and then I think, since I still have a couple weeks until the race, I'm going to try to get as close to 13 as possible.

Eight great years

Our precious Lilbug turns 8 today {thats 56 in human years}.

Even though she's bravely battling cancer and pretty much blind in at least one eye and partially blind in the other, she loves life and couldn't be a better dog. She loves her kibble and any occasion that calls for {too many} treats.

We tried to find a bakery to buy her a cupcake or something, but with minimal time, we hit up PetsMart for some cookies {that she loved!}.

Here are a couple pics of our girl:

You've seen this one before, but I love it!

She's soo pretty!

Bundled up!

She always makes us laugh. She is obsessed with licking things -- arms, legs, her arms/legs, feet, knees, faces, you name it, she'll try to lick it. Occasionally, when she's really excited, Lily will jump and spin. She's like an acrobat! She doesn't particularly like toys, but everytime we put treats in Gus' toy, she's on pins and needles to clean the floor of the treat debris. 

We love Lily and are so glad she became a part of our family two and a half years ago!

Random Thursday

• A plane crashed into a building in NW Austin this morning. I saw it on Facebook and then saw some pictures on an Austin news website. As far as I know, the guy who was flying the plane set his house on fire before flying into the building and the building is in an office complex that also houses some CIA and IRS offices. The last I heard was that two people were unaccounted for and CNN is reporting that they are dead. Homeland security says that there is no reason to believe that this is related to Terrorist -- but I'm suspicious.

This is awful. The office park/building is only about 10-15 minutes from my parent's house and really it's just unfathomable to think that someone would do that! I'm keeping everyone in that area in my thoughts.

**Update**
The pilot was Joseph Stack, 53, who owned a software company. Apparently, he was upset with the IRS and his website outlines his problems with them and said something to the effect of the fact that violence "is the only answer." 


Homeland security has stated that this had no connection to any terrorist groups and two people have been sent to the hospital. One to Seton and one with second-degree burns was sent to San Antonio.


For more detailed information go to: http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/small-plane-hits-echelon-on-mopac-183

•John is finally getting a rental car today! We've been sharing {read: racking up the miles} on my car since Saturday and I'm pumped that the insurance companies are functioning and are finally getting him a rental. But, word from the body shop guy is that it'll be "a long time" before he gets his beloved Big Black {his terrible/hilarious nickname for his truck} back.

•Just over 3 weeks until we set sail on a fabulous Caribbean cruise! Cayman Island, Isla Routan, Cozumel and one other place I can't remember, here.I.come!

•I am loving the Olympics! No surprise there, because I've always loved the Olympics. On Tuesday night we went to dinner in Bricktown for John's aunt, and missed most of the evening coverage. Boo...hiss! {We had a great time at dinner, though.} So far, seeing Shaun White and Lindsey Vonn win gold have been the best two moments.

I really hate it when someone crashes, misses a jump, falls, what-have-you and dashes their Olympic dream, no matter what country their from.

Tonight, Evan Lysacek goes for gold in men's figure skating, there's more skiing and I think they're showing hockey too and maybe more speed skating? I don't care, I'll pretty much watch any coverage of the Olympics. USA! USA! USA!

•My Words with Friends on my phone is really ticking me off! Ever since Saturday or Sunday, every time I open the app, it is "updating" for a minute or two and then it just crashes. I was going to buy the non-free version, thinking maybe the ads or the fact that it's the free one, might be my problem, but I read reviews for both in the App store and it looks like I'm not the only one. C'mon Apple app creators, get with the program and fix WWF soon!

Happy Thursday...Friday can't come soon enough!

Valentine's Weekend

We had plans for the weekend that included a fun Opening Ceremonies party for the Olympics and a Valentine's date night on Saturday.

The party was way fun. Although we stressed about our costumes {we were Japan}, it all worked out ok and we had a blast -- no pictures though...

We took Sapporo and sushi for our themed food and beverage and put a little effort into our costume, but the other countries way outdid our costume. Oh well...I'm not one for costume parties. {I wish I were, because I always want to have a really great costume, but I'm not really willing to spend the money or the time putting it together.}

Moving On...

Saturday we planned to chill and then had dinner reservations at Seven47. They usually have a special four or five-course meal option for Valentine's day but this year they had just a few extras on the menu. We were really looking forward to a date night, but that came to a crashing {literally...} halt.

On our way up to Norman, we got in a wreck. 

It wasn't our fault, but it was really scary. John's truck got pretty messed up and the side-curtain airbags deployed, leaving us unable to really see, and the truck pretty just shut itself down -- no power steering, no power brakes...

Luckily some good samaritans stopped and towed us into a parking lot, where we waited for the cop to show up. The other driver ended up in another parking lot, but they, too, called the police. Thank goodness! I felt really bad for the girls in the other car -- they were a couple of high school girls. I hate this kind of thing for anyone!

We got J's truck towed back to town, but by the time it was all said and done, it was 10:30 and neither of us was in the mood to eat or anything. What a bummer!

I took a couple pics of his truck:

Those are the airbags ... thank God for those!

Hope you guys had a great Valentine's weekend!

Random Thursday

Here are a few random things floating in my overly-crowded brain today:

• The Bachelor. Why do I keep watching this trash? Jake is {to say this kindly} boring and extremely cheesy, and the fact that he chooses Vienna has slipped out, makes things even worse. I don't know this girl, but let's just say that the way she's portrayed on tv {and the stuff coming out in those totally believable tabloids} and the comments her competitors make about her make me question everything. Even though people know this show is not real, people {me included, unfortch} keep watching. 

• Our dogs are FINALLY getting baths today -- and it's snowing ... again. Gus and Lily have needed baths for weeks, but either we haven't had time to get them in or the weather has been nasty. Finally they'll get their nails trimmed, Gus can get that hot chocolate smell out of his fur {my fault...with the help of him unexpectedly jumping in my lap} and they'll come home with cute bandanas on.

•My birthday is coming up {just over 30 shopping days left!} and I have a few things on my list. Here are a couple:

I really want this bookcase to go in our bedroom on my side of the bed. Then I can finally get rid of our nasty plastic drawers that I've had since sophomore year of college. Pppplease??

All three of these dresses {the second two are out of stock, but if you want, I can sign up and they'll tell me when/if they restock!} from modcloth.com. 

And something along these lines. I have an iPod, but those dang earbuds do.not stay in my ears. And, I've even tried the "in-ear" ones, and they don't either.

• Valentine's Day is this weekend and {I got a haircut today} my stylist mentioned that she and her husband were just going to stay home and cook but she wanted to go out for a "really good dessert." I think this is a great idea! You can cook good food at home and enjoy each other's company in the comfort of your own home, but you still get to go out and eat something decadent. I'm thinking of implementing this kind of tradition in the Montgomery home. 

• I haven't mentioned this on the blog, but we're going on a cruise soon and I'm excited. But, I'm about as pale as it gets and I'm not really one for tanning, so any suggestions? I'm kinda planning to get a spray tan before we leave, but this won't help with the burning bit in the sun. {Don't worry, I plan to slather myself in baby oil bring my trusty cans of 30 spf spray.}

Happy Thursday!

Blogaversary

One year ago today I took the plunge.

After lurking on other people's blog {namely, Jennie's}, I bit the bullet and started my own blog. Although the beginning was a bit rough {I really didn't know what to blog about, and did I really think I was important enough to write about what I did on a daily basis?}, but I've persevered and I really love posting on our little site.

I've blogged about work.

I've blogged about my friend's big days {here and here}.

I've blogged about our dogs.

I've blogged about football.

I've blogged about photography, and craft projects and running and Christmas and New Year's Eve and the weather {there's been a lot of that lately...}.

I know I'm not always that interesting, but thanks for sticking with me {and making comments!}.

The difference a year makes

Oklahoma's newest bff and weather guru, Gary England is predicting more snow tomorrow. 

My thinking on winter weather is this: I love me some cold, crisp weather {even snow} when it's leading up to Christmas, because that's what the weather is supposed to be! But, after Christmas, it can take a hike. 

I'll take a nice 70 degree February day anytime.

In fact, on Thursday the high and low were within about 3 degrees of each other: 36 and 33. The most fun fact of all, though is that just one year ago, it was 76 degrees, and that temperature set a record. 

I know Punxsutawney Phil predicted 6 more weeks of winter, but I'm hoping he's wrong and spring is coming, like, say, next week. 

Whaddya say?

Simple Pleasures

So, Kelly posted something about simple pleasures a couple of days ago, and after much thought, I think I'll participate.

So, here goes:

Coming home to the dogs knowing that they'll make any horrible day seem so not so bad. They turn my mood right around!

Getting something new (no matter how small/simple) to add to my closet!

"Me" time 

A good glass of wine/ice cold beer/perfect vodka-tonic

Snuggling with the hubs when it's coooold outside

Driving with the windows down

A clean house and fresh sheets on the bed

Catching up on all my DVRed shows on Sundays

Catching up with all of the blogs I love reading, on Sundays

Football season!!

Accomplishing a goal -- this weekend: 8 miles!

I really could go on and on and on and on about things that make me happy, but I don't want you guys to know everything! Ha!

What are you simple pleasures?

Feb. 3

Like I mentioned last month, January through May we are bombarded with a veritable gauntlet of birthdays.

Today just so happens to be my father in law's birthday!

In his favorite sweatshirt. Pretty much all of his leisure clothing is OU-related

At work on a Wednesday (probably)

Happy Birthday John D!

We have plans to celebrate with family and enjoy dinner at the place of his choosing. And, I got him a hilariously true birthday card. Can't wait to see him read it!

Just wait a few more weeks, and we'll be on birthday #4!

Ice Storm in Pictures