Texas Lou

Archive for the ‘Revolver Ocelot’ Category

WOW!  It’s been a long time y’all!  Life is busy with 2 toddlers!  I think since the last time I’ve written we’ve enjoyed 2 trips to Texas, endured multiple illnesses, and celebrated the boys turning 2!

I actually have a quick moment to express some gratitude so here it is:

1. I’m thankful that my boys are 2!  They are amazing and watching them learn, play, and interact with each other every day is a blessing times 2!
2. I’m thankful that my boys seem to be catching up developmentally.  Being born 2 months early, we’ve dealt with physical delays, speech delays, motor skill delays and have been involved in multiple therapies.  While they still have some catching up to do, the development doctors and therapists at their 2 year NICU development checkup yesterday were very pleased with their growth and improvement!  Go Carter and Morgan!
3. I’m thankful for my husband.  We don’t always agree or get along but he humors me more than I probably realize and he works very hard to take care of the boys and I, our house, and himself.  He went out and bought a window AC unit for the boys’ room since the HVAC on our second floor is broken and installed it right away!
4. I’m thankful for my good friend Lindsey who has taken family photos of us multiple times over the past 2 years.  She is so talented and did I mention she does it for FREE?!?!  Plus she is just an amazing person!  Here’s one of my favorite shots from our most recent photo shoot about a month ago:
5.   I’m thankful for all the amazing people I work with!  We’ve been having lots of good times at happy hours lately and its so nice to work with friendly and fun people!
6.   BONUS – I’m grateful our cat, Revolver Ocelot, came back after running away and being gone for almost a full month!  I’m so thankful he is ok despite losing a lot of weight and being bitten by another animal.

Happy day friends!

Good morning and happy Thankful Monday!

Today, I’m very thankful for the following:

1. I’m so proud of and thankful for my hard-working husband.  Not only does Ben keep our house, indoor and outdoor, in top-top shape, he does it all while working a full time job, renovating our condo, and fitting in a workout every single day.  He really is my super man.  This weekend he spent hours stacking firewood for the winter, ripping up carpet in the condo to prepare for new carpet installation, and making the weekly trip to Lowe’s for supplies.  He even managed to fit in an evening of hunting and go to the grocery store for me.  I’m so happy he is in my life and I hope he knows how grateful I am for everything he does.
2. In honor of today being Veterans Day, I am thankful today and every day for all of the men and women and their families who have dedicated their lives and hard work toward this country.  It is the ultimate sacrifice and they do not receive enough gratitude in my opinion.  Thank you to them all past, present, and future.
3. I’m thankful for our kitties, Revolver Ocelot and Eva.  They turned 5 on Saturday and while I can’t believe we’ve had them almost 5 years (it will be 5 years in February that we adopted them), I also can’t remember a time without them.  They make us smile every day and I love them so much!
4. I’m thankful for the opportunity to mentor again with Computers 4 Kids.  I am mentoring my third student and she is so funny and clever and has a great eye for fashion.  I have been enjoying getting to know her and in the few short meetings we have had I believe we have both already taught each other several new things!
5. Lastly, I’m thankful for a clean bill of health from my Endocrinologist.  When I went to see her last, my thyroid was somewhat over-performing.  While that did help me to some degree to lose weight (22 pounds so far), it is not a good thing.  With this most recent appointment, she said my levels are right back to normal which makes me glad.

Have a wonderful day!

Good morning and happy Thankful Monday!

Here’s what I’m thankful for this 3rd day of June, 2013:

1. I’m thankful that God has blessed my friends Chris and Cara with a baby boy.  They are expecting him in July and I got to help celebrate him this weekend at Cara’s baby shower!  It was a blast…we shared great food and cake, made onesies, created scrapbook pages, and watched Cara open lots of wonderful gifts.  I’m wishing her an easy and safe labor and delivery!
2. I’m thankful for my cats.  We found a mouse in our house this weekend, and ever since, Eva and Revolver Ocelot have been busy tracking it down!  Thank goodness for my kitties!
3. I’m thankful for a very helpful mother-in-law and father-in-law who helped us do some work on our condo this weekend and have provided endless advice on our renovations.
4. I’m grateful for all of the men and women out there who have sacrificed and continue to sacrifice for this country’s freedom, especially those who have given their lives or become disabled while in service.  Ben and I ran the 4 the Wounded 5K on Saturday morning to support the cause to help our wounded service men and women.  I’m also thankful to my work for providing me with a free entry to the race.
5. Lastly, I’m thankful for the opportunity to see alot of family this coming weekend.

Have a great day!

I found another new and interesting beer at the one and only Beer Run.

Dogfish Head Chicory Stout  from the amazing Dogfish Head Craft Brewery is a seasonal beer made with chicory, the same ingredient used to make the famous coffee at Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans.  This is one of the first seasonal beers that Dogfish Head brewed when they first started operations in the mid 1990’s.  It’s a dark, thick stout filled with many unique flavors like chicory and licorice that you won’t find in many other craft brews out there.  Give it a try!

P.S.  Revolver Ocelot approves!

Yesterday, I watched the documentary, Happy, which explores what makes people happy in all different walks of life.  The movie was very enlightening and definitely worth the hour and a half it took to watch.

Lately, I’ve been doing quite a bit of research: reading (books, blogs, and articles), watching (online and TV), and exploring of myself to try to become a happier and healthier (mentally and physically) person.  I know that true happiness does not come from a pill, or other people, or money, but from inside myself.  So I’ve been trying to figure out how to access this happiness that I know is hidden somewhere inside of me.

One of the methods for finding happiness within that the documentary suggested was listing 5 things you are thankful and grateful for on a regular basis.  I’ve heard that this is a great way to bring about feelings of happiness and well-being from many other sources, so I thought that this blog could server as a great medium for listing what I’m thankful for on a regular basis.  I’m going to try and remember to post 5 things that I’m thankful for every Monday here on the blog.  I like to think of it as a good experiment.  If it works and succeeds at making me a happier person, then I’m better off.  And even if it doesn’t make me happier, it will serve as a good reminder as to why I should keep my chin-up and count my blessings.

So here it goes, 5 things I am grateful for on this Monday morning:

1. I’m thankful for my cat’s health.  We found a large lump on Revolver Ocelot’s chest Friday evening and I’m so grateful that not only was the vet able to get us in for an appointment at the last minute on Saturday morning, but also that the vet seems to think that the lump is not a tumor, but only an infection that is being treated with antibiotics.
2. I’m thankful for cell phones and wireless networks.  It is because of these, that I was able to call my twin brothers, Christian and Bradley, last night and wish them a happy 7th birthday.  I would have liked to be there to celebrate with them, but I’m very happy that I could call them and talk to them on their birthday.
3. I’m thankful for my husband’s family and that we live close to them.  I am often whining and feeling sorry for myself about the fact that I live so far away from my family.  However, I realize that many people have no family or friends close to them.  When my dad moved to America, his entire family was half way around the world (and a much longer and more expensive plane ride than the one from Virginia to Texas).  So I am very thankful to live close to my Virginia family and have lovely traditions to share with them during the holidays.
4. I’m thankful for strong legs and a healthy body that allows me to run on a regular basis.
5. I’m thankful to have the ambition, desire, and knowledge to seek out a happier and healthier me.

A couple other things that the documentary mentioned that I’m hoping to try are compassion meditation and committing regular random acts of kindness.

I survived the Great Snowpocalypse of 2009…and so did my cats!

Ben took this awesome picture of the cats with his phone.

Revolver Ocelot was in mid-yawn, but he looks like he’s doing the “Wuzzzzzzzzzz Up” from Scary Movie.