The King of Country Comes to Town

On Saturday, August 8th (this past weekend) my ABSOLUTE ALL TIME FAVORITE musician came to town, Mr. George Strait. My mom and I have been waiting for this concert for several months now; pretty much since May when the tickets went on sale, in which we were able to buy them a week before they went on sale to the public because my mom's boss is a season ticket holder to Reliant Stadium. My mom decided for the four of us (mom, dad, me, Scott) to go all out and buy floor seats to the concert so we would have our chance to get as close as we could. We are both HUGE George Strait Fans; you can read here for more on that.

The "Man" came to town as apart of his summer tour which included the opening acts of Juliane Hough, Blake Shelton and Sugarland! All of the entertainers did such a great job performing. I was very impressed with newcomer Juliane Hough; she has a great voice and fun stage presence. Blake Shelton sang all of of hit songs and did great as well. Sugarlnad was just awesome as always; they are truly a great dynamic duo and sure do put on a show! Then it was GEORGE! He was just as humble as always and AMAZING!!! He just stands there with his guitar and sings and smiles and sometimes sways a little; he is a very simple man, but that is ALL he has to do is just stand their, play his guitar, sing and smile. He is called the King of Country for a reason, you know, an the little fact that he has 57 number one hit singles in his career, more than any other music artist in all genre of music. George sang for a good hour and fifteen minutes or so then went off stage. We the crowd proved how much we loved him by how loud and how long we all screamed for him to come back on. None of us were ready to go home yet. After a good five to ten minutes, he did come back on stage and played for another 30 minutes or so. It was a great night and a great concert!

Thoughts for Thursday--Keeping the Faith

I think I have decided to do a weekly post called Thoughts for Thursday. I will post a random thought, quote, poem, bible verse, song lyric, story, lesson learned, etc. I truly hope I can keep up with this. I am really trying hard to get good at this blogging stuff and blog more often. I do not blog everyday because...well...truthfully I do not want to bore any of my few readers with my random, sometimes boring, everyday life. Enjoy!

If God answers your prayer, He is increasing your FAITH. If He delays, He is increasing your PATIENCE. If He doesn't answer, He has Something BETTER for you.

Me-->I'm keeping the faith.

Fortune Cookies

Today I met up with my sweet husband for lunch at my favorite Chinese buffet, eStar. The hubs and I try to meet up for lunch at least 2 to 4 times a month. To me it is always a treat to have lunch with him because it is like a mini date; just me and him, no friends, no family, just us. Since being married and having lived together for over three years now, I did not want to get in the bad habit of not going to lunch together all because we were married now and we lived together...you know, like the attitude of what's the point, we see eachother at home all the time, you know what I am getting at.

Anyways, we had a very enjoyable lunch and great conversation. I enjoyed every bit of it and the hubs sent a sweet text later this afternoon saying how great lunch was too. The great part about our lunch was when we received our fortune cookies. Seeing that we are in the middle of pursing a side opportunity to make extra money, which has the potential to replace my income and more, these were exciting fortunes!!!

Amber's Said:
"You will have an exciting business adventure."

Scott's Said:
"You will make a name for yourself."

Everything Loved in July

July was HOT! We spent some time relaxing by one of my girlfriends parents pool on two separate weekends, getting both bathrooms in the house painted--Nomadic Desert by Sherwin Williams, and several evenings out with my girlfriends for girls dinners.

I live about 2 miles from a brand new Premium Outlet Mall that was built in Cypress, TX a suburb of Houston. This outlet mall has many fine stores that I enjoy shopping at and conveniently for me I can go after work instead of on the weekends with all the crowds, which I enjoy and am able to just hit up a couple of stores at a time. The last time I went was this month and I went to one of my favorite stores, the Corningware/Pyrex Store. I bought me this Corningware 20oz Soup Mug, used it the other day and just LOVE it! As most of us know, Corningware is such a great and durable product. This soup mug is just another one of those, great products. It holds just as much soup as you would want and the handle on the side makes it very convenient to hold and to take it anywhere to eat. The lid that comes with it is great too, for reheating, onion soup to make sure the all the cheese melts and store for later use.
I love foam soap! I use the antibacterial kind from Bath and Body Works in our kitchen and I just recently bought us new foam soap to use in the bathrooms. Bath and Body Works has finally come out with foam soap in my favorite fragrance, Aromatherapy Hand Foam Soap in Eucalyptus Spearmint. I have loved this fragrance probably since it has come out years and years ago. I have it in just about everything they have made; candles, body wash, lotions, room spray, wall outlet diffusers, etc. This foam soap is fabulous!

The Love Dare

The Love Dare. This is the book that goes along with the movie Fireproof. I bought this book about 2 months ago or so after I was inspired by another friend who did the 40 day challenge and then blogged about it. She is a strong Christian woman and has a strong Christian and church based marriage. After she did The Love Dare challenge, she was so touched in her own relationship with Christ, her husband and her life in general that it really inspired me to take the challenge as well. I believe that anyone can do this no matter if your marriage is great or is rocky. I have not done the challenge yet but I am thinking I will start it come August 1st. I look forward to everything I will get out of this book and am hopeful that my hubby will do it after I have.
"The Love Dare is a 40-day guided devotional designed to strengthen every marriage and the same powerful book that plays a pivotal role in the new movie Fireproof."

Fireproof

Fireproof! Now I know why this movie is described as "The Most Inspirational Movie of the Year." The hubs and I finally watched Fireproof Saturday night. I was actually shocked that I got him to sit down and watch it with me; he really didn't know much about the movie but I told him that I have heard great things about it, it is very real to life, and it is very inspirational. I told him that I heard the acting was kind of cheesy but it was the message behind the story that is so powerful.

WOW! It was absolutely the most touching movie I have ever seen. I am so happy we watched it together. We both had many teary eyed moments and even some crying during the movie. We were both very moved and touched by this movie as well. Fireproof makes me want to become a better Christian, a better wife and a better person in society. This movie was so true to what life is really like; no sugar coating, no fancy acting and no special effects. More movies should be filmed like this. I am very thankful that this movie came into my life and into my marriage. The power of Gods love is truly amazing.

About the movie from the Fireproof website:

"At work, inside burning buildings, Capt. Caleb Holt lives by the old firefighter's adage: Never leave your partner behind. At home, in the cooling embers of his marriage, he lives by his own rules.

Growing up, Catherine Holt always dreamed of marrying a loving, brave firefighter...just like her daddy. Now, after seven years of marriage, Catherine wonders when she stopped being "good enough" for her husband.

Regular arguments over jobs, finances, housework, and outside interests have readied them both to move on to something with more sparks.

As the couple prepares to enter divorce proceedings, Caleb's father challenges his son to commit to a 40-day experiment: "The Love Dare." Wondering if it's even worth the effort, Caleb agrees-for his father's sake more than for his marriage. When Caleb discovers the book's daily challenges are tied into his parents' newfound faith, his already limited interest is further dampened.

While trying to stay true to his promise, Caleb becomes frustrated time and again. He finally asks his father, "How am I supposed to show love to somebody who constantly rejects me?"

When his father explains that this is the love Christ shows to us, Caleb makes a life-changing commitment to love God. Andówith God's helpóhe begins to understand what it means to truly love his wife.

But is it too late to fireproof his marriage? His job is to rescue others. Now Caleb Holt is ready to face his toughest job ever...rescuing his wife's heart."

Well He Did It

My little brother Garrett (age 23 at the end of this month) enlisted himself in the Army today. My heart just about sunk and my stomach turned into knots when he confirmed to me that it was done. Then all I could think about were my mom and dad and the sadness, worry, pride, courage and fear they must be feeling. He is set to leave for boot camp in South Carolina on November 16, 2009. Then he will head to training in Ft.Sill, Oklahoma. I wish him the best of luck always. I know he has thought about this decision for a while now and has sought after advice from a good friend of ours in the Army doing the same job that he will be learning to do, so I trust in him that this decision is the best for his life. I love you lil man and will continue to pray for you daily!

The Apron

I read this in an email I received and it really touched me. I thought I would share it on my blog!

The Apron

I don't think our kids know what an apron is.

The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath, because she only had a few, it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and they used less material. Along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.

It was wonderful for drying children's tears and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears. From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids. And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms. Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove. Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.

From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls. In the autumn, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds. When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.

It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that ' old-time apron' that served so many purposes.

Happy 4th of JULY

Every day and on this day especially, the 4th of July, I am thankful for all the brave men and women who have served and serve in our Military. I am so thankful for all of the unselfish sacrifices they have made and make for me, my family and my friends to live in this free country. The words 'Thank You' are never enough to show how much I appreciate your services to the United States. To my late grandpa Myron, my Uncle Butch and a handful of friends, all who have served and serve now in our military, Thank you! Best wishes and many prayers to my baby brother who is enlisting in the military this week; may God always be with you.

Everything Loved in June

June was filled with two weddings, an engagement party, Father's Day, a fish fry, the hubs birthday and an Astro's baseball game.

It also reminded me to give credit to my Bare Minerals make-up that I have gone back to using again the last couple of months. I can not tell you how much I love this make up. It is so light, refreshing and covers very well. I love the way it goes on my skin and the seamless finish it leaves. With the heat that we have been having in Houston, my mineral makeup has held up and has been great! It is also good for your skin, so when you sweat, your pores are not do not get clogged. I wear the medium shades.
My Swiffer Wet Jet! I have not given this the credit it deserves either! I have had mine for several months now, but originally when I had seen the commercials on these, I was skeptical. That was until one of my best friends Jenny told me that she loved this thing and uses it all the time. I promptly went out and got one! It truly is fabulous! I mop more because of it. It is so light and easy to use. It cleans my floors very well and uses a 99% antibacterial solution, killing most all household germs. With it being summer time, I am using it more than ever; we are outside a lot more, we are watering our yard everyday, which in turn leaves our sweet dog Dakota with wet paws more often and when it is time to come in, well those wet paws leave cute little paw prints on my tile. I can whip this thing out and clean up right away when needed and it is hassle free.

Chipotle! Well.....lets just say that I can not get enough of the yummy steak burrito bowels lately! Ahh, and those not so great for you salty chips...mmmmm good.

Happy Birthday to My Scott

Today is my sweet husbands 29th birthday! I have noticed by some of his reactions and comments that this birthday is kind of a big deal to him, but he will not admit to it fully. I think he is having a hard time with turning 29 years old because it is his last birthday in his twenties before he hits the big 30!

In honor of my husbands birthday I thought I would blog 30 reasons why I love him; 30 reasons because what is a birthday with out 'One To Grow On'?

1. He chose ME! He chose me to be his wife and mother of his future children. He chose me as his best friend and partner in life; all which mean the absolute world to me.

2. I love all the ways he loves me. He shows me his love in his own special ways, especially when it is just the two of us at home doing our everyday stuff. His names for me, 'darling and sweetheart' and the way he looks at me. He always makes me feel good.

3. He is the most honest and trusting man I have ever met. If you ask him his opinion, he will tell you truthfully and it will not always be sugar coated. If you tell him something confidentially, you can trust that he will keep it a secret.

4. When he gets home from work everyday, he comes to me first and gives me a hug and kiss. I look forward to this all day. I am not as good at it as he is but I am working on it.

5. I can't help but love those baby blue eyes of his.

6. I love how he sends me random text messages throughout the week; They all mean so much and I will never get tired of getting them.

7. I love how he always looks after me and takes care of me. He always has, since the day we met and then started dating.

8. He helps me with my projects; whether it is painting, hanging curtains, or putting a piece of furniture together, he helps me and does not complain.

9. We talk; we talk about everything. He confides in me and wants to know what my thoughts are on issues and it sometimes seems like he wants some sort of approval from me, which I think is great because it shows how much he cares about my thoughts.

10. He adores our dog Dakota and shows so much love to her. I know he will be such a great dad to our real babies one day just like he is to our furbaby.

11. He has such a passion for babies and kids and becoming a father. There is no doubt in my mind that he is going to be an absolute wonderful dad!

12. He is a hard worker, dedicated to his job and wants to do the job right the first time. I know he doesn't like waking up in the morning to go to work, but he does and I want him to know how thankful I am for that and the benefits it provides for us.

13. I love when he helps me around the house with chores and doesn't make a fuse about it. Some men just don't do that.

14. He is so freaking handsome! To me he still looks the same as he did the day I met him, 8 years ago today (Yes, we met on his 21st birthday).

15. Whenever I ask for a back rub, he gives me one.

16. He brings home to me fresh flowers for no reason at all; he even puts them in a vase with water and arranges them so nicely.

17. He cares about his family and his friends wholeheartedly.

18. He helps me with the laundry and putting it all away because he knows how much I hate this one chore. He truly saves me on this one.

19. He is who he is! What you see is what you get!

20. He can hang out with just the girls (any of my girlfriends). He can carry on conversations and really enjoy himself.

21. He supports, believes, and encourages me to do greater things in life.

22. He cares about the way our home looks and feels.

23. He has a very soft and tender side to him that only few get to see. I feel lucky to be one of them.

24. He is the sweetest Uncle Scott to our little niece; And Oh, does she adore him!

25. He is great with his hands--working on cars, working at home on projects or in the yard. And I do love his hands, they are very masculine and strong.

26. Scott can put together a puzzle like it is the easiest thing to do; it truly amazes me the patience he has with them.

27. He loves to have fun, is very social and enjoy life to the fullest.

28. He is so smart when it comes to putting things together and following directions.

29. He reads the newspaper almost everyday and brings me home articles that he thinks I will enjoy.

30. **this one is the one to grow on** I really hope to make him a daddy by the time he is he is this age. This is my wish for him and for us.

Scott, I love you and am so proud to be your wife. I look forward to sharing a lifetime of birthdays with you! I hope you have a wonderful day!

Indulgence...

I completely indulged in a regular chocolate milkshake from Sonic today. It was my afternoon snack, lol! It was so yummy and I enjoyed every once of it! I really do not do this that often, but I have been craving one for a while now. And it has been such a hot week in Houston, with no rain in sight for several weeks, and it is just going to get hotter! Ok, now after this, I have really got to get serious about loosing this extra weight I have been carrying around...

So This Is What You Call A Sale???

I was at one of my favorite stores today, Tar Jay (Target) and did my usual browsing; I go to Target probably at least once a week during my lunch break to kill time, see what's new on the shelves and racks or when I have a small grocery list of items. This was actually my second trip to the store this week, I was making a return from something I bought on Tuesday (side note: Targets return policy, ohh no, that's a whole other story, don't get me started). Ok, so I made my return, then went to browse the other part of the store that I did not look at on Tuesday. I came across these really cute, short sleeve, light weight summer sweaters (I wanted to buy one in almost every color). The advertised sale price read SALE $17.99. I thought to myself, well damn, what is the regular price on this adorable, hardly even worth $17.99 dollars worth of fabric, sweater? I then looked at the tag and it reads $18.00. WTF!! That is not a sale by any means!!! Come on now, are you serious Tar Jay?. I put down the not so cute anymore sweater and walked on. I will wait for a real sale or clearance before I even think about buying that again! Ugh...

7 Years Ago Yesterday!

I totally forgot to post about this yesterday! Anyways, as I was browsing through Facebook, something I do on a daily basis, I noticed one of my girlfriends from high school had updated her status to read: "I graduated from High School 7 years ago today, oh how time flies"!

With that statement, it really got me to thinking, because up until now, I have never really thought about the years past highschool up until the present, I was still living them; but WOW, we did graduate from High School 7 years ago.....What all have I done /accomplished these past 7 years? Am I happy? Am I at the point in my life where I thought I would be? Should I have done things differently? Who are my friends now? Could I have done more?...and so on. Here are my answers:

What all have I done/accomplished these past 7 years?
I was in the National Honor Society when I attended Cy-Fair junior college for two years before I went to U of H. I have graduated from the University of Houston with my business degree, majoring in Marketing, minoring in European International Studies. I also received an advanced certificate in Entrepreneurship. I have gotten married to my wonderful husband Scott, whom I have been with for almost 8 years. I am a mom, to our fur baby dog Dakota. I own my home in Cypress, TX, with my husband. I have worked for the same construction material supply company for the past 7 years and am pretty stable there doing inside sales, although unfortunately things have really slowed down. I have done some traveling with the hubs; to Las Vegas twice, Acapulco, Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Cozumel, the Riveria Maya, Alablama, and all over Texas. I have the best relationship with my womderful parents and am grateful everyday for them. Lastly and most importantly, I have a better relationship with the Lord; I talk to him and pray more now than I ever have and am learning to live each day for Him.

Am I happy?
Most definitely I am happy in all aspects of my personal life. I have my college degree, something to which I worked very hard for and something that I will always have. I am very happily married to my best friend, my partner in life, my other half, my Scott. The Scott that I started dating my senior year of high school who is three years older than me. Yes, it did work for us and we made it through those 5 tough college years of mine. We have a fur baby dog that we love dearly, our blue heeler Dakota. Scott and I are now at the point in our lives where we want to start a real family of our own and that is truly exciting! We have a beautiful new home together, that we purchased 3 months after we tied the knot and and then 3 months later moved in after it was built. I have a job...a job, not a career. A job is good, especially in this economy, it pays the bills, so that is what I am most thankful for. I want a career though and only time will tell when that will happen for me. I would be completely happy if I had a different job in which I called my career. A career in which I love waking up everyday to do and be at. One day, one day...

Am I at the point in my life where I thought I would be?
Yes, I am. All because of the reasons listed above. But, 7 years ago I did truly think that I would be at a different place in my work life. Starting a career and being more successful...but I am working on that.

What has surprised you?
Buying a brand new home has surprised me the most. A home that was built for us, where we had choices on what we wanted as far as upgrades on floors, cabinets, counter tops, brick color, outside paint color, cable outlets, outside lights, gutters, etc. Owning our home has truly been rewarding.

Should I have done things differently? If so, what would I change?
Personal life, No. Although I do sometimes wonder where I would be if I went off to college somewhere else in Texas? Would me and Scott have stayed together? Would I be with someone else and have been as just as happy? But, I am very happy with my life with Scott and know this is where I should be. Work life, Yes. I had a stable job all through college, they worked with my schedule and I was payed decently, received raises and bonuses. I learned a lot about the business world and how it all worked. I was able to do things that I might not have been able to if I did not work. But because of this, I feel there have been missed opportunities as well. Internships that I could have/should have applied for. Job fairs and Career fairs that I should have been more interested in and took more serious...but I have had a job since the summer after I graduated high school and that is a lot more than most of my friends had while in college.

Who are my friends now?
I am grateful to still have the same best girlfriends that I had in high school and was in Drill Team with. We are all still very close, have always stayed in touch through our college years, they all went off to Texas A&M and I stayed in Houston, and remain close as we all get married and find our way in life. We do monthly dinners every month and go on trips together. I have also made some of the most amazing friendships with my others girlfriends from 'Scotts side'. These are the girlfriends that have become wives now to all of Scotts guy friends from high school. He too has remained very close to about 8 guys that he went to high school with and they too are my very good friends!

Could I have done more?
Maybe, I don't know. I feel like I still can. I would love to go and get my Master's Degree (MBA) and my real estate license. I know for sure that I could have made better grades in college, not that they were bad, but an 'A' is always better than a 'B' and a 'B' is better than a 'C'. But I am proud of what I have done in the past 7 years and do not regret the decisions that have led me here.

It has been nice to take a backseat and reflect on the last 7 years of my life; some of the absolute best years of my life. I love everyone who has been there with me and a part of it! Thank you!

A Little More About Me

I came across this and thought it was neat!

A - Age: 26

B - Bed size: Queen

C - Chore you hate: Laundry

D - Dog's name: Dakota

E - Essential start your day item: Vitamin C tablet and a Diet Dr. Pepper

F - Favorite color: Chocolate Brown

G - Gold or Silver: Silver

H - Height: 5’2"

I - Instruments you play: I wish I could play the piano, does that count?...

J - Job title: Inside Sales for a Construction Company

K - Kid(s): none yet, but hoping to be preggo by the end of 2009!

L - Living arrangements: Our new home (4 bed, 2 bath, 2,250 SF) in Cypress, TX

M - Mom's name: Lynn

N - Nicknames: No nicknames, just the sweet names the hubs calls me

O - Overnight hospital stay: None for me, yet...

P - Pet Peeve: Messy houses, clutter, having no organization

Q - Quote from a movie: ....i'll get back to you on that...

R - Right or left handed: Right

S - Siblings: 1 younger brother, Garrett

T - Time you wake up: 6:00am, too early for my liking!

U - Underwear: Thongs fromVS

V - Vegetable you dislike: Squash & green peas. Broccoli is my absolute favorite!

W - Ways/Reasons you run late: Love to sleep in or hungover

X - X-rays you've had: Teeth and my hands and wrist (I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis at the age of 23)

Y - Yummy food you make: My family's Chicken Fried Steak and Chicken/Veal Parmigiana

Z - Zoo animals you like: Elephants and Giraffes

Now its your turn! Copy and paste to your blog so everyone gets to know a little bit more about you!