Healthy Pasta Salad

I have this potluck thing for work and I didn't won't to go grocery shopping, so I looked in my pantry and fridge and this is what I came up with.

From Cooking

I really surprised myself and the recipe is simple.

-3 cups all natural whole grain fusilli pasta
-1/2 cup or organic shredded carrot
-1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
-3/4 cup sliced pepperoni
-1 1/2 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
-1 tbs balsamic vinegar
-organic baby spinach for garnish

Boil pasta according to box directions. Drain pasta and allow it to cool. After it cools, add all the ingredients, except the spinach. Toss with your hands and finally garnish.

From Cooking

From Cooking

From Cooking

My Back is Killing Me

Here lately, my back has been giving me problems. I'm sure it has everything to do with the baby. I'm seriously considering going to Trey's chiropractor because I don't know how much longer I can deal with this. All of the pain is coming from my lower right side (kind of near my butt)...OUCH!

Personally, I think it's way too early in the pregnancy to be having back problems, but honestly I've been having pain there, since about nine weeks.

Trey wanted to know where it hurt and he rubbed it and said, "You have a bump right there." I felt it too. I'm not a back expert, but I think it's a knot that needs to be worked out. First, I'm going to get a massage and then if that doesn't help I really need to make an appointment with Trey's chiropractor. Trey's been going to the same chiropractor for months and seems to be pleased. Chiropractors sort of scare me, but I just want the pain to go away so I should suck it up.

A Video I Made about Pregnancy

Back in 2005 I made a short film about pregnancy. I hadn't watched this film in months and yesterday got a good laugh. I hope you enjoy the video.

Natasha's In Town

Natasha is spending a few days with Trey and I. Trey met my Mom half way between Abilene and Fort Worth yesterday and they got home kind of late. I didn't get to stay up late with her because I had to wake up bright and early for work.

She's staying at the house today, probably watching MTV, VH1 and BET (all day long). Yeah, that sounds like my sister. Meanwhile, I'll be at work interviewing several candidates for a new position. Maybe tomorrow, Tasha can come to work with me. I can set her up in my office and she can watch movies while I work. I think she'll be fine, but I don't think she'll enjoy waking up early.

Pano of The Dallas Cowboys Stadium

A few weeks ago Trey took a panoramic of the Dallas Cowboys Stadium and I finally got a chance to stitch the digital pictures together. So, here is the stadium and I must say, not a bad pano for Trey's first.

Baby Name Madness, Almost Fainting, Sex and the City, and More

I'm pleased at the baby poll response. It looks like it might be a close call.

This weekend Trey and I have loosely been throwing baby names around. Trey really knows how to pick them....One boy name he was throwing around was Jorge, pronounced HOR-hay. Trey's crazy, insane crazy if he thinks I'm calling my son that. I think he was just joking, I'm praying he was joking. We don't have any names written in stone, but I'm hoping we will come to some sort of civil agreement in the weeks ahead.

Other than trying to name my first born, I had an interesting weekend. Friday, I went to the library and nearly fainted while I was standing in line. It was a little embarrassing, but fortunately I made it through the line without falling down. I'm not quite sure why I almost fainted, but it really scared me. The following day I felt much better.

Saturday, I had a chance to hang out with Cortnee (faint free) and watched Sex and the City, the movie. If you haven't seen the movie and you're considering, go and see it while it's in the theater, you won't be disappointed.

And finally, today, Trey and I actually woke up early enough to go to the early Sunday church service. I don't think I've blogged this, but we joined the church down the street from us, a few weeks ago. It's about time, right? We finally have a church home.

Posted a Baby Poll

In a few weeks Trey and I will find out the sex of the baby. I'm interested to see what the majority thinks we will be having. Go ahead and try to guess, maybe you're right.

Wise Guy

Okay Trey Anderson............

I like snow CONES not snow combs too!

You should be getting some sleep, instead of critiquing the blog. Get to feeling better.

We're Not Professionals

We now have two dogs, which means we have more dog hair to deal with. I'm tired of sweeping every other day and since it's summer time Trey and I both agreed it would be a good idea to give the dogs a haircut.

Poor Harley was our ginnie pig. We didn't know what we were doing. I couldn't stop laughing at the way we trimmed her. She looks almost unrecognizable.

When we first brought Harley home, she looked more like a long hair Dachshund than a Welsh Corgi, now after her haircut, she looks more like a Chihuahua.

A few snapshots of Harley before her haircut



Corky's Turn. He didn't get a short shave like Harley, just a little trim.

Now meet our new and improved Harley

Overall, I'm pleased with her haircut. She looks cute and healthy.




I prefer Harley's short hair versus her original look.

StayCation 08...T-shirt not Included

Due to ridiculously gas prices, Trey and I have opted for a staycation instead of a vacation this memorial weekend. Earlier last week, we were seriously considering going out of town, but soon re-evaluated our decision, after gas prices soared.

In case you don't know what a staycation is--allow me to explain....
Basically, it's a vacation spent at home in your own city. Doing things in your own community, and or at your house, relaxing, and basically not spending as much money.

I like the idea of saving some extra cash and leaving the car in park. This weekend, Trey and I have been getting around town on the motorcycle and scooter. Yesterday, we went to the local library. I checked out a handful of books on pregnancy and Trey and I both agreed on 4 DVD's to watch---all totaling zero dollars. Free entertainment.

This morning we hopped on the scooter and headed to church and afterwards drove to eat at Chili's. It's been a great low key kind of weekend and although it's not a typical vacation, it's been great spending quality time with Trey and enjoying our beautiful home.

Pregos

An old friend of mine, Landrea is also pregnant. Apparently, we're only a few weeks apart. Here you can see our still non-existent bellies.

I think she's showing more than me. It was good to talk with someone about the same kind of things I'm going through.

Veronica also came with her. We ate downtown at Mi Cocina's, went to the Botanical Garden's, the market, and finally the mall. It was only a day trip for them, so they left town that evening.

Snapshot at 3 Months

From Pregnancy

Yesterday, I asked my doc, “So, since I’m 3 months along, this is the time I should start showing, huh?” He got a good laugh out of my question and assumption. He replied, “No, you’ll start to show around 5 months, not 3. It may feel like you're showing in your lower stomach, but yeah, 5 months is when you really start to show.”

I guess he’s right. According to last month’s weigh-in, I only gained 1 pound in 4 weeks. That’s crazy because it feels like I’ve gained 5. What is it going to feel like when I really start to gain? I’m not sure if I believe that scale because when I look in the mirror and see this picture, it looks like I have a belly and it sure does look like more than 1 pound.

Well, other than taking pregnancy pictures, I had a chance to regain my workout confidence. I successfully ran 2 miles yesterday. The whole time I had my eyes glued to the ground looking for my damn earring, which I didn’t locate.

After my workout, Trey and I jumped on the scooter to fill her up at the gas pump. Too bad our SUV doesn’t get 80 miles to the gallon like the scooter. We also had a chance to stop at a snow cone shop before heading home. Nothing says summer like scooters and snow cones.

2nd Doctor Visit & Missing Jewelry

This morning Trey and I went to my second appointment. We had a chance to hear the baby's heartbeat and boy was the baby's heart pounding. At first it took what seemed like an eternity for the doctor to find it, but eventually we heard it nice and clear.

Other than the doctors visit, I've still been trying to work-out. Last night, I went jogging, well if you want to call it that. I only pushed myself to jog .5 miles, before I got winded. This baby inside me just sucks all my juice up. The rest of the 2 mile work-out consisted of walking with Corky.

After the work-out I noticed I was missing one diamond earring that Trey got me for our one year anniversary. I'm so bummed because it's been hours since I realized I lost it and it hasn't shown up anywhere.
The pair look similar to this pair

Those earrings and I have been inseparable for 3 years and now I feel like it's gone forever. Last night, Trey and I retraced my walking route on the scooter going about 3 miles an hour and didn't see it. I saw several neighbors outside and gave them a heads up. This evening I plan on walking the same route and maybe I'll find it. If I can't find it, I might look into the jewelry store and see if I can just purchase one instead of purchasing a pair. I doubt it, but it's worth a shot.

Radiohead Did Not Disappoint

I hate Sunday, concerts, especially with my new work schedule-which calls for an early wake up call. I knew all of this before I signed up to attend last night’s concert, but let me tell you it was definitely worth it. As I mentioned, a few months ago, the show sold out minutes after tickets were available, so you can just imagine how bad parking was. We were at a stand still for 30 minutes, trying to exit last night’s venue. It was ridiculously worth it.

Cortnee and I sat on the lawn, which translates to crappy seats. When we went to the Mary J/ Jay-Z concert (which was at the same venue) we had VIP seats. We had a great view, comfy seats, our own waitress in our area, and great parking. Now for the Radiohead concert, we were so far away from the stage and there was no seating in the lawn area. But putting all that aside, it was still amazing. I know it’s hard to believe, but I had a wonderful time, despite all the pot-smoking hippies and drunken chain smokers around.

Radiohead came on stage around 8:45 pm and played roughly 26 songs. This morning I counted and I own eight of their albums and I still feel like I didn’t recognize a handful of their songs. However, they did have a great line up of songs I’m very familiar with: Fake plastic Trees, Optimistic, Idioteque, The Bends, There There, Everything in It’s Right Place, Exit Music For a Film, Body Snatchers, House of Cards, Weird Fishes, Jigsaw, Dollars and Cents, and the crowd pleaser finale Paranoid Android. Now Paranoid Android was absolutely amazing. Everyone was singing along and the stage lights were going crazy, it was everything a rock concert should be.

Radiohead - Paranoid Android


Well, the concert ended late and instead of making the journey from Dallas to Ft. Worth past midnight on a Sunday, I opted to stay at Cortnee's. So, glad I did because I actually feel well rested and ready to work.

Pregnant Woman Driving a Scooter on the Interstate

It's old news, but gas is getting out of control. To cut down on driving, I'm commuting one less day a week to work. Well, it's either that or being the pregnant woman driving down the interstate on a scooter.

So, today is my day off and I'm enjoying it. I had time this morning to pick up the house and make a nice breakfast that is getting a little easier to eat.

Well, I don't plan on staying indoors all day long, but I will definitely stay on my side of town when I do get out...because

What's the point of commuting one less day a week to work--if I drive all over town on my day off, right?

2 More Telly Awards

I received the results from another project I submitted to the 29th Telly Awards and found out that the Smart Hospital Virtual Tour won 2 bronze awards....One for Public Relations and the other for Editing.

I don't know why there was such a gap of time between finding out about this entry versus the other one (Bedside to Nationwide-back in March). I guess its because the other entry was entered under TV/Video and this was entered under Commercial.

What makes these awards special to me, is that I came to work, and working less than a year--produced award winning material. That means a lot to me.

If you'd like to see the Virtual Tour (Video) here is the link.

Pepper Cravings......

The last few days my craving meter for jalapenos has been off the charts. It's a strange craving, I know, but I guess it comes with pregnancy.

This past weekend I ate a french fry basket with grilled jalapenos and later that evening I made homemade pizza with slices of peppers... not to mention, last night I made enchiladas with you guessed it more peppers.

Well, at least this craving isn't sugar focused and I don't feel bad when I'm eating them. Another thing I've been eating more frequently: sour pickles, but that's expected right?

Finally, Made it out to the Stockyards

From Stockyards

Mom and Natasha came to visit us this weekend. I wanted to do something different so we made our way down to the Stockyards.

We spent most of the day out there. We watched the cattle drive, I ate an amazing burger from Riscky's, and we took a train ride along the Trinity River.

We had a great weekend, but I think I exhausted myself. I'm still having morning sickness off and on all day long. I think I just hit the 12 week hill in my pregnancy, when morning sickness is "suppose to stop." Yeah, we'll see about that.

Here is a view from the train ride looking towards downtown Ft. Worth.

From Stockyards

Harley is a Sweetheart

Harley is settling nicely. Her and Mr. Corky are the best of buddies and have already taken a mud bath together. I'm glad they are getting along because when the baby comes the dogs won't be spending as much time inside.

Harley and I at the Human Society, Sunday

I'm trying to hold Corky up the best I can...and there he is with that tongue



Harley's personality is really different from Corky. She is gentle and she likes to look up at me when I'm talking to her. Corky usually just walks around when I'm trying to get his attention.

Jeremy & Elizabeth's Wedding

If family would like to download any of these pictures...here is the link.

From Jeremy & Elizabeth

This weekend, Trey's cousin, Jeremy, got married. The wedding was only a few miles away from us so, we didn't have to drive too far.

As a wedding gift, I videotaped the ceremony and I'm hoping to find some time this week to start editing it together. I also took a handful of pictures. Me and my cameras, that's how I roll.

Time for another Cowboys Post

It's been a while since I drove by the Dallas Cowboys stadium, even though it's right around the corner from my work. Sunday, after hanging out with Cortnee, Trey wanted to see the progress of the build, so we drove to Arlington to take a peak.

Harley the Welsh Corgi

Tomorrow afternoon, I will be bringing home an adorable Corgi from the Humane Society; her name is Harley. Now Corky has a playmate.



Earlier today, Trey and I met up with Cortnee and her dog Luby at the dog park.

Meet Luby

And there is Corky with his tongue out.

It's My Birthday!

I'm officially 24 years old.

I don't have any big plans for tonight. I'm working late, recording a distance education class. Good news is, tonight is the last recording of the year. No more once a week--late nights---working for me.

After Years of Plastic, I'm going Aluminum

Well, a lot has been going on since last week. Friday, at work, I had a chance to meet the new nursing students who will be utilizing iPod's. I walked them through orientation, handing out the devices and giving them instructions on how to access video from our site.

This whole project has been a lot of work for our department. A lot of hours and energy spent on researching and troubleshooting. It feels great to know we're off to a good start.

So, the orientation is what leads me to the title of this blog entry: After years of plastic, I'm going aluminum.

After orientation, one of the students noticed I was drinking out of my famous neon green water bottle (that is literally attached to my hip). The student observed the bottle and informed me about research pertaining to 5, 6, and 7 water bottles. According to her, and research, plastics marked with those numbers can release chemicals that may cause some forms of cancer and pose other health risks. By the way, my bottle is marked 7, which is the worst of the three.

I didn't need much convincing, after I looked into the matter myself. So, I'm making the switch from plastic to an eco and healthy friendly aluminum. I haven't been able to find any 1 liter bottles at the store, so I ordered mine online. In the meantime, I'm using a coffee thermos.

Gotta have my H20.

Big Belly & Finally a Good Breakfast

Last night, I dreamt my belly was already the size of a 7 month pregnant woman. It was a strange dream, but my goodness it's going to happen inevetibly.

Well, my morning was a lot better than I've been experiencing. In fact, this morning for the first time, my breakfast was amazing! Pre-pregnancy, breakfast was my favoirte meal of the day. Now, I force myself to snack through it.

I've been trying to eat healthy for the baby and I, but for some reason I veered from that last night. I ate a king size Snicker for desert and a few minutes later I felt horrible. I had a Twix bar waiting for me and I told Trey, "Don't let me eat that!" This morning I found the empty wrapper in the living room. Trey must have had it for breakfast.

Trey has been wonderful. When we went to the doctor he helped me make a list of questions to ask. He even read through the material the nurse gave us. I haven't had a chance to read as much as him. Every now and then he'll tell me what I will be experiencing in the weeks to come. An interesting thing he informed me is that when the baby has hick-ups I will be able to feel it.

Trey Self Tans One Leg

I haven't had a chance to write about this yet, but this past weekend, Trey and I made a trip to Abilene. Trey had to install a Heating/Air conditioning system with a friend and I had a chance to spend time with family, friends, and even attended a wedding shower.

Our last day in town, Trey got a hold of Maghen's self tanning lotion. Trey is always complaining about his white, blinding, ghostly legs. He's even told me he would consider tanning in a tanning bed. The second he does that I'm confiscating his Man Card.

It's funny because he only applied the tanning lotion to one leg. Ladies and gentlemen....my husband....

Dom the Mom!!!!

I'm pregnant.

I instantly fell in love...

From Pregnancy

Only a parent could love something that looks like that.

2 weeks ago I took a home pregnancy test and it had a positive sign smiling up at me, but it didn't sink in, until my first doctor visit. Before the visit, I figured I might be a few weeks along, but the doctor said I'm already 8 weeks/2 months along. That's great news to hear!

The due date will be right around Thanksgiving. Perfect timing with my work and Trey's. That's the timing we were aiming for when planning.

I met my doctor and I really feel comfortable with him. He answered all my questions about nutrition, lifting, morning sickness, and exercise. The nurse who assisted was so nice too.

About nutrition---he said avoid fried foods and eat dark greens...
Lifting---20-30 pounds is fine for now....
Morning sickness---he gave me a prescription because it's currently having a toll on my daily routine...
Exercise---He said jogging is perfectly safe and it's good for me to remain active (duh)

Prenatal Freebies

From Pregnancy

From Pregnancy

Main Street Arts Festival

Friday, Trey and I met up with Cortnee in downtown Ft Worth for Main Street Arts Festival.

Food, people, entertainment, and art....

Dark Clouds in the Distance

From Home

Last night we got a taste of tornado weather. The electricity went off and on at least 3 times, that was annoying, since I was showering. We knew we were going to get hail, but before the storm hit, we were unsure of the size. Trey went outside and covered his work vans windshield with a rug. I guess, it's better to be safe than sorry.

From Home

Thank, God we didn't have any property damage and now life will go on. This weekend should be a good one. Tonight, Trey and I will make our way downtown to Main Street Art Festival.

The Whole Bed

Last night, I took the liberty to stretch myself across the entire bed as I slept. It was pretty easy, since Trey wasn't there. He had a job to do out of town, so his company booked him a hotel.

I slept good, but this morning I didn't have anybody there telling me it was time to get up, or hey your alarm is going off. Instead, I woke up to Corky biting his nails. I'm telling you that dog grooms himself.

Throw Your Diamonds Up!

The Jay-Z...Mary J Blige Concert was awesome. I've been to a lot of rock n' roll concerts, but very few rap shows. The Snoop Dog concert doesn't count.

Cortnee got us great seats too. She's so lucky because she has a job that allows her to have access to free shows like this often. I'm just fortunate enough that she invites me.

Well, the venue was packed and everybody was dancing and waving their hands in the air. And apparently shooting up their diamonds, yeah I guess so.

The show was in Dallas and I don't care what anybody says the drive from Dallas to Ft. Worth sucks at 2 am. I got home sometime after 2 and woke up this morning to go to church. Needless to say, I'm exhausted.

I slept a few hours in the living room while Trey and I watched the Masters on CBS. That's the best background noise to fall asleep to. Now, I'm just waiting to go to a Sunday night small group class. Trey and I are still visiting the same church and we really seem to like it.

Ft. Woof Dog Park

This morning, Trey and I took Corky to the Fort Woof Dog Park. He spent most of the time sniffing the other dogs and hiking his leg.

From Ft. Woof

From Ft. Woof

From Ft. Woof

From Ft. Woof

I made lunch at the house and now we're all relaxing. I'm going to try to take it easy, until tonight. I'm suppose to meet up with Cortnee this eveing to go to a Jay-Z and Mary J Blige concert. It should be lots of fun.

Long Hours and Still Going

Trey has been on call the last few days. Yesterday he worked his normal shift and on top of that he had to work through the night and through the morning. He woke me up at 4 am to say he finally made it home. It's funny because he can work those long hours and still be in a good mood. I hope he's doing alright because he hasn't had any sleep. How does he do that?

It's Starting to Feel Cozy

One of our three pieces of furntiture came in today. It looks black in this picture, but it's more of a dark cherry wood color.

Across from the bookshelf, we're going to put a long bench. We're trying to make our home feel cozy and I thought this area would be a good place to throw my feet up and read a book or magazine. Hopefully the bench will be delivered sometime next week. I also have some leftover material and was hoping mom could help me make some throw pillows. Mom?
From Home />

Well, other than picking up the bookshelf, Trey and I went to Weatherford to eat at Logan's Steakhouse. It was a free lunch because it's the pre-grand opening. It was okay, I don't think I'd go back anytime soon, but Trey will probably be eating there more than me because the company he works for added them as a client.

Well, right now I guess I'm going to get back to watching this basketball game with Trey. I love low key weekends.

Joes Run Race Results

The results are posted from Saturday's race.

Race Time: 00:28:14
Pace: 9 minutes a mile
There were 24 women running in my Age Group and I placed 6th
Overall By Sex: 74
Overall Place: 245

I'm not sure how many runners participated. Friday, when I picked up my packet, I was told 1,200 runners had registered up to that point, but not everyone was required to run with a chip. So, it looks like their were approximately 700 competitive runners.

So far, I'm enjoying this running journey. Some days it comes so natural and other days I feel like I'm running the hardest run of my life. The funny thing is, its usually the same distance and route.

Well, my ultimate goal is to one day run a marathon, but I'm not crazy enough to do that my first year of training. No, my next hurdle will be a 10K, then a half marathon, and then if I'm still crazy enough to consider a full marathon (after running a half) then I'll sign up.