My newest obsessions

I've decided that it would be fun to do a post about some of the things I've recently discovered that I cannot live without.

TV Shows:

· So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD)- This is only my third season of watching this show, but I absolutely love it. Maybe it is the little girl who wants to be a ballerina living inside of me, but this is less of a show and more of an emotional experience for me. I am moved to tears almost every episode. It is amazing.

· Design Star- I stumbled upon this show one night while David was working. I couldn't sleep alone and thought a glass of wine might help relax me. I decided to watch a television show instead of a movie so that I wouldn't get sucked in and stay up later than I wanted. It happened to be a replay of the first episode of the season, followed by other episodes leading up to the most recent. I stayed up and watched all of them. Now I am hooked!

These two shows are definitely making the lack of television programming through the summer much more bearable!

iPhone apps:

· P Tracker Lite- I'd like to thank my cousin for recommending this app. It keeps track of your menstrual cycle, giving you a projected start date. That is one thing I really miss about being on the birth control pill...knowing EXACTLY when I was going to start my period. This app also predicts when you will ovulate and your other fertile days...which could be very helpful when I finally get to start trying to make some babies!

· MyFitnessPal- This is the most amazing app ever. All you have to do is type in the food you eat, and it keeps track of your calories. Not only that, but it also tells you all the nutrition information. So I can keep track of how much sodium or cholesterol I've consumed that day. You can also input any exercise you've done that day, and it we recalculate how many calories you have left. That way, I know if I want this snack, I'll need to do 15 more minutes on the elliptical to stay within my allotted calories that day! For those of you who don't have an iphone, there is also a MyFitnessPal website.

Both of these apps have made my life so much easier. I don't know how I ever lived without them. Best part is, they're FREE!

Food:

· Yoplait Light: Thick and Creamy- Even though I'm trying to watch how many calories I eat, I still love to snack. So I have been trying to find healthier/lower calories snacks for when I have the munchies. These are only 100 calories, and they are the BEST 100 calories I have ever eaten. My favorites are Key Lime Pie and Blueberry pie.

Appliances:

· FoodSaver- We received our FoodSaver as a wedding gift from David's Aunt LeeAnn. I have recently been using it more frequently to help save money on groceries. I love, Love, LOVE this thing. I think I may have a slight addiction to vacuum sealing food!

Exercise:

· My elliptical machine- A huge thank you to Sissy for giving me her elliptical when she moved! I use this thing almost every day. I can burn over 100 calories in just 15 minutes! I have it in front of the television so I can exercise and get my HGTV fix all at the same time. It has been such a godsend to have.

So there you have it...the latest obsessions in Jamie's world!

Best anniversary gift ever

As I shared in a previous post, David gave me a gift card to get a massage for our Anniversary. I have been hinting around for a while that I would like one for a gift, and he finally got the hint. Almost a month later, I finally had my first ever professional massage at Massage Envy. I found out before I went back that my therapist's name was John. I couldn't resist messing with David a little by letting him know that I would have a male message therapist. He did not seem too thrilled with the idea, and reminded me that he has the ability to make people fall asleep and never wake up! He said it was the worst anniversary gift ever. WRONG! It was amazing. When it first started, all I could think was "I get to enjoy this for a whole hour"! I don't fool myself into believing that I have much muscle tone, but even the areas that I feel have a little bit of muscles felt like mush as he massaged. I was like putty in his hands. I hated for it to be over! I feel so relaxed. I really, REALLY hope that David will get this as a gift for me again. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Best gift ever!

Riley, the mischief maker

A couple of weeks ago, David and I went to my cousin and her husband's house to watch a movie in Brad's "man cave". Even though we live in the same city, it is very difficult for everyone to have the same weekend free to get together. So it had been a while since we had been able to hang out. We always enjoy our time with them! We were gone for several hours, and left the boys behind the gate in the master bathroom like we always do when we go somewhere without them. When we arrived back at our house, we could hear one of the boys barking in the front hallway. Someone had escaped from the bathroom! We opened the door to find Riley standing there, and we had no idea how long he had been out. We walked toward the bathroom to let Charlie out, and as we turned on the light in the master bedroom we discovered that Riley had torn a couple rolls of toilet paper to shreds! I always take the extra toilet paper rolls that are usually beside the toilet and place them on the opposite side of the gate so that Riley can't tear them up, but since he had gotten over the gate he was able to do it anyway. I wanted to be angry, but it was just so incredibly ridiculous that all I could do was laugh. He is such a trouble maker!

This is what we saw when we walked into the bedroom

The destruction

This is just amazing...this roll of toilet paper is almost completely intact, but somehow he was able to remove the cardboard center!!!

It even went out into the hallway

Other than that, life has been pretty uneventful these days. After we returned from our trip to Kentucky, I had put on 2 1/2 lbs, so I have been back on the fitness wagon since I had been slacking. I've also been sharpening my house wife skills, and I think I may be getting better at it too. Riley had two days this week without a single accident. Pretty sure that is a record so far. Maybe he's getting the hang of things! David only has about a week and half left in this semester! After that, only one more semester of didactics...woo-hoo! I have my first ever professional massage later today, and I am so excited! There are a few exciting things coming up in the near future (I hope). Maybe then, I will have some more interesting things to blog about. Until then...

Getting Lucky in Kentucky

David and I spent this Fourth of July weekend in Louisville, Kentucky to attend the wedding of his high school friend, Josh Kilpatrick to Jessie Marshall. We arrived in Louisville Friday night around 11:00 PM eastern time. We stayed at the Galt House, a hotel overlooking the Ohio River.

The view of the Ohio River from our room

Once we checked-in, we met up with Josh ,as well as, a couple of David's other friends Hunter and Johnathan, and a few of Josh's military buddies and a couple of bridesmaids. Our destination was Fourth Street Live, a couple of blocks away from the hotel. We were going to walk, but decided to take a pedicab ride instead. I had never seen a pedicab before. Basically, it is a person riding a bicycle with a small cart attached. It reminded me of a rickshaw!

Me after our pedicab ride

July 2, 2010

At Fourth Street Live we headed to a bar called Saddle Ridge for some mechanical bull riding. Don't worry, I did not participate, but I did enjoy watching the guys do it. Then we headed back to the hotel for some much needed rest.

Fourth Street Live

David riding mechanical bull at Saddle Ridge

The next morning, David and were awakened by the sound of a riverboat playing songs. It was not a well received wake-up call, especially by David who wanted to sleep in.

The riverboat that was our wake-up call

We grabbed a quick bite to eat and started getting ready for the wedding. Before we knew it, it was time to catch the shuttle to Walnut Street Baptist Church. At the church, I was approached by a woman that I recognized. She asked me if I was Jamie, and I said ,"yes ma'am", and she asked me if I knew who she was, and I said, "yes ma'am". I introduced David to her, and she wanted me to tell him the "story".

When I was about 2 1/2 years old, I was attending Vacation Bible School at Eastwood Baptist Church. I was playing on the slide and "fell". (I personally believe I was pushed because I was probably taking too long to go) I had a concussion and had stopped breathing. This woman was a nurse and happened to be there to resuscitate me. If she had not been there, I probably would have died. So I always say that she is the woman that saved my life.

The wedding was beautiful! I am so happy for Josh and Jessie. They seem like such a Godly couple who are very much in love, and I am excited about what their life together has in store! After the wedding, we rushed to catch the first shuttle back to the hotel for the reception.

Me and David at Josh and Jessie's reception

July 3, 2010

Once we left the reception, David, Johnathan, and I watched the fireworks on the river. Then we caught a pedicab ride to the Brown Hotel to have a famous Hot Brown, but unfortunately they had stopped serving them for the night. On our way back to the hotel we stopped and had a delicious pizza at Sicilian Pizza!

Me and David at Sicilian Pizza

July 3, 2010

After dinner, we went back to the hotel and hit the hay. The next morning we made the 6 hour drive back to Birmingham. Even though we had a wonderful time in Louisville, I was so happy to be back home with my boys!