Shopping and Survivor

I think it's going to be a slow day at the office today. Our boss is gone to Texas for a hunting trip, so it's just me and another lady in the office. It's been slow around here lately, really not many lawsuits or claims coming in and I think today we'll probably be on the Internet a lot. Tough job huh?

Last night was pretty much a repeat of the night before. I went to the golf course to walk with Boomer, I watched TV, I cleaned. I think I've lost a little weight since Sean hasn't been around. When I don't have to cook for him I tend to eat less. It's his cooking on the weekend that always gets me. Steak, potatoes, other tasty grilled things. He says he has to feed me like that so I won't lose my butt. I assured him that losing my butt isn't something that will ever happen. I think it's here to stay.

Oh and if you love Target as much as I do, to not miss out on Wandering DC's Target Giveaway! She's giving away a Target gift card, so head on over to her blog to check it out.

I'm in the market for a colored passport cover. I saw some in Oprah's magazine one time and I've wanted them ever since.



I think I want a pink one or a turquoise one. Very cute aren't they?

I'm very excited about this whole moving to Italy thing, but I'm terrified of the plane ride there. There are a couple reasons for this.

A. I haven't been a fan of flying since 9/11, before that I loved it. After that I pretty much get panic attacks before getting on the plane.

B. I've had a long flight from Alaska to Chicago, but never flown to Europe. Visions of TWA Flight 800 dance in my head whenever I think about it. I know there are thousands of flights that nothing happens, but still in the back of my mind I worry.

C. I'm worried about Boomer making the flight. I'm terrified about him getting lost between the US and Italy! If something happened to him I'd be inconsolable!

That's really the only big hang-up I'm having about moving to Italy. Everything else seems like a walk in the park.

I found the cutest stuff at CATO yesterday. I don't often shop there, but I heard they have some cute jewelry so I had to investigate. Cute jewelry indeed! I'm always looking for some colorful stuff to punch up my wardrobe and I found a red beaded necklace and a turqoise braclet on clearance, as well as the cutest black purse!

It looks similar to this, but more simple.



The other day I found some cute shoes at Payless, although I haven't bought them yet and thought they looked familiar.



It's because they look very similiar to these J.Crew shoes that I had seen on another blog.



Survivor is on tonight! I missed it last week somehow between the vice-presidential debate and other things, but I'm not missing it tonight. I'm wondering what time Sean will be home though.....

Well, I hope everyone has a great Thursday! Only a couple more days until the weekend!

Whew...it's Wednesday!

Can I just say I'm glad it's Wednesday? Only a few more days until the weekend and then late next week my parents will be here. Yay!

So starting off today I would like to thank Positively Preppy in Pink for bestowing a blog award on me.



I'm going to break the rule though and not pass it on, as I did pass this award on a few weeks ago.

So thank you Postively Preppy in Pink! If you haven't checked out her blog, you should. It's on my daily reads and who doesn't love reading about her internship in London?

Last night, since Sean is in the field and won't be back until Thursday, I decided to watch all the shows I know he wouldn't want to watch. I fit in a little What Not to Wear (can I just say I love how Stacy London dresses? I want her wardrobe!) two episodes of Sex and the City and a little Will & Grace. I also caught a little of I Want to Work for Diddy on VH1. The people who want to work for Diddy are insane! I could never be someone's personal assistant and make their life more important than my own, especially in the case of Diddy. He's such a man-diva. If I could meet him face to face I'd tell him to give up on trying to stay in the spotlight with constant seasons of Making the Band. GIVE IT UP! You'll never develop another artist like Mase or Notorious BIG, time for you to stop trying.

Although it sounds like all I did last night was watch TV, I actually went to the gym for about 45 minutes for some cardio and I even fit in some cleaning around the house. With my parents coming in and another possible houseguest, I thought it wise to start cleaning now. So I cleaned the bathroom, swept the kitchen and dining room floor and even whipped myself up some scrambled eggs and peanut butter toast. I've noticed when Sean is gone I get a lot more done. I suppose because our routine at night is to hang out and watch TV together and when he's not there I don't feel obligated to do that.

I was playing around on Photobucket yesterday and found the coolest gadget. Remember my pumpkin picture?



Look what I did to it:



Halloween like isn't it?

I think I'm getting off work early on Friday. There is another parade that is going to be on our street. I've never seen a town that loves parades as much as Leesville. Who am I to complain though? It should mean I'm getting off work two hours early. That is something I can appreciate.

I need to steam clean our carpets this weekend. We've been putting it off for the last month and it's come down to I have to do it now. As long as I can pull Sean away from the Texas/OU game long enough I think we can get it done.

Now for the Pictures...

As promised, here are the pictures from our weekend. I hope you enjoy!

First stop is Natchitoches!


I love taking pictures of this church, I cannot get enough of it!


Corvettes have always been my favorite



I liked this one too


Isn't he the cutest?


Finally! What I came to Natchitoches for


Here it is: The house they used in Steel Magnolias, it's now a bed and breakfast.


One of the churches had a pumpkin patch out front, I wanted one, but decided to wait.


I told you I saw a creepy, just purchased hearse. I didn't include the pictures of the guy as they didn't come out well.


Looking across the river at Shreveport


There were gorgeous flowers at the Boardwalk too!


Sean hates taking pictures, hence why he always looks angry in them.


Not me though! I love cheesin it up for the camera.


The day wouldn't be complete without some alligators.


Oh and as a sidenote, guess how many calories those delicious rolls at Logan's have? 227 calories PER roll! They're going to be my downfall.

Shreveport Adventure

I'm happy to report that I had a wonderful weekend! Pictures will follow tomorrow, but for today I'll just tell you about it.

On Saturday, Sean and I were up bright and early so we could swing by Natchitoches before we went to Shreveport.

There's a store that we love in Natchitoches that has all kinds of awesome Louisiana stuff. Sean loves the massive wall of hot sauces they have there and I love the cute magnets and ornaments they have. I ended up getting the cutest crawfish cookie cutter from there and a few ornaments and Sean got two hot sauces.

There was a car show going on down on Front Street, so we walked through there for awhile and I took some pictures of different cars we liked. I insisted that we walk down to the house that was used in Steel Magnolias because I wanted a picture so we hiked down there so I could get my much needed pictures.

As a side note, we stopped at gas station before leaving Natchitoches and there was a newly purchased hearse in the parking lot, being driven by a man in Gothic clothing with his face painted in black and white. Not sure what that was about, but hey, I got pictures!

On to Shreveport!

I had been dying to eat some Greek food at AlBasha Greek & Lebanese Restuarant, so I convinced Sean to go there for lunch. He had a lamb shishkabob and I had a chicken shwarma plate. Everything was delish, but I think it could have been a little fresher. We got there around 1:00 and I don't think it was as good as it might have been a little bit earlier. Overall I was pleased with the food though.

We decided to go to the Louisiana Boardwalk down by the river and I was very impressed! They have a ton of good stores down there and the area was just very clean. I did find the chocolate cupcake candle I'd been searching for at the Yankee Candle store at the Boardwalk, but once I smelled the candle I was less than impressed. Vanilla Cupcake is much better!

There was an Arts Festival going on across the river and so we ended up going to that too. I loved the photography at one booth in particular and I even talked to the photographer for awhile about what kind of camera/lenses he uses, what techinques he uses, etc. He was very helpful and gave me some great tips. His prints were a little out of my price range, but I really loved his work. We also listened to a live band for awhile and just enjoyed the festival atmosphere.

Logan's Steakhouse was our destination for dinner and can I just say I'm in love with their rolls? I must find out how they make their rolls! They are simply the best, buttery, soft rolls I've ever had in my life! If you've never tried them you must!

Yesterday was just another lazy day for us. I wanted to get online and upload my pictures, check out my favorite blogs, etc. BUT our Internet is down and has been since Thursday night. So my only source of the Internet happens to be at work. I have my suspicions that something is wrong with our modem, but with some modems at the PX costing $80.00 I know it's not going to get fixed anytime soon. Perhaps Wal-Mart has some that are cheaper....

Oh..and an update on X Couple. They aren't moving in on our street, but they are moving in about half a mile from us. Husband of X Couple already showed up unexpectedly yesterday, thankfully he had X Baby in tow or I would have been pretty angry. He only stopped by to let us know they were moving in yesterday. I told Sean if X Couple thinks they are coming over every weekend and hanging out then they better think again. I will make sure I'm not around!

Now to check up on all the blogs I missed!

Please, no neighbors!

I think I gained 20 lbs in the last hour.

One of my co-workers and I went to the local county fair to get some lunch for the office. I came away with a meat pie and shared half a funnel cake (complete with powdered sugar and cinnamon). I am stuffed! It was all worth it though, especially the funnel cake.

How I love fair food.

I wanted to thank everyone on weighing in with their opinions on Sean and I's dishwasher debate. I'll have to share y'all's opinions with him, though I doubt it will sway him.

Yesterday, as I was decorating our house in the fall decor I purchased, Sean decides to drop this bomb on me.

"So X Couple are moving to North Fort"

Me: (Dropping the leaf strand I was holding) WHAT?!

Let me explain a little. X Couple are acquaintances of ours. The husband of X couple is a kind of friend of Sean's. I use the term friend loosely here. Even Sean has admitted in the last few weeks that he really doesn't enjoy hanging around with him anymore. Out of that family, their baby is my favorite. Does that tell you something? Anyway, X Couple are moving to North Fort (our section of Fort Polk) because their apartment complex in South Fort, is being torn down/renovated. The husband of X Couple actually asked Sean if we had a neighbor sharing our duplex because if not they wanted to move in. Do you know what kind of hell that would be? Let's put it this way. If they moved in beside us, I'm not sure I could survive the remaining two months I have here at Fort Polk. X Couple fight, argue and name-call in front of Sean and I, they are immature and honestly not the best parents. I get along with most people and I do make nice to them, but having X couple as my neighbors is something I really don't want to experience. EVER

I was playing around with Yearbook Yourself today and I think I found my favorite look.



How funny is that?

I have a couple of really good things to report. First of all, the baby pictures that I took a few weeks ago, well the parents of the baby I took those of want me to take more pictures and they said they want to pay me this time! Second good news is that Sean told me yesterday that his unit decided not to pursue trying to kick him out because of the failed PT test. As some of you know, that was a big concern of mine a few weeks ago. I'm not sure if it's because he's been doing so much better with running (although he hasn't taken another PT test) or if it was something else. At any rate I'm very glad and I know he's a lot less stressed. Looks like plans for Italy are moving right along! Yay!

I'm ready for the weekend, but it looks my only weekend plans at the moment are going to Shreveport with Sean on Saturday. I've heard there's a really good Greek restaurant there that I want to try. Working-out and finishing up my fall decorations is on the list of things to do. Not sure if the decorations will get worked on, but we'll see. I really wish I had a little more Martha Stewart creativity when it comes to decorating.

What are your weekend plans?

Edit: This is for you Megan! (Megan posted about a website where you can upload pics of you and your SO and it predicts what your baby will look like) I'm a little scared of mine.

My Shopping Extravaganza!

As I mentioned yesterday I went shopping after I got off work yesterday.

I got to Alexandria yesterday around 6:00p.m. and started off at Hobby Lobby since I knew they'd be closing earlier than the mall. I was a woman posessed at Hobby Lobby! There were so many cute fall decorations! Don't even get me started on all the Christmas things I wanted to buy. In the first ten minutes there, my basket was almost full.

I also helped myself in the scrapbook department (they were having a great clearance sale) and I honestly did need some essentials like paper for my college scrapbook if I'm ever going to get that finished.

Forty-five minutes later I walk out with 4 heaving bags and less than a hundred dollars gone from my account. You gotta love Hobby Lobby! I'll post pics of the decorations once I get them up.

On to the mall and Forever 21! I spent about an hour in Forever 21. I love the place, but it's a beast to shop in. For one, at least at this store, they have everything crammed in so tight it's hard to really get a look at things. I found some really good things on sale and also found several items that I'd come there to buy. However I didn't find a really cute sweater that I had seen online, so I'll just have to see if it's still in-stock online.

Remember this hat?


Yeah....a couple of problems with it.

A. They only had it in black, not in blue like I wanted
B. It didn't fit my big head! Curses for having a big head!

Why can't I look like this in hats?


Wait..I know why! She was most likely blessed with a smaller cranium than I!

Remember the red coat I lusted after?



Got it! It's beyond cute!

I also got some sweaters, one similiar to this:



And I couldn't pass up this necklace:


I also got the cutest lace dress that was black and gold and it was on sale. SCORE!

I also hit up The Limited and got two new pairs of nice pants. I LOVE the Drew fit they have there and they actually had two pairs in short this time! How I love pants that fit exactly right.

I'm rockin' a new outfit today. Black pants, cream colored sweater and a new black and white plaid headband. Too cute! I just love new clothes.

Sean was amazed when I told him I didn't buy any shoes, but that doesn't mean I didn't find a pair that I didn't love and will mostly likely buy at a later date.



Those boots I found at Payless and are made by Airwalk. They are beyond comfy and look super cute with jeans!

All of this marathon shopping was done in 2 hours. That's exactly why on trips like that I don't take people.

I couldn't leave Alexandria without stopping at Taco Bueno though. It's the only one in the state that I know of (believe me, I've checked this out) and Sean had requested I bring some food home for him, so I got myself a beef combo platter. So delicious! How I miss having a Taco Bueno within close proximity. It's probably better for my thighs that I don't have one in close proximity though. Hmm....

My boss informed me this morning in the breakroom we are leaving at 3:00 today because of a parade going on in our street and I'm jazzed about that. Maybe that will give me enough time to swing by Hallmark and look for that chocolate cupcake candle I'm wanting.

Forgetful Wife, Handbags Galore and a question.

I officially feel as if I'm a bad wife. Sean asked me this morning if I would mind ironing his OG's for work this morning. No problem I said, I do this nearly every morning. Somehow though between eating my peanut butter toast and primping I completely forgot to iron them for him.

I didn't even remember until he sent me a text while I was at work.

Him: "Forget something this morning?"

Me: "What?"

I'm sitting there racking my brain. Did I not turn off the curling iron? Forget to feed the dog? Then it came to me. I forgot to iron his OG's!

I felt bad and apologized, but there wasn't a lot I could do about it since I was already at work.

I'm really craving sushi today. I actually have been for the past week or so, but I keep putting off the craving. I think today is the day I'm going to go get some. I'm thinking about an Alaska roll and maybe some soup. I'm not sure what I'm going to do when I'm pregnant and can't eat sushi!

Speaking of pregnancy, I've been having the most vivid pregnancy dreams the last few months. When I'm dreaming I can actually feel myself pregnant and look down and see my expanding abdomen. It's really freaky honestly.

When I looked up what pregnancy dreams mean it said you are growing personally, towards some goal, ambition, etc. Personally? I think it means I think about having a baby a lot. Even though I'm not ready to yet, I still think about it everyday.

Ok, so Sean and I have been having a disagreement about the dishwasher. Please tell me your opinions on this. See, Sean believes everything should be pretty much sparkling clean before it is put in the dishwasher. I think things should be rinsed off or caked on stuff should come off, but I don't agree with everything being spotless before it goes in the dishwasher. Besides sanitizing what do I really need the dishwasher for then? So what do you do? Are the dishes sparkling clean before you put them in? Or are you like me and just mostly rinse them?

Yesterday I was commenting on a friend's MySpace page about us going to Italy (she's already there) and how I couldn't wait to see her, etc. Then I read her blog and find out she and her husband are separating and she's going back to California. This is the second time in a month I've stuck my foot in my mouth commenting on some one's page! I quickly deleted the comment and prayed she hadn't read it yet. So much for knowing anyone in Italy though! I was excited to get to hang out with her and I feel bad that she and her husband are having these problems.

I first saw this on Megan's blog, but I wanted to share it with y'all. Go to Handbag Planet! They are having a grand opening on Oct. 15th and are giving away 24 purses in 24 hours. Some of the purses are beyond cute! I myself, want the Burberryesque bag.



(As seen on Handbag Planet)

Seeing all the cute purses on there has me jazzed about going shopping tonight. One of my co-workers asked me yesterday if I was going by myself and why wasn't I taking anyone? Honestly? There are only a few people I like going shopping with and none of them happen to live here. Plus, when I want to do some marathon shopping, as I plan on doing tonight, then I don't really want anyone with me. Make sense? Am I the only woman out there like that?

Have a fab Wednesday everyone!