Simply Positive Sunday Post

Well if you read my last post you know I have been woking on having a more positive outlook on EVERYTHING.  Well I think I made a little progress this week (How positive would it be if I said otherwise!?!? ahahah).  As blessed as I am I don't know why I sometimes have a hard time seeing the brighter side of things.

I think the biggest struggle I had this week with being positive was in relation to my  weight loss goal from last week.  If you are one of those people that gets tired of hearing me yack about this, you might as well exit now. :) Anyways, I did really well sticking with my calories but seems I need to throw away my scales.  Two and a half years ago when I first started making dramatic changes in my diet and physical fitness life, the pounds fell off at about 3-5 per week! Granted I weighed much more and I was eating significantly less and working out significantly harder and more frequently than my body was use to at the time, but gosh it was nice to step on those scales every week and see the numbers drop!  These days it seems my body might have gotten a little more use to the working out.  I now have to work much harder to see the numbers drop. 

 Positive notes that I decided on for these issues: 1. I lost 1 pound this week!!! 2. My body can do so much, work so much harder, go so much further than it ever could before 3. I love how strong and rejuvenated I feel mentally and physically after a good workout 3. I have really enjoyed sitting down at mine and Brandon's kitchen table and enjoying yummy, healthy meals every night this week.  4. I know my body is appreciating and benefiting from the healthy fruits, veggies, and proteins that I have had more of this week. So that is why instead of throwing in the towel and doing the normal unhealthy things I might do when I get frustrated I'm gonna keep on truckin.... :) 

Positive Activity for the week:

My friend Lindsay and I signed up to be St. Jude Heros for the St. Jude Half Marathon!!! I'm so excited!!! I ran my first half marathon in Oxford this past February.  It was a TOUGH race!  Oxford is a very hilly town and even though I trained here for 16 weeks, my body still felt as though I had been thrown out of an airplane and landed smack on my feet. I completed the race in 2:37.  I came in last (19th) out of my age group.  POSITIVE NOTE: I RAN 13.1 MILES (walked/ran the last 1.5) and crossed the finish line (This finish line is at the top of a MOUNTAIN!) feeling like a CHAMP!!! Well mentally.  Physically I just fell out on the grass and stayed there until my mom helped pick me up and took me in for some fuel. So this next race is in 19 weeks on December the 3rd.  I'm looking forward to a lot less hills and racing somewhere new even though we will be training on the wonderful hills of Oxford.  I figure the training will just make the race that much easier.  Here is a look at the training schedule we will start on September 12th (12 weeks until race day): 

Training Schedule by Hal Higdon

Week	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
1	Stretch & Strengthen	3 m run	2 m run or cross	3 m run + strength	Rest	30 min cross	4 m run
2	Stretch & Strengthen	3 m run	2 m run or cross	3 m run + strength	Rest	30 min cross	4 m run
3	Stretch & Strengthen	3.5 m run	2 m run or cross	3.5 m run + strength	Rest	40 min cross	5 m run
4	Stretch & Strengthen	3.5 m run	2 m run or cross	3.5 m run + strength	Rest	40 min cross	5 m run
5	Stretch & Strengthen	4 m run	2 m run or cross	4 m run + strength	Rest	40 min cross	6 m run
6	Stretch & Strengthen	4 m run	2 m run or cross	4 m run + strength	Rest or easy run	Rest	5-K Race
7	Stretch & Strengthen	4.5 m run	3 m run or cross	4.5 m run + strength	Rest	50 min cross	7 m run
8	Stretch & Strengthen	4.5 m run	3 m run or cross	4.5 m run + strength	Rest	50 min cross	8 m run
9	Stretch & Strengthen	5 m run	3 m run or cross	5 m run + strength	Rest or easy run	Rest	10-K Race
10	Stretch & Strengthen	5 m run	3 m run or cross	5 m run + strength	Rest	60 min cross	9 m run
11	Stretch & Strengthen	5 m run	3 m run or cross	5 m run + strength	Rest	60 min cross	10 m run
12	Stretch & Strengthen	4 m run	3 m run or cross	2 m run	Rest	Rest	Half Marathon

Until we begin this training we will just work on doing some 5k races and trying to get in a few 2-3 mile runs each week. Some people say to me, "Why do you do this, it's awful on your body!"  I say, "Not so!"My body feels better than ever, AND running is not bad for your knees! It is actually good for your joints to be mobile and more damaging to be sedentary and carry extra weight. 

"Together, the findings lend support to the theory that osteoarthritis, which affects nearly 20 million Americans, is caused mainly by genes and risk factors like obesity (obese men and women are at least four times as likely to become arthritic as their thinner peers), rather than daily exercise or wear and tear of joints. In fact, a "normally functioning joint can withstand and actually flourish under a lot of wear," says Fries. Because cartilage — the soft connective tissue that surrounds the bones in joints — does not have arteries that deliver blood, it relies on the pumping action generated by movement to get its regular dose of oxygen and nutrients. "When you bear weight, [the joint] squishes out fluid, and when you release weight, it sucks in fluid," says Fries, explaining why a daily run or any other workout is useful for maintaining healthy cartilage."

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1948208,00.html#ixzz1T5VzpPrZ

It is however important to strength train and make sure the muscles around your joints are strong and stretched! This will reduce the likeliness of stress fractures.  ANYWAYS back to subject... Not only will we get to run our bodies into great cardiovascular shape but we will also be raising money to help the children at St. Jude Children's Hospital.  I can't think of a better organization and one close to everyone's heart to raise money for.  The fundraising goal is at least $500 by the November 15th deadline. If I can find 50 people to give me $10 I'll meet the goal set by St. Jude.  My personal goal is to raise $1,000.  You will be hearing more about this soon! Get your wallets ready people! How can you say not to such worthy organization?!? 

Positive Surprise of the Week:

Brandon and I are going to Hawaii over Thanksgiving Break! We get to go visit our friends Lea and Andrew that just moved there about a month ago.  We will be celebrating our 1st wedding anniversary and Thanksgiving on the beautiful island of Oahu. We have discussed how lucky we are to get to travel and see and do the things we get to see and do. Traveling is one of my most favorite things to do.  I have never been farther west than California and never to an island in the Pacific.  I believe you should take great opportunities when life gives them to you so here we go! 

Positive thoughts on everyday life: 

School starts in 11 days!  I have a job.... in OXFORD! I have the best mom, mother-in-law, husband, and coworkers who have helped me get my class looking fabulous and in great order for my new 1st graders. I'm naturally nervous about the changes but I know God blessed me with this opportunity for great reasons.  I can't wait to learn from my new 6 year old teachers.  I know they will be a blessing to my life! 

Goals for the week: 

Get house cleaned before school starts.

Make time for quality time with Brandon before life gets super busy.

Continue goals from last week. See last Sunday's post if you care.

Continue to be positive.  "Remember the best. Forget the rest!" -Nana 

Goals for the Week

I have a great personal trainer who is typically a very positive person.  He has made even more apparent to me that I on the other hand am not.  He has done this in a way not by telling me but by showing me through my own words and actions how tough I can be on myself and faith in life.  Yes, the goodness of life.  I have never like to call myself "negative" and am actually offended when described this way.  I prefer "realistic." 

My thoughts are that if you don't set yourself up with high expectations, beliefs, or too much faith in anything, then you don't set your self up for disappointment. The blow, if there is one, won't hurt so bad. 

This is a problem I struggle with in ALL areas of my life.  Relationships, personal goals, self perception, etc. 

Why am I always looking for or believing in the so called negative?  Maybe when the positive comes around it will be a more rewarding?  Maybe I let other people's negative vibes infiltrate me? Maybe if I think negatively about my abilities then I don't have to believe that I can actually do something therefore giving myself an excuse to give up or not try? Maybe because being positive takes a little more work and effort than being negative?   

I have accomplished many awesome things in my life.  I've done things and been blessed with things and experiences that  many people will never get the chance to know. I have a tough spirit that always prevails when it wants to.  If I REALLY want something then typically I ALWAYS get it.   Whether I get it through begging and pleading, persistence, hard work, or maybe it's just handed over to me, I pretty much always get what I REALLY want.  I'm speaking of tangible things and non tangible.  I have a intrinsic hate for being told no.  That's why I appreciate being wholly in control of life, BUT we all know that we are not the ones in control.  

That's where faith comes in.  Won't you agree with me that faith and positiveness can go hand in hand? Yes, I also need to work on my faith. The faith in good.  The faith that people won't always let you down.  The faith that good things can happen even if the odds look really slim.  The faith that you can accomplish anything you dream about accomplishing.  Whether it's losing 20 pounds, scoring that job you really want, furthering your education, taking a dream vacation, encouraging and helping others, the list goes on and on.  When I look back on just the past 10 years of my life I see many many low times, but then I see how I dug out of those and made something awesome out of it.  So does that mean that maybe my positive nature mostly grows out of negative?  Who knows, but I'm about to start a new weekly post. It's going to be "Simply Positive Sundays." 

According to Facebook, my trainer always seems to have a new goal at the beginning of the week.  I think that's a fabulous way to start off the week and set your eye on something that you really want. It doesn't have to be a huge goal, but like I have said before, small, persistent steps build great endurance. 

Being positive is more of a mind set and I'm thinking it will take longer than a week, so....

Goal 1: Begin working on having a more positive mind set 

Goal 2: Learn to take a compliment (this is part of being so negative toward myself), and while you're at it give a few compliments!

Goal 3: Sunday -Friday stick to < or equal to 1600 calories a day (Accomplished today!!!) 

Goal 4: Get in a good work out at least 6 days this week! Positive note: It makes my body feel so much better to workout, like I can do anything in the world.  This is positive right?!?!  

Goal 5: Drink at LEAST 2 liters of water a day.  (Working up to a gallon eventually) 

Goal 6: Don't forget to see the good in each day, in the moment, not in reflection. Remember the best, forget the rest! 

PS- Thank you AJ for not only teaching me in how to keep my body in shape but helping me see that it is important to also keep my mind in shape. I'll always be a work in progress.  I'm thankful for people who do have faith in the ability to get what you want and see the sunny side of every situation. 

Good night! 

Eating and Drinking Our Way Through The Big Easy

  Brandon informed me a couple of weeks ago that he would be slow at work for a little while and of course what did I immediately think of??? Road trip! We thought about either Chicago or New Orleans.  We wanted to go Chicago because Brandon has family there and his cousins from Louisiana were gonna be there and going to see a Cubs game that week too.  I don't know if you have ever driven to Chicago, but it's a LONG drive! That was pretty much the deciding factor that landed us in The Big Easy.

   We knew New Orleans wouldn't disappoint and would make for a relaxing, tempting, indulgent, vacay!  Brandon took me on our first trip together to New Orleans a couple of years ago.  We didn't do anything super special or go for any particular reason, but we had the best time just wondering the streets.  We hand over our car to valet and never see it again until it's time to leave.  The best part about staying in the French Quarter is just being able to walk out your door, not really knowing where you are going, but finding something fun and exciting around every corner.

  This trip we stayed at Hotel Monteleone. I would highly recommend Monteleone to anyone wanting to stay in the French Quarter.  It's newly renovated but still has a great "old European" feel. Being the vacation address of many famous Southern writers (Hemingway, Capote, Faulkner, Tennessee Williams, Welty, ect.) it has a very neat historical charm about it as well.

Our room was had a great view. Last time we stayed in NOLA, it was like a dungeon with no window.  I made sure we had a window this time! We looked out over the Quarter and onto the Mississippi River. 

Our first afternoon we spent just roaming around on the streets.  Found ourselves on Bourbon with daiquiris in hand before we knew it.  We don't spend very much time on Bourbon but its kinda the street we walk down at least once to see what's going on.  There is ALWAYS something going on. I had to try out a Lucky Dog.  Lucky Dog stands are everywhere and for some reason I just had the hot dog craving.  

They're huge, so Brandon and I decided to split one.  Yummy but super messy! Can you find the hot dog in there!?!?

After indulging in hot dogs, daiquiris, eventually dinner (Pier 424 on Bourbon), and more mixed drinks (thank goodness for all of the walking)  we decided to call it a semi early night and go back to our room for some R&R.  By the way Monteleone has some super comfy beds.  I know a lot of people don't go to New Orleans worried about how they will sleep, but Brandon and I love to snooze and didn't miss our bed the whole time we were there. 

The next morning (late morning) we woke up and decided to wonder on down the street for a little lunch (we slept through breakfast).  There was this great little local deli called The Royal Street Deli.  It had a very eccentric/bohemian feel to it.  We were greeted by a10 year old who proclaimed that he would be serving us today because he needs some money.  He's saving for a toy.  He proudly brought out the $20 that he had already earned and stated that he hoped to earn $20 more.  Unfortunately he only ended up taking our drink order (tea) and then he gave up his server duties to sit behind the bar and eat his turkey croissant and serve the other deli patrons and the one homeless guy who pretty much just mumbled to himself the whole time we were there.   I would also recommend this place if you are looking for something not too heavy.  It was very fresh and just right to fill you up for a day of adventures.  I had the Strawberry and Goat Cheese Salad with candy walnuts.  DELICIOUS!!! And very reasonable priced

  After a yummy lunch, Brandon and I enjoyed walking and doing a little shopping.  I don't practice voodoo and don't really wanna know anything about it, but I ALWAYS have to buy a voodoo doll when I'm in NOLA.  I think I have a small drawer full of them at my mom's house.  She has threatened to throw them aways several times.  I hope she hasn't.  Here is my newest addition.  

She is the Goddess of Love :) 

I also stopped in this great little toy store and bought one of my favorite books, Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood.  Some of my coworkers introduced it to me at Pierce Street, and when I saw it in the store window I had to go in and buy a copy for my new 1st grade classroom.  It's hilarious! You're kids will be very entertained listening to you try and read it, and it's great for teaching comparing and contrasting.  (You can compare it to the original Red Riding Hood.  Thanks Cathy and Evanglina for sharing this lesson plan with me!) 

  One also has to appreciate New Orleans street performers.  There are many different ones.  People who dress in costume, clowns, and hoards of great musicians.  There are some that I see every time I go.  Here are just a few.  Do you recognize any of them? 

This last one is my favorite.  I don't know how he does it! He stays completely still in the position forEVER!!! He only moved when I dropped him a dollar and he said, "Thank you, nice legs."  Hey, I'll take a compliment from him! He could only improve his act if this was a real dog on the end of that leash. 

   On our way to Jackson Square, we stopped at Cafe Du Monde. 

 I needed a little caffeine fix and this was my first visit to the 149 year old cafe. I just recently took a strong liking to coffee.  I enjoyed the typical Cafe Au Lait and an order of beignets. 

 Ohhh my goodness! Shipleys doesn't have a thing on these simplistic, scrumptious, little French doughnuts.  Of course I had to buy the "tourist bag" filled with a can of coffee, beignet mix, and coffee mug.  

 We were also entertained during our visit by this great little street band.  

Next, we walked across the street to do a little people watching in front of St. Louis Cathedral.  This is probably one of the most known places in New Orleans.  It's a wonderful place sit in front of, find some relief from the heat under a shade tree, and enjoy the character of the city and of all of it's people.  I'm never disappointed by the beauty and interesting things I see here. 

It's just as pretty on the inside.  When we were ready to cool off for a minute we went inside and had a seat on a bench hand enjoyed looking at all of the beautiful stain glass windows and art. There were probably about 20 or so other people inside doing the same thing we were.  There were also several people there for prayer and religious purposes.  

We capped off the afternoon by the rooftop pool at Hotel Montelone with Strawberry Daiquiris and a cool swim.  This was my first visit to a rooftop pool and I have to say that it was pretty neat.  It was like a small piece of tropical paradise in the middle of a concrete jungle.  

  That night we had reservations for dinner at Emeril Lagasee's restaurant, NOLA.  We ate there last time we visited and it was memorable enough to bring us back again.  

Go to their website and take a look at their menu.  ( http://www.emerils.com/restaurant/2/NOLA-Restaurant/)  Shrimp and Grits (one of my faves) has a spot there and it is a dish I would highly recommend.    Brandon and I shared the cheese plate for an appetizer.  I had a bowl of gumbo in place of a salad.  I haven't eaten much gumbo in my life, but I will say this is THE best gumbo I have ever had.  I can't imagine it getting much better. Shrimp and Grits for my entree, and capped off my bottle of Pinot Noir for dessert. 

 After dinner we went back to the hotel, put on some comfy clothes, went back out and had one of those stay out until 4 in the morning nights.  I don't think Brandon and I have had one of those nights since our early days of dating.  We had lots of fun and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!  

  The next day we were understandably not feeling very well and a little drained of energy.  We were craving just a good ole cheeseburger.  You know how it is when you wake up from a long night/morning of drinking.  Well at least for me, bread and grease are typically on the mind of my stomach.  I'm a little ashamed to say that because we knew we could get what we were looking for, we knew exactly how to get there, and it was only a few blocks away; we ended up at Hard Rock Cafe.  Hahaha!!! Hey, we got what we wanted and we got to sit next to some pretty awesome Beatles and Pink Floyd memorabilia. :)  It was a good cheeseburger.  Huge, we both had a half of a burger to take back in to go boxes.  It began to rain so what's a more perfect idea then going back to our big comfy king size bed with 40 pillows, drinking coffee, and renting a $15 dollar movie from the hotel t.v.!?!?   It was a good relaxing afternoon. 

Once we had rejuvenated ourselves again we got ready for our last night in New Orleans.  Seeing that the night before had been a wild one, we were looking for a bit more of a low key night.  We started it off at the Carousel Bar off of our hotel lobby.  Now this idea seems interesting, but I had not so much gotten my seat warm and two drinks of my glass of wine down before I was hopping down and heading to a normal non spinning table.  Maybe I have a sensitive equilibrium because everyone else seemed to be enjoying it, but spinning (even if it's slowly) and drinking are not for me! 

We set out on the town and decided to walk over to the River and walk down the River Walk. The rain had really cooled things off and it was a very nice, breezy, cool night. We took a seat on a bench and watched the Natchez Riverboat float down the river. We took one more look at St. Louis and Jackson Square and then decided to make our way to our last dinner in the Big Easy (you would think we would be tired of eating at this point).

 This night we ended up going to Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse.  SUPERB!!! I had the best filet that I have put in my mouth in quit a while.  It came a la carte but Brandon and I shared a side of Stone-grind brie and corn cheese grits.  Yum, yum, yum!!!! 

After dinner we went on back to the room, and settled in for one last night in our comfy, 40 pillow bed! haha!  Really, it's not typical to not miss the good feeling of you're own bed, but this one felt like home. We slept in right until about an hour before checkout time, walked down to Cafe Beignet, had some coffee, checked out and proceeded to wait 45 minutes for valet to get our car to us.  FORTY FIVE MINUTES!!!! Why is it that I always have trouble with valet in New Orleans.  I mean when you haven't physically seen your car in 3 days and it takes them 45 minutes to get it to you, one can begin to worry.  Luckily it all turned out fine and we left New Orleans and the monsoon that hit that day with BIG SMILES on our face and very full bellies. 

Back to the real world and the lovely town of Oxford, I now how have 2 weeks of summer left.  I plan on taking these two weeks to bring myself out of la la land and apologize to my body for being so bad to it.  This is my public promise to myself to begin back my DAILY (no less than 6 days a week) workouts and no more than 1600 calories a day! While I'm working off these extra summer pounds, I will do it with a smile on my face because I will be remembering how much fun I had putting them on and how good it will feel to fit comfortably back into jeans! :) 

Be looking for my plan/road to training for my next half marathon.  I'm gonna get in one before Christmas.  Think I may have some running buddies lined up for this one! Hint Hint Lindsay Pollard and Katie Stigler!!! 

Delicious, Easy, (and Healthy) Summer Recipe

Brandon and I subscribe to Cooking Light magazine.  As most of you know, Brandon is a chef and does most of the cooking at our house.  We like to try and find recipes that are supper yummy and that won't bust your gut.  When I cook, I like for it to be easy.  When I found this recipe I was really pumped because 1. I LOVE pasta 2. It's super easy (I cooked it myself!) 3. It only has 301 calories for a 4th of the recipe. I found this recipe in the July issue of Cooking Light.

We love to eat out (this is where we don't always eat nearly as healthy as we should), and to me this taste like something right out of a great Italian restaurant. I have had a few people ask for the recipe so I just decided to post it on here.

Baked Ziti and Summer Squash

Game Plan (I love a game plan!):
1. Chop veggies
2. While pasta cooks, saute veggies
3. While pasta bakes, prepare a yummy mixed green salad to go with your pasta!

Ingredients:
4 ounces uncooked zitti (I used whole wheat)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups chopped yellow squash
1 cup chopped zucchini
2 cups chopped tomato
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced (I used Premium Minced Squeeze Garlic by Spice World)
1 cup shredded part skim- mozzarella cheese, divided
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (you can use the basil out of your spice rack, I did)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 large egg, lightly beaten
cooking spray

Directions:
1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add oil to pan.  Add squash, zucchini, and onion; saute for 5 minutes.  Add tomato and garlic; saute for 3 more minutes.

4.  Remove from heat and stir in pasta, 1/2 cup mozzarella, all herbs, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper

5 Combine and lightly beat ricotta, remaining salt, and egg.  Stir into pasta mixture.

6. Spoon into an 8 inch square class or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Sprinkle remaining mozzarella. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until bubbly and browned.

Nutrition:
Yield 4 servings.  Serving size about 1& 1/2 cups.   Calories 301, Fat 12.1 grams, Protein 16.5 grams, Carbs 32.8 grames, Fiber 4.1 grams

My results: SUPER YUMMY!!!! Even the leftovers are good!  Brandon loved it and I shared some with my neighbor and friend Amanda too.  She has requested a plate for every time I make it. ENJOY!

My Sunflowers

I love sunflowers! They just make me really happy when I see them.  I planted some in my parents backyard when I was little and I was amazed at how big they grew and how beautiful they were. I saw some recently out in Taylor when my family and I went for catfish.... 

... So I decided to grow some more of my own! They haven't bloomed yet but they sure are growing! It has been exciting to watch them.  Here they are...

So I will post more pics as they continue to grow and bloom.  Happy 4th of July!!!

Back to School!

So this has been an exciting and busy week for me! Last Friday I was a offered a first grade teaching position at Bramlett Elementary School in Oxford!!! Monday I was officially board approved.  Tuesday I went to the school to check out my new "office."  The previous tenant retired and left me A LOT of stuff for which I was very grateful.  Most of my things are third grade and above material and I was short on grade appropriate materials.  I spent Wednesday sifting through the stuff and discarding anything that was obviously from the 80s or before. Thursday I organized and got my things into their new home, and today I spent "coloring" and making bulletin boards pretty.  My room is ready for my new first grade class!!!

I'm so glad to have that part completed because I am spending the next week with my mom and brother on the BEACH and then the school is closed until the 25th for waxing. If you know me at all, you would have known that I would not have relaxed a bit until I had my room together and ready to go! With that being said, I still have a lot of planning to do to get ready for the academic portion of my job.  I do know for sure that my students will have a very inviting room to start their first grade careers in.

Did I tell you that it takes me UNDER 5 minutest to get work!?!?!?! FIVE minutes!!!! It's completely awesome. I feel very lucky to have been offered this position and was at most expecting to be an assistant for a year or two to get my foot in the door.  Let me just say, PERSISTENCE PAYS!!!  I'm guessing that my short 2 years of experience at Tupelo and good recommendations from my wonderful principals at Pierce Street also played in my favor.  I will miss my coworkers in Tupelo and grew so much from my time and experience there, but I'm feeling tremendously fortunate to be working near home. I finally feel like I live here and we can get life rollin...

I also was admitted into grad school at Ole Miss and registered for two night classed for the fall.  A month ago my plate was empty, now it is full. I love it! I'm excited to be going back to school and hope to absorb a lot of great things to incorporate into my classroom and with my students.

Brandon is off of work for the next few days and we are excited to spend some good quality down time together over the holiday weekend and before I go out of town.  I'm sure he would prefer to lay around the house and do nothing, but because this is all I have done all summer I'm sure I'll be dragging him around more than he will enjoy (Maybe shopping trip?!?!).  The great thing about Brandon and one reason I married him is because he won't complain.  He'll just smile and say "sure babe, whatever you wanna do."  I'll will of course take him into consideration and try to make the time enjoyable for him as  well.  He'll have a whole week without my bothersome ways to recuperate.  :) Oh and congrats to Joe and Patty on their wedding tomorrow!  Can't wait to go and see our friends live happily ever after, and our other friends, Lea and Andrew should be landing in Hawaii right about now to start a new chapter in their lives.  CAN'T WAIT to come and and visit!!! ALOHA!!! Have a good one!