Lunch date, Olympic Opening Ceremonies and Late-night Pho

Yesterday was a great day, filled with great food!

I had lunch with two of my favorite people, my best friend Rachel and her mom, Dian who I call “Ma” because she is like a second mother to me.  I love spending time with these two ladies!  Whether it’s a road trip, early morning breakfast meet-up, or lunch or shopping date, they make the hours slip by like seconds!  I feel so comfortable with them and can let my hair down, so to speak, and be my real (crazy/dramatic/silly/random/OCD/sarcastic) self and they don’t even get scared away! 

We ate at Mi Luna, a Spanish Tapas restaurant, in Rice Village. 

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Mi Luna is an old favorite, although I hadn’t eaten there in almost a year.  We ordered several Tapas, including some of my favs like Empanadas and goat cheese with marinara sauce and garlic toast, and beef kabob skewers over Saffron rice.  DELICIOUS!!!  It was Ma’s first time eating there and she really enjoyed the food.  Rach and I considered ordering some Sangrias but since it was only noon on a Friday, we decided to be good.  I regret that decision now, though; we totally should have done it.  I mean, it’s always 5 o’clock somewhere, right?!

After eating, we walked around the many shops in Village Arcade, which is famous for lots of little shops and restaurant.

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I love this area and used to frequent it often when I lived inside the loop with some college roommates back when I first moved to Houston.  We shopped for clothes and makeup.  Rachel is THE person to shop with if you really want to get serious about it – she really knows her stuff!!  Shopping with her is like shopping with Stacy and Clinton from TLC’s “What Not To Wear,” which happens to be one of my favorite shows.  I may or may not follow both of them (and of course, Carmindy too) on Twitter.  #crazyfan

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Shopping kind of turned out to be “window shopping” since neither one of us really bought anything.  I take that back, I did buy some body spray from Victoria’s Secret…but refrained from going crazy on the makeup (another obsession of mine!) even though we went to MAC and Sephora.  Hubs, aren't you proud of me? Man, I’ve come such a long way. #progress

Afterward, I came home and took a nap.  I have a CONFESSION to make: I slept through the Olympics Opening Ceremony even though my daughter kept trying to come and wake me up like I asked her to, and even though I was being a grumpy napper and shooing her away.  I finally woke up around 7:30, got dressed and went out and ran 2.6 miles in 24:39 minutes with a pace of 9:30min/mile.  #proud  #usuallyslowerbutnottodaysucka

After coming home and cleaning up, I was fortunate to catch the repeat of the Opening Ceremonies.  The Parade of Nations literally made me cry; I’m such a baby sometimes!  It’s just unfathomably amazing to me how the Olympics magically brings so many people from different cultures, backgrounds, languages, heritages, all together in one place at one time.  And for that one night, everyone is so united – and EVERYTHING else is put aside: language barriers, wars, civil unrests, and religious differences.  It’s all so absolutely incredible!  Of course, the next day things are different because the competition begins but for one magical night, all the rest falls away and is forgotten. 

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I thought the ceremony was fantastic and loved all the little surprises they included.  Great job, London!!

While watching the ceremonies, my hubs came home from work and it was then that I realized 1. that I had not eaten since noon, and 2. that was almost 12 hours ago, and 2. no wonder I could feel a huge headache coming on.

 

The solution?  Late-night Pho.

 

We went to one of our favorite Vietnamese restaurants, Pho 24, since it stays open reaaaaaly late.  We love the atmosphere of the place, love how the owners always greet us like we’re their long-lost personal friends, and (of course) love the food!  The little one and I ordered our all-time favorite, the Pho Tai.  If you’ve never tried Pho, I encourage you to go out and try it TODAY!!  Pho, in case you are wondering, is a rice noodle soup with the most flavorable broth and meat.  I favor the steak, which is super-thinly sliced and served raw but actually cooks in the steaming hot broth while you stir it around a bit.

Pho, with the meat cooking in the broth.

I am convinced Pho is the cure for everything.  Or at least, it’s cured many of my ailments over the years.  Colds, body aches, tummy aches, hangovers (tried and true from my partying days!), Pho cures anything that aches!! 

Pho Tai once it's been sturred around.

The hubs ordered his favorite pork porridge stew.  We both got some sandwhiches too; I got the Chargrilled Pork and he got a fried egg and pate one.

Chargrilled Pork Bánh mì  (Sandwhich)

Hubby's food. Yum!!

Hubby getting his food ready.

Only this crazy little family does things like go for Pho at midnight on a Friday.  We are so random and I love it! 

Little one enjoying her Pho.  She's becoming a pro on the chopsticks!

I'm doing a happy dance on the inside.

One last thing I have to tell you about!  I downloaded the Instagram Collage app to my Ipod while we were at dinner.  (The restaurant even has free Wifi too, does it get any better?!?)

Late night Pho!

Having lots of fun playing with it!  Expect to see lots more collage pics like that one.  Kind of like all of the # you saw in this post!  J

  

  

Today I had “lunch” with two really good friends of mine, Rachel and Kendralyn.  They are both counselors (CONGRATULATIONS to Kendy who just finished her program!) but we all met a few years back as teachers working on the same campus.

In case you’re wondering, lunch is in parenthesis because I don’t even know if it can be considered “lunch.”  Can it still be considered lunch if you sit and talk for four hours after you have finished eating?! 

Now, while those of you that know me might find it easy to believe that I might exaggerate every now and then (I cant imagine why, it’s not like I’m a DRAMA QUEEN or anything!!), I PROMISE I am not kidding when I say we were at the restaurant for five hours.  We had a lot to catch up on, and since none of us had anywhere else we had to be (the joys of being school employees), we took our time and enjoyed ourselves!

Kendy (l) and Rachel (r).  Aren't they gorgeous?!

We’re lucky they didn’t kick us out.  Although we did get a few funny looks from the employees a time or two. J

We ate at Fadi’s, a Mediterranean restaurant with awesome food!  I lovessss me some Mediterranean food!!  I went through a phase about two years ago where I was all about the hummus, pitas, Shawarmas, Fatoush, falafel, lamb shanks, and kabobs!  Oh, who am I kidding?!  I would still take those over a burger and fries anyday! 

Check out this goodness; I had the lamb shank with half cabbage salad and half artichoke salad.  Divine!  I think what I love the most about Mediterranean food is the strong, intense flavors…heavy with garlic, basil, and lemon.  Three favorite flavors ever…and in that order.

Yummy...and pretty darn healthy too!!!

  

I love the way the restaurant is decorated; even the bathrooms have a swanky feel. J  I told my friends that when I build my dream kitchen in my dream home one wall was going to look like this:

I especially love that they actually use those veggies!  Over the course of the day, since I was sitting facing the wall, I saw several employees take veggies from there for dicing, chopping, and cooking. #prettybutuseful

Out of all the things we discussed, one thing that Kendy said really stuck in my head.  Now remember, I’m a sucker for a good quote and have been collecting quotes since I was in the sixth grade.  So when she said it, the first thing I thought was that I needed to add it to my collection...and put it up on my wall! 

I’m not sure exactly what we were talking about, but she said that she constantly reminds herself that sometimes in life you have to “DO IT AFRAID.” 

DO IT AFRAID

Isn’t that amazing?!  And sooo true!  Sometimes there are things in life that scare the crap out of us – but we have to do them anyway.  We have to do the things that scare us the most, regardless of the possible outcomes or consequences.  Otherwise, we would let the fears in our lives paralyze us into inaction. 

Like Franklin D. Roosevelt so famously put it, in his 1933 inauguration speech,

“We have nothing to fear but fear itself.”

 

His wife, Eleanor Roosevelt, was pretty wise herself and she once said,

“You must do the thing that you fear the most.”

That means putting aside our fear of rejection, fear of inadequacy, fear of incompetence, fear of whatever.  Easier said than done, I know, but what have you got to lose?  I think sometimes the worst thing is the fear of the unknown.  The fear of the woulda-coulda-shoulda, and of not knowing what would have happened had we just tried, that eats us up.

To Kendy’s credit, when Rachel and I told her how much we loved her mantra, she said she couldn’t take the credit because she had heard it in one of Joyce Meyer’s sermons.  Regardless of who said it, I think it’s magnificent and would like to thank my friend for speaking those words into my life.

So I challenge you to go out there and do it.  Whatever it is that you are scared of today, face your fears.  And when times get tough, and you want to turn back, remember what Joyce Meyer, and my friend Kendy said, and forge ahead and do it anyway.  DO IT AFRAID!

Friends that are like family, a birthday party, and ladies night

Today we went to my good friend Cristina’s house.  We went over to celebrate her daughter’s second birthday.  Cristina, one of my friends from my girl’s trip to Austin, and I go way back!  I first met Cristina when we were in college.  We became really good friends when we both went on the same study abroad trip to Mexico City, lived around the corner from each other, and hung out together every day.  When we went back to Texas A&M, we continued to hang out and since Cristina’s family lived in College Station, I got to know them all and they became like family to me too.  We have remained friends since then and will probably be two little old biddies together too!

   

The party was nice because I got to meet some of her friends and hit it off with them right away!  They are the cutest, spunkiest group of ladies!  I foresee lots of ladies’ nights with them in the future! 

 

One of the highlights of my day was getting to see Cristina’s cousin, Elizabeth and one of her best friends ever, Angela.  I also hung out with both of these ladies my last year at A&M, and love them!  It was great to see them, especially Elizabeth, who recently went through quite a lot, with a health scare and major surgery.  It was good to see her healthy, and strong and just as cRaZy as ever!

 The hubs had a jam session with Cristina’s dad…

 

…while the bambina played with Angela’s son (who is now a teen but was just a tot when I was still in College Station!).

 

We had a blast and were there for most of the day.  Guess that’s what happens when you are around friends that you consider family…the time flies and you don’t even want to go home because you already feel “home!”

We eventually did leave, though, but only because I wanted to come home and rest before I turned around and went back out, with the same ladies, to celebrate Cristina’s birthday.  Her birthday is actually not until Wednesday but it’s a lot easier for us busy mammas to get out on the weekends. 

Plus, I had to go get my run-on.  Yep you guessed it, I slept in this morning (lazy bum!) instead of running so I needed to get it in.  I ran 2.5 miles – and it was still 95 degrees outside at 6:00 pm when I started. Yow-zers!  Talk about #hotandsweatyLeti!  I finished up, got dressed and headed out to meet the ladies for dinner at Yard House in City Centre.

I had the Ahi Tuna Caesar salad, which was yum-o!  We had a nice dinner with great conversation and then walked around a little to take in the sights. 

 At the end of the night we went about our separate ways, home to our hubbies and babies.  It was fun to get to hang out, just us girls, and I am definitely looking forward to our next ladies’ night!

No matter how much fun I have when I go out, though, it is always really nice to come home to my little familia! J

Thankful Thursday, 7/12

 

Keeping along with the theme of yesterday’ s post, I would like to talk about some of the things that I am thankful for right now.

 

1  Rain, glorious rain!

It has been raining all week here in Houston, which is great considering last summer we were in an usually dry drought.  This morning I was awoken by my 6:15 a.m. “Get Up and Go Run” alarm – and quickly heard the sound of rain outside.  The sky was as black as if it was nighttime and I could hear rolling thunder, and could see flashes of bright lightening.  My husband got up and went to check on his studio to make sure none of his art and supplies were getting wet.  Before I knew it we were in the midst of a full-blown storm, the kind that we haven’t had here in a loooong time!  There was even the crack thunder, you know, the kind that sounds like the sky is breaking open.  After one particularly loud crack of thunder my daughter came running into my room and crawled into bed with us.  She had been awoken by the terrifying thunder and was scared, naturally.  My husband came back to bed and we settled in for some more sleep.  We were all squeezed in nice and cozy in the warm bed.  It was wonderful!  Despite the crazy scary storm, I am thankful for the snuggle-time!

2  Reaching Day #41 of my RUNstreak.

I am thankful to have reached Day 41 of my run streak, especially when there were times I wasn’t sure I was going to make it, like this day.  I love running everyday and definitely like the way my body feels and looks when I do.  I hope I can continue all the way to the end; my goal is to run every single day this summer, all the way up until the end of August.  Ideally I would continue even past that.  At the end of the summer, if I make it, I am going to reward myself by buying the Garmin watch I’ve been wanting and some new running shoes.  LOL!!  I just realized that basically I’m bribing giving myself positive incentives to finish.  J

3  Yesterday’s wakeup call.
…because it reminded me to see the positive in every thing I do.
 

4  Old friends.

Today I had lunch with Kim, one of my oldest and dearest friends.  Kim and I became friends when we both worked at the same school my first year teaching; me as a teacher and her as the counselor.  She is a fantastic person…and our friendship has really stood the test of time.  It was so great catching up with her and I am so glad she has moved back to Houston!  I am looking forward to seeing her again soon.

I think it’s important to remember to be thankful for the blessings we have.  I think being thankful for what we have calls more blessings our way! 

What are you thankful for today?

This is why I run

Back in October of 2010, my friend Amanda signed me up to run the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure as my birthday present.  That was my first 5K ever.  I ran it with no training whatsoever, aside from my five-times-a-week gym sessions.  About half way through the race I felt, for a fleeting moment, the famous “runner’s high” I had heard so much about.  It felt so good and for that tiny moment I felt I could keep running forever!  In that moment, I was hooked, and thus began began my newfound love for running.

Amanda and I, prerace. Race for the Cure, October 2010

  

The truth is, up until then, running had always been difficult for me.  You see, growing up I was an athlete.  Being a basketball and volleyball player meant that for me, running was used as punishment.  We ran when we missed a free throw, we ran when we made a bad pass, we ran when we lost a game.  My teammates and I learned to make very few mistakes…and lose even fewer games.  My coach was (and is) excellent at what she did and really trained us well.   We ran to get into shape, we ran to stay in shape, and we ran because we weren’t in good enough shape.  I didn’t care, though, because I ate, slept, and breathed basketball and I would have done anything to be able to play.  Actually, I did do a lot to be able to play, like having three knee surgeries, two of them being major ACL reconstructive surgeries.  All of this for the love of the game!   

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What I did not love, however, was running.  I hated it, actually.  I’ll never forget the first time I ran three miles.  It was in the middle of volleyball season my junior year in high school and my volleyball/basketball coach decided to have us run in a Cross-country meet.  Being that I was from a very small town (we’re talking one stoplight, here!) there wasn’t exactly a plethora of athletes to choose from.  So what she did was take her volleyball team, suit us up and made us run in the meet.  The meet was on Saturday and so the Wednesday before that she took us out on a “practice run”.  She loaded all nine of us into the back of her truck, drove us three miles out into the back roads in the middle of the surrounding fields, and dropped us off.  We knew it was either run back or be stuck out there in the middle of nowhere!  Despite the fact that I had NEVER run three miles before, and neither had most of my teammates, I managed to finally make my way all the way back at the school.  When I got there she handed me my uniform for the upcoming meet. 

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That Saturday we ran in the Cross Country meet and, having just recuperated from my second ACL surgery, I was forced to wear both of my giant knee braces.  The entire time I was running, my knee braces rubbed together where the joints hinged and occasionally caught and got stuck together.  Somehow I managed not to trip and fall and finished the race anyway.  The whole time I was running I could hear the on-lookers.  Most of them were cheering me on, but some were teasing me, calling me names like “Bionic Woman” because of the metal around ¾ of my legs. 

This was nothing new; I was used to nicknames like this and didn’t let it bother me.  I just kept running and concentrated on finishing the race.  Eventually I did, and I came in – are you ready for this – last.  Dead. Last. I was embarrassed - humiliated, really, because I was really good in basketball but horrible at this.  I was exhausted but I was finished and relieved to have that horrible experience over with.

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 As you can probably tell, that memory has stayed with me all these years.  That happened almost 20 years ago.  Yet I can recall it with such vividness that I can describe it as if it happened yesterday.  I guess you could almost say I was a little traumatized.  Why is it that in life it’s the painful things that stick with us the longest?

This is WHY I RUN.  I run because I can.

I run because I don’t have to wear two giant knee braces and my legs are better than ever.  I run to forget all those nicknames that people used to call me.  I run to show myself that I can keep going…for 13.1 miles, even…and not quit, no matter what, just like I didn’t that day.  I run because I remember the days when I hated it…and bask in the knowledge that I ACTUALLY ENJOY IT NOW!  I run to remind myself that it is a PRIVILEDGE to get run, because there are so many people in this world who couldn’t, even if they wanted to.  And most importantly, I run…every single day…to prove to myself that although I may not be the fastest runner in the world, I am steady and have stamina and I WILL FINISH, and I WILL NOT come in dead last. Ever. Again.

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This brings a whole new meaning to the phrase, “I run because I can,” doesn’t it?

Ode to friendship

My reunion this past weekend was just as incredible as I expected it to be!

The fam dropped me off at my friend Cristina’s house and after visiting with the husbands and children for a while she and I hit the road for Austin.  We arrived right on time for our lunch date, and chose a table out on the empty patio because we knew with six women all talking at the same time we would probably get loud. J We ordered Mimosas and chatted while we waited for the others to join us.  Dianne, our mommy-to-be, was the first to get there and Jenny, our starlet arrived next.  Rachel and Ashley (who rode together) came soon after and our group was complete.  Well, not entirely complete, actually.  Sadly, there was one special lady missing from our group.  Our girl Rosie lives in Hawaii and between having a newborn (and her other four girls and stepchildren), work obligations, and trying to finish up her dissertation, she was unable to make the trip.  Yes, we think she is Superwoman too!  We missed her dearly and talked about how much we loved her so we wouldn’t miss her so much!

 

Over lunch we started catching up on each other’s lives.  The last time we had all gotten together was for Dianne’s wedding in January of 2011 so as you can imagine, we had a lot of catching up to do! 

Dianne, Ashley, Cristina, Rachel, Jenny

I ordered a grilled portobella sandwich on whole wheat toast.  The food was yummy but the drinks and the company were even better! 

After lunch we decided to head over to Dianne’s house, but first made a grocery store run for snacks and vino.  We wanted to be well stocked! 

When we got there, we got to re-meet her hubs, Brian.  I say re-meet because although we met Brian at the wedding, the bride and groom were busy entertaining all of their guests that night so we hadn’t gotten to chat with him that much.  Di and Bri’s house was soooo cute!  Almost as cute as being able to call them “Di and Bri”!  It was the perfect size house, with a nice layout and color scheme with lots of grays, and blues.  My favorite part was how they managed to blend their modern color palette and décor with homey touches that really made their home feel so cozy and comforting!  I expected nothing less, though, coming from my precious Diane!

We sat around and chatted for the next NINE hours.  Yes, that’s right, I said nine hours.  We started out snacking on some wine, grapes, strawberries, cheese and crackers, sliced salami, hummus and some dill dip and ended the night with pizza and chocolate chip cookies.  We also, between the five of us, finished off quite a few bottles of wine!  Our house-Sommelier, Rachel, had brought three bottles of red with her and there were also some great Chardonnays around the table.  Since Dianne couldn’t drink, the rest of us definitely made up for it and drank enough for her and us! J 

It was a magnificent night of camaraderie, sitting around the table eating, drinking, and spilling our guts.  It was like a good therapy session, only better because it was free and a lot more fun!  What I love most about this group of women is that although we are all so different, at the heart of it all we are alike in many ways, and that’s what bonds us together.  I feel like our friendship is like a metaphor for life.  We are all from different places, different backgrounds, different races, we hardly ever see or talk to each other, we are technically not a part of each other’s daily lives…and yet IT WORKS because we focus on our similarities and not our differences. 

Our main commonality is the love that we have for each other and the desire to maintain that love, and our friendship, in spite of those differences.  We all look forward to our get-togethers (although they don’t happen that often), and when we come together we pick up from where we left off, as if no time or space had ever come between us.  When we come together, we are, for that time, transformed.  We become the same young girls we were when we all met, before jobs, husbands, and babies.  We act silly and laugh, and sometimes even cry, like schoolgirls.  And yet, above all else, what makes our friendship thrive is that we have been able to evolve together, and cultivate our friendship through it all: young loves and heartbreaks, courtships and marriages, new jobs and crazy career changes and, of course, the joys of babies and motherhood. 

We support each other and empower each other, but are always honest with each other and tell each other like it is.  The history we share allows us to impart honest wisdom and advice that we may not feel comfortable enough to share in our other friendships.  I can really be myself with these girls.  They know all of my quirks and perks and love me anyway!  I know that no matter where I go or what I do, I will always have these ladies by my side, even if it is (mostly) in spirit!  I foresee many more yearly reunions and can see myself celebrating our children’s Quinceañeras, Sweet Sixteen’s, High School graduations, college graduations, marriages and grandbabies together! 

More than friends, we are family, we are sisters, and I treasure these girls!  I am truly blessed to have them and thank God for the day I decided (on a whim) to go study abroad in Mexico City!  Along with the opportunity to improve my Spanish, celebrate my heritage, and sightsee, in Mexico I gained lifetime friendships.

After we were all talked out and tuckered out, and our bellies were full, we came back to the hotel, talked for a bit longer and went to sleep.  We all slept late the next morning (none of our babies around to wake us up early), and met for lunch at a Mexican restaurant.  We figured it was fitting, and enjoyed some food that transported us back to our time in el DF.  We enjoyed our lunch, said our goodbyes and each went our separate ways, down different roads.

Cris and I came home and after my family arrived, we spent some time at her house with her family, and her parents.  We ate a delicious dinner, and ended the night Samba-ing in her kitchen.  My favorite things in life, all in one weekend: family, friends, food, and dancing…it really doesn’t get much better than that!

This is my ode to friendship and the superb ladies that love me, support me, encourage me, enrich my life and make it even more delightful.

May our roads lead us back together again soon.

Five Favs Friday

I want to take a moment to gush about the five things that I am loving right now. 

1. Summer fruit

…because it is so readily available, so fresh, and it’s all of my favorites, in season at the same time!  Strawberries, cantaloupe, mangos, pineapple, honeydew, watermelon.  I am obsessed with these right now and keep a constant supply of them in my kitchen.  I also incorporate them into every meal and snack.  My favorite breakfast right now:

Fruity Summer Breakfast

1 cup cottage cheese (or greek yogurt)
½ c diced strawberries
½ c diced pineapple
handful of blueberries
2 tbsp chopped walnuts
drizzle of honey

**to kick the nutrition aspect up a notch (and make it even more heart-healthy), sometimes I sprinkle Chia seeds or ground up flax seed on it**

Talk about DELISH!!  And what makes it even better is that it’s healthy and filling!

2. Blogs

…because I love to read them and even have a list of them that I blog-stalk (read) every day.  Starting a blog was something that I’ve been wanting to do for a while and finally got up the courage to start one!  There were so many reasons why I wanted to start a blog…as well as reasons why I just hadn’t gotten around to doing it yet.  There was the issue of time, I couldn’t find the right name for it, and didn’t know where or how to get started.  I finally took the plunge and am happy that my blog will turn two weeks old tomorrow!  I enjoy writing my posts, and have found that my favorite part is that I get to keep a written (and visual) account of my crazy, eclectic life.  As a bonus: it’s therapeutic.  Instead of retail therapy, this is my blog therapy. J

3. My RUNstreak

…because it is forcing me to find at least 25-30 minutes a day to work out.  The truth is, that we are never too busy to work out, although we often come up with a ton of excuses.  My philosophy is that in life there is always time for what we MAKE time for.  There are 1,440 minutes in a day; it’s not impossible to find 30 of them to exercise.  Do something…anything!  Run, bike ride, walk around the neighborhood.  The more active we get, the better!  In my family, we make it a family affair so we can get our daughter involved too because I think it’s important to teach her healthy habits and making exercise a daily activity is one of them!  It’s good for the body and good for the mind! Endorphins rock! J

With my run last night I completed Day 27, and June’s almost over which means one month down, two to go.  And so Leti’s Summer RUNstreak continues…

4. Free time – and sleep (sometimes)

…because I actually have time to DO SOME STUFF!!!  Being a teacher, I look forward to this time of the year because it’s my time to rest, relax, and (most importantly) rejuvenate.  In the summer everything is better simply because I have more time to DISFRUTAR (Spanish for ENJOY…although I don’t think the English word captures it quite like the Spanish word does).  During the summer I’m not in such a rush to get home and grade papers or work on lesson plans so I have more time to enjoy the places we go, the food we eat (and the restaurants we eat at), and the family activities we love to do.   I get to stay up late, which is great for me because I’m a night owl, and I even have time to go have coffee and go on dinner dates with the hubs occasionally! 

Everyone always talks about how “lucky” us teachers are to have so much time off and how good we have it to get three months off for the summer.  Let me be frank for a moment, if I may, and I think most teachers I know would agree with me when I say this: Trust me, by the time May rolls around, IT IS TIME.  The children are tired, we are tired, and we have all had enough together time to last us a good while.  We NEED that time off!  If it weren’t for the summer, I’m not sure we would be as effective…or sane!  Trust me, it’s better for everyone involved for us to have that time off.  Otherwise, as one of my crazy teacher friends so hillariously put it, “someone somewhere would probably get hurt.”

As of yesterday at 3:15pm, I am officially off for the summer.  With that being said, I’m the kind of person that has to stay busy.  Therefore, being the good nerd with OCD (or CDO - have you seen that pin on Pinterest?) tendencies that I am, I have created a “Summer Projects” list.  Lucky for me, as soon as I scratch one thing off I usually add one or two new ones.  I can’t wait to get started!  But first I think I’ll take the weekend off (and start my projects on Monday) because I have my big Mexico City Girls reunion this weekend in Austin!

5. June 30 – July 1

…because I get to see MY GIRLS!!!!  This weekend I get to spend time with Rachel, Cristina, Ashley, Dianne, and Jenny (we'll miss you Rosie)!  You know those movies/shows/books where the main character has a group of friends that she meets, bonds, and fall in love with…and then reunites with once a year for the rest of their lives?  Well that’s us!!!  I met this beautiful group of girls when we all did an International Public Relations Study Abroad in Mexico City, México in the summer of 2000.  We hung out, worked in International PR internships, and traveled all over México that summer.  We came back to the states, graduated (from Texas A&M University – WHOOP!!!) and have remained friends with each other, and the friends we met there, ever since.

In about 24 hours from now we are going to meet in Austin to hang out, eat some good food, drink a little vino, relax, and catch up…and I CANNOT WAIT!!!

I’m off to do some laundry, a little shopping, and to pack.  Get ready, Austin, because here we come!!! J

5 ?’s for you:

1. What things are you loving right now?
2. What are some of your favorite blogs that I absolutely have to check out?
3.  What are your favorite fruits and how do you incorporate them into your meals?
4.  How often do you work out?
5. Do you have a “girlfriends” group? How often do you get together and what kinds of activities do you do when you see each other?