Merry Christmas, Y'all!

I’ve got the sads this year because my family is 600 miles away. They’re going to be eating deep dish berry pie (my favorite) and drinking eggnog by the fire. Without me. Their favorite daughter/sister/aunt, how will they ever survive? Just kidding.

Scott and I just returned from a fantastic visit to the Magnolia State (Mississippi). We celebrated Christmas early, and brought back lots of memories, and goodies. In addition to celebrating Christmas we (Scott, Michelle and I) spent a night out on Beale Street in Memphis. We ate some famous BBQ (not as good as yours, Dad) and had some drinks at B.B. King’s bar. It was FUN! Certainly a change-up from the usual visits to Mississippi. We also took a tour of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, now THAT was awesome. Please, if you have healthy kids (or no kids) donate to those who don’t. It’s easy. It cost 1.6 million dollars PER DAY to stay open, and all of those dollars are donated. Now we’re home and we’re going to celebrate Christmas eve by eating a big brunch, and going to the movies. Then, we will hang out with our very close friends tomorrow, The Bowdens! Yay- Merry Christmas. If you’re with your family this holiday hug them extra tight for the folks who are alone.

Now, I’ve gotta get a game plan to shed the 12 pounds I gained. Eeeek!

This is Dixie last year on our white Christmas.

Being Two is Fun!

I miss this little guy! Peyton Duke Sherry celebrated his second birthday last week.

Peyton,

Your gift is in the mail. My New Year's resolution is to get people their birthday gifts BEFORE their birthday. :)

The Oatmeal

Thanks to a friend from school www.theoatmeal.com is my new favorite website. It features hilarious comics. Check it out and get ready to LOL.

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/email

FQF

Five Question Friday:

1. What Christmas song do you loathe? They're all about the same. Bruce Springsteen sings a mean "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" .... Check it out!

2. Do you and your significant other cuddle at night or sleep on opposite sides of the bed? Opposite sides.

3. Have you ever had surgery? Yep. I've had both of my bunions removed. It's been ten years this year, how exciting.

4. When do you typically have your holiday shopping done? I don't do holiday shopping. Sorry y'all.

5. If money were not an issue (and you HAD to pick something), what would your ultimate luxury item be? A Range Rover, red. And Louis Vuitton luggage. And a trip to Greece, or a Mediterranean cruise :)

Those were kind of lame, so here are five more questions:

1. Do you prefer to be in the driver’s seat or in the co-pilot’s chair, literally and figuratively?

1. Literally: I like to drive. Figuratively: Both. I like to be in charge usually, but I like others to take charge in certain situations.

1. Do you have a lot of baggage, literally and figuratively?

1. L: No. I have two suitcases. F: Haha, who doesn't?

1. How much junk have you got in the trunk, literally and figuratively?

1. L: No junk in the trunk, my trunk is clean. F: Gots lots of junk in the trunk!

1. At celebrations where people are drinking, are you more likely to be literally or figuratively drunk as a skunk?

1. L: Skunks aren't drunk. F: I like to have fun

1. What’s something you enjoy that’s literally cheesy, and what’s something you enjoy that’s figuratively cheesy?

1. L: Cheese! Chips and queso from The Texican in Austin- check it out. F: LOVE! Duh.

I suppose all of these are kind of lame :)

HAPPY FRIDAY!

I'm Still Alive :)

Well, I did it! It was an awesome experience and I am really proud of myself and my friends. Good job Alyssa and Melissa.

Oh My....

Eleven days until the half marathon! I am FREAKING out!! Things I am nervous about:
-not being able to sleep the night before
-having to poop while running (gross, I know)
-Hurting myself and having to limp a bunch of miles to the finish line
-Throwing up in public
Overall, I just feel really anxious.

I know it's important not to focus on the negative things that COULD happen, so I am going to visualize a comfortable, fun race. I will keep my pace and enjoy my first half marathon. If I throw up in public, I throw up in public. I have a problem with becoming unnecessarily nervous and I am going to work on it and try to stay calm.

My favorite inspirational poem-thing.

If you think you are beaten, you are.
If you think you dare not, you don't.
If you like to win but think you can't, it's almost a cinch you won't.
If you think you're outclassed, you are.
You've got to think high to rise,
You've got to be sure of yourself before you can ever win the prize.
Life's battles don't always go to the stonger or faster (wo)man,
Sooner or later the (wo)man who wins is the (wo)man who thinks (s)he can.

I don't remember who wrote this, my mom cut it out for me from the Houston Chronicle when I was in high school and I memorized it. I also added in the gender equality.

I think I can. I think I can.


I'm a terrible speller, I rely heavily on spell-check and I get so excited when I hit the little ABC icon and there are zero misspelled words. Haha.

Summer is over..

Summer is officially over in Lubbock. I know this because it was 48 degrees this morning during my morning run. I had a busy and fun summer, and it's always bittersweet when the air turns a little bit colder and it's time to put away the flippie floppies and swimsuits.


Moving forward, the fall semester is in full swing and I am barely hanging on. I have been so busy! Aside from school, I am in the thick of my half-marathon training. This morning I ran TEN miles! Wow! I am so proud of myself, even though I ran pretty slow. My legs are like jello and I can't seem to eat enough, other than that it's going pretty good- I'm still alive. Oh, and thanks to Alyssa, if she stopped running with me at 4 am 3 days a week I'm sure I would be snoozin through the training.

Here are some pics from my fabulous summer:

It's Official....

I've signed up for the half marathon! My friend Alyssa and I are traveling to Galveston, TX on November 20th to run in their first annual half marathon. Am I crazy? I still can't imagine running 13.1 miles. Thanks for all the support, Scott! You're the best :)

Summer school is over and it was a success! I made two Bs and am very happy about that. Now, this Saturday I have to conquer a 5 mile race, then I am off to Houston to visit my Mama, my BFF and my Godson! :)

Pictured above is a view of Houston from a flight I was on. You can see Reliant Stadium, next to it is the Eighth Wonder of the World (The Astrodome), and across from the Astrodome there is a big empty plot of land. Some of my favorite memories lie in that empty space, Astroworld. I had some of the best times of my life with my brother and my friends at Astroworld. Thanks for being a part of my teenage years, and thanks for being safe enough for my parents to allow me to go there alone! I miss you!

5QF

I read this in someone else's blog, and I thought it was fun!

Five Question Friday (even though today is Monday)....

1. Are you a neat sleeper or a messy sleeper? NEAT! I make the bed extra tight every night before getting in and I get in and I don't move. At all. The only reason I have to re-make the bed is because Scott is not a neat sleeper.

2. Fill in the blank. I wish I was more ________________. Patient. I'm working on it. I rush through everything and don't wait for anything.

3. What is something that you wish you had been warned about? That my body would start changing as I grew older. I just don't look the way I looked when I was 20. (I know that sounds silly, but really, I excercise the same or more, and eat better, and look not quite as good..)

4. What was the best thing you ever found at a thrift store/garage sale/flea market? I don't think I've ever purchased anything at a thrift store. I don't have patience. See above.

5. If you could have any meal brought to you right now, what would it be? SHIPLEY'S DONUTS! And I would eat them in the morning. Mmmmm!

Stella

Stella is getting big!

Her and Dixie had a little accident the other day, Dixie bit straight through Stella's little snout. She has a nice little puncture wound, and it isn't stopping her one bit!

Happy Birthday Scott!

Happy Birthday to the BEST man ever! Scott turned 35 last week and I had a lot of fun helping him celebrate. Larry and Hunter came into town and they played in a golf tournament in Amarillo, and WON! Great job! Also, my nice friends helped Scott bring in the new age with some laughs and some drinks... Thanks y'all!

Randoms..

-I am so thankful for the opportunity to attend school, but The History of Rock and Roll (online) is a huge drag right now. What a bad idea.....

-I am really really enjoying running! I bought some new shoes, which is always motivation to run, but my shins are killing me and I am trying to avoid shin splints or any other injuries. A friend suggested calf braces, sounds attractive.

-My husband travels a lot, and with the use of the iPhone4, we are able to video chat and it's so fun!

-Waiting tables is fun, but I get the feeling that the older crowd that I wait on thinks I am a worthless teenager. That's how they treat me sometimes and I hope I am not that way when I'm old.

-My nephews are so funny, they things they say really crack me up. Almost all sentences start with "Aunt April, did you know what?" .... The best question yet; "Do vultures like sandwiches? with mayonnaise?" AND..... "It's dusk outside right now, that means the sky gets pink and the clouds get tiiiiired." Oh, I love them!

-I love Jon Hart design, check it out: http://www.jonhartdesign.com/

-After a year and four months or so, I have really started to like Lubbock. Leaving Austin and coming to Lubbock was a great opportunity for Scott and I, but I had a harder time 'getting over' Austin, TX. It's like an old boyfriend that you're just not over yet. Right now, I am coming around, I might be ready to 'move on' emotionally and start to get serious with Lubbock.

-Someone should build a Texadelphia in Lubbock, for real!! I alone would keep it in business!

My sweet little nephews are pictured at the beginning of this post, I don't know how to post pics at the end of a post.. ehhh.. oh well.

Summer!

Summer is over and summer-school is in full swing. Womp womp womp.

I had a really fun summer!! Here are some pictures from the past few weeks. We went to a pool-party at the Koen's (Stella was a huge hit). We celebrated my friend Janice's birthday (all week), which included going to see Eclipse the day it came out. And, my friend Alyssa and I ran our first 5K! It was really fun, we set a generous goal of 45 minutes and completed the race in 35:55. Go us! Next up is a 5 mile race next month.

For the next five-and-a-half weeks I will be burried in libros de espanol y Rock History. I'll have to put the summer fun on hold.

Stella Blue Covington

Isn't she the sweetest thing you've ever seen? We got her today and love her! My friend Alyssa was kind enough to give her to us. So far we have played, I gave her a bath, and she took a little nap. I don't think Dixie is that crazy about her, she is foaming at the mouth, I think she wants to eat her.

Houston

Last week I traveled home to Houston with Scott to visit my family. My awesome dad picked us up at the airport and we headed straight to the beach (my favorite place on Earf (as my nephew Michael would say it)). After that we spent the week together and celebrated Father's day. My awesome brother cooked some deeeelish fajitas and we all pigged out on my dad's (Pop) homeade ice cream. I had such a fun time with my family and I can't wait to go back! Pictured above are my two nephews, they are so so funny!

My very very best friend in the entire world picked me up on Sunday night and we headed to her house. Monday, we went to the beach, it was her son Peyton's first trip to the beach. He loved it! We had a great time and I wish I could hang out with them everyday!

We slept in two hotel rooms and three different people's houses, whew! I'm glad to be home!

See you soon, Houston!!

Puppy!!

Look at those sweet faces! I'm not sure exactly which one is ours, but they are OH SO CUTE! When we get back from vacation we are going to pick up our sweet little puppy. Right now, our friend Alyssa named her Betty, but when we bring her home her name will be Stella (unless we can think of something cuter). I am so excited! I hope Dixie loves her puppy sister. (And I hope she dosen't chew our walls like Dixie did when she was a puppy).

I LOVE my family! I also love the beach. Every summer (which has only been one summer, since moving to Lubbock) I take a trip to visit my family, and this year Scott is coming with me! We are headed to Houston on Wednesday to have some fun. We are going to the beach Wednesday and Thursday (Yay!). Then we will spend some time with my two sweet nephews (I can't wait to hear "Aunt April, you know what??") and my brother and sister in-law. Luckily, we are all going to be able to celebrate Father's day together on Sunday! I foresee a horse-shoe tournament in the future. Then, for the remainder of our trip we are going to spend some time with my very best friend in the entire world; Shana K. Bond! See you soon, Houston!!

My favorite running shoes..

I am really good at saying I am going to do something, and buy all the equipment, and then never follow through. About a year ago, I decided I wanted to participate in a half-marathon. Since then, I have been running regularly, but I haven't participated in a race (besides the breast cancer run/walk). So, today I am joining the West Texas Running club. They have a club race the first Saturday of every month, and it's only $15 per year. I REALLY want to meet my goal of the half-marathon by November (the WTRC sponsored race). I KNOW I can do it, I have always been pretty athletic, but I just get really bored when I run. After about 4 miles it is so boring! (and hot right now). Even when I change up my workouts and swim, after 45 minutes I am bored to death. I need to figure out how to stay motivated when I run. I hear the same songs that I always hear, and all the scenery in Lubbock is very familiar. I am using the website http://www.marathonrookie.com/ to help me through the process. There is a ten week training guide, and it also explains nutrition, motivation and all that stuff. I CAN DO IT! (and maybe it will help me lose that ten pounds that I dream about shedding...)

Austin, TX

Well, I had a really fun time visiting Austin. Um, it was fun-filled and interesting. Here are some tips: don't fly, drive. That way, when you want to leave, you can. And, don't get "too loud" on the Comal River, if you do, you can go to jail.

I would like to give a verrry special thanks to my very close friend Morgan Shull (and Tyler too!). Morgan and I have known each other for about seven years and, I LOVE HER!! Even though I live six hours away, I couldn't imagine my life without Morgan in it. Thanks Morgan for having me, and thanks for the super fun weekend!!

We floated the Comal River on Saturday and got a little "too loud". Hopefully we can go back next year and still have fun! Those damn river cops!

On Sunday, Tyler made us all the most delicious homeade burgers I've ever eaten! I also got to spend some time with the Shull kids, and I really miss them. I know they will be making a stop in Lubbock in six months and we can have another sleep-over. It's on their calendar and I'm sure Sutton is counting down, and Katlyn has already forgotton about it. Haha.

I was there for a few days and only took like five pictures, woops! We were having too much fun!

Love you Shull Family!! :)

First Anniversary: Paper.

I have the very best friend EVER!!! The gift for the first anniversary is supposed to be paper. At first, I thought it was silly to follow those old timey rules, but now I think it's fun. My best friend ever, Shana Bond, sent us the best paper gifts you could think of. Pictured to the left is (neat gifts all made of paper) an elephant journal, a memoir (my favorite kind of book) some notes with a C on the front, a super cute framed picture of my godson, some paper notes (i love sticky notes and stuff like that) with a C on the front, and the best gift of all; a Grateful Dead scrapbook that tells the story of The Grateful Dead. Scott will LOVE that! Thanks Shana!!

Austin, Texas

This Wednesday I am heading to the GREAT city of Austin, TX to visit some really good friends. I am verry excited to see my awesome friends and catch up. I also can't wait to get back to the 'big city' for a few days. I look forward to eating some delicious Mexican food, swimming in my favorite place on Earth besides the beach (Barton Springs), celebrating Morgan's birthday with the annual float on the Comal River and just having a good time. See you soon Leslie and Morgan!

"There is a sense of freedom you feel the closer you get to Austin, Texas"
-Willie Nelson

One Year of Marriage!

We just got back from the BEST VACATION EVER! We visited Fort Lauderdale, Florida and stayed at the Hilton Beach Resort. It was absolutely perfect. We were there for four nights and five days and enjoyed every second. I have a case of the blues today, the wind is blowing twenty miles per hour and there is sand in the air, but it's not from the beach, just the dusty plains.

We ate most of our meals at a restaurant called Steak954. It was inside the W Hotel and featured an outdoor patio looking out at the beach. It was delicious, we had four or five meals there. Their breakfast was to-die-for! I woke up this morning wishing I could take a stroll to Steak954 and have eggs benedict and oatmeal brulee.

Our routine was pretty predictable, but perfect! We woke up, had some delicious breakfast, went to the beach, had some delicious lunch, then went to the pool to catch some shut-eye, then went to dinner, then back to the pool. The pool was on the sixth floor of the hotel and overlooked the ocean, it was so relaxing and they had great chairs and a bar outside.

Like I said before, this was the best vacation ever. It was a perfect way to celebrate a year of marriage and I didn't want the week to end.