Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid

Today was my big appointment with the dentist and the news was not good. From what he saw on my x-rays he's thinking I'm going to need 2 root canals plus some additional work! Now this was not new to us, the last time I was there (too long ago) he advised me that I was probably going to need 1 root canal in the near future. Did I listen and schedule my appointment? No, too scared! Today that's not an option and he wasn't letting me leave without confirming out next "date." My first one is scheduled for a few weeks from now but already I am nervous. The last time I had a procedure like this done was when I had my wisdom teeth pulled out over 7 seven years ago. The pain was horrible and as soon as I heard the words "root canal" come out of his mouth everything seemed to be moving in slow motion and I immediately remembered what the pain felt like. I think my wallet must have also felt the pain because from what I understand these types of procedures can be pretty pricey. Moral of this story: listen to your dentist.

Monday Blues

This morning was hard. The Monday Blues were VERY EVIDENT in our house today! Too tired and way too sleepy to begin the week. I dragged all day long and was so glad when 4 o'clock finally came around. We had an early dinner today and just as I was dozing off on the couch while Robert played Call of Duty the alarm goes off on my phone reminding me today was Day 1 of fitness bootcamp. :( I changed quickly and headed out. I've done this camp before but it had obviously been a while because it didn't take long before I was gasping for air and reaching for my water bottle. Aurora decided to join me for this session of bootcamp and I'm glad because I might have just skipped out had I known no one would be waiting for me there. I thought that maybe all those push-ups, sit-ups, sprints, lunges and running I'd be able to kick those darn Monday blues but no such luck. right after my shower I headed straight to the comfort of our bed. Tomorrow is a new day and normally I'd be glad about that but guess where I have to be at 9:00 AM ---- THE DENTIST! I have a feeling there's a root canal somewhere in my near future. I'll be sure to say my prayers tonight, I'm going to need them.

Put a Fork in it, it's DONE!

Jennifer Alaniz-Lopez - 34th Armed Forces Day BEACH TO BAY RELAY MARATHON (details) Confirmation # 5Z2RNW7 Subtotal: $198.03
Total $198.03
That's it ladies, it's done!. We are officially one of the thousands of teams that will be part of the Beach to Bay Relay Marathon on May 16th, 2009. According to my countdown widget that would be 46 days away! Hope you're ready!I can't wait, no matter the pressure or stress level we always manage to have a great time. Our next step is finding a place to stay. Beach house anyone?

Look What I Got

This week Robert joined the Fit Train and decided to get back into running. Although he had only been out to run three times this week I somehow managed to promised him I'd treat him to breakfast convince him to wake up really early this morning, drive to Mission and do a 5k with me. We were a little worried about the weather but it ended up being a beautiful morning and we both had great runs. The course was tough, very uneven and even took us through a wooded area which was full of twists and turns! For the FIRST time ever I finished before him with a time of 28:04. Having only run three times this week Robert did awesome finishing in 30:00. Since there wasn't too many people there I really wanted to see how I fared compared to the other women. We waited for the results and in my age group I finished first! Here's the medal to prove it:

Energized from the run we went out and ran errands for the rest of the morning. This afternoon it was housekeeping time. For me that meant dishes,laundry and cleaning up. Robert had it a little tougher I think he did yard work at 2 in the afternoon in the Texas heat. Thank God for A/C!

Friday Night Lights Out

I have a love/hate relationship with Fridays. On the one hand I love that it's the end of our work week and beginning of the weekend. This picture really sums up my feelings most of the day on Fridays:

On the other hand it never ceases to amaze me how tired we are come 7:00 PM. There's always places to go---dinner, out for drinks, a movie maybe but it's so hard to make it out anywhere because the long week and lack of sleep has caught up with us and we're dragging. All I want when I get home is something like this:

Tonight we tried to have "date night." Apparently so did everyone else in town. :( We tried three different places before finally settling for a 30 minute wait at Cheddar's. Because they were so busy the service wasn't great and we were glad to just get some food in us and make it back home. As we walked out I commented on how tired I was. "Really?" replies Robert. Apparently not as tired as he was, I already hear the snores coming from the living room and we've only been home for about 30 minutes! Looks like it's lights out for us on this Friday night.

Run the other way if you see these 3

Day 2 of the Shred today and I am so SORE!!!!!! My legs and shoulders were the most sore I think. It was hard to get through Level 1 today after my run. Jillian should really be named Killian and I'm starting to think that no matter what she says I'll never look like Anita and what's her name working out behind her in the video. Depending on how I wake up tomorrow I may hold off on Day 3 until Saturday. I'm afraid I'm going to pay for it during the 5k on Saturday. I found this picture online and it's perfect for how I felt today during the workout:

29 Days of Shredding on the Wall, 29 Days of Shred

I'm so glad spring and it's awesome weather are finally here. Tonight after dinner (pic at the end of this post), I convinced Robert to go out with Charlie and I for a walk at the park. We ended up walking about 2.5 miles. When we got home I popped in the 30 Day Shred DVD and went for it while Robert sat on the couch getting acquainted with his new phone and Charlie recovered from our walk. After about the first five minutes I was already huffing and puffing for air! It reminded me a lot of the outdoor bootcamp training I've done in the past. For about 27 minutes you are constantly involved in either a strength exercise or cardio. There is no break time or a "let me catch my breath" moment. Robert kept checking up on me with questions like "Is it easy for you?" and "Does that hurt because those lunges look they hurt?" I was able to make it through all of Level 1 and am going to try and stay there for another nine days. Saturday morning I have a 5k planned so I'm not sure about "shredding" on Friday but I guess that will just depend on how sore I feel tomorrow. Glad Day 1 is over and done with and there's only 29 more to go! Here's a picture of our yummy dinner:

The pork chops were a special request from Robert.

What's in Your Head? Your Head?

Remember that song by the Cranberries? It used to be one of my favorites. Tonight I went out for a long run---8 miles! It took me about an hour and 10 minutes but was well worth it. Robert was away at a soccer game (he must be good luck because they won the bi-district championship tonight) and I just felt the urge to go out and run. I had set out for seven miles but halfway through decided to take advantage of the great weather outside and go for a total of 8. Sure there was a moment at about 6 miles I thought I was completely insane but there was no point in stopping there. It's amazing how a good run can clear your head of all the stress of our everyday lives. I'm usually constantly fidgeting with the Ipod trying to get it to a song that will keep me going but today I didn't even mess with it once. It was really about just letting go of all the stress from work and everyday life. Tomorrow I think I'll stay off the pavement and try this:

After reading so many people blog about it and their awesome results I finally gave in and got myself a copy. I'm a little worried because my friend Aurora said she got tired from just watching it! Hopefully Jillian won't kick my butt too bad!

First Day Back

So today was our first day back at school. I was excited this morning because I knew we'd be getting our TAKS scores back. I had known since Tuesday that all my kids passed but today we got the specifics. As she called out the names of the students who received Commended Performance (missed 3 or less out of 42)I was so happy for my class. I had 70% of my class earn commended and ended up with 7 PERFECT SCORES!!!! They did an awesome job and I hope that when we test Math in two weeks they will again rise to the challenge.
Obviously Robert had a great day back too because as soon as he walked through the door he begin telling me detail after detail about his day. He sounded like a kid coming home from his first day. It was too funny! After dinner we literally lost all our excitement. I had plans to hit the gym but instead hit a wall because I could just not get myself to go. He relaxed with a couple of games on his XBOX and I caught up on some TV. Tomorrow I'm going to TRY to get in an early run before work. TRY being the key word.

It's Official

On May 16th, we will be in Corpus Christi running the Beach to Bay Relay Marathon!Although we had talked about running this event before, we had never really "committed" ourselves to doing it. This afternoon I visited the B2B site and noticed that early registration would be closing in the next couple of weeks. I sent out an email to my friends with the basic info on the race and the following reasons why I thought this would be something we had to do:

1. Great way to show up the significant others.
2. From that day forward we could technically tell people we ran a marathon.
3. Summer and swimsuits are just around the corner.
4. I hear they throw a nice party for everyone afterwards.

They all responded with a yes! I'm hoping that this will be an awesome experience for all of us and can't wait to start looking for matching race day outfits. Well at least T-shirts. I did some searching online and found a couple of funny sayings:
---Friends don't let friends run marathons.
---In my mind, I AM a Kenyan.
---(front) Registering for the B2B Relay Marathon ... $138
(back) Finishing the B2B Relay Marathon ... PRICELESS
---"Does this shirt make my butt look fast?"

To Share or not to Share?

That was the question on our minds for a couple of hours this afternoon. Unbeknownst to me yesterday while at the livestock show my husband signed us up for a timeshare presentation today at the beach. Now, we LOVE the beach and head out there anytime we can but I was a little leery about this 90 minute presentation. I even had a dream about it with tons of people trying to pressure us into buying something. Robert tried to ease my mind by telling me we would get a free lunch out of it, a $150 gas credit, and possibly even a cruise for only $64. We arrived at the resort a little after one and thankfully it wasn't too bad. The salesman wasn't too pushy, lunch was good, and they understood that this deal wasn't right for us at this point in our lives. As we walked out of their sales office with our gas credit and cruise voucher we both felt a bit more knowledgeable about timeshares and confident that we had made the right choice. Since we decided not to share our time and money in a condo, we're thinking about possibly investing some money in a new travel trailer instead. We've already seen a couple we like and hope that when we arrive at the beach in a month or so it will be with one of these attached to our truck:

The Beginning of the End

Although I'm excited that today was the first official day of Spring I have to admit I'm a little sad that it marks the end of my Spring Break.:( Come Monday it's back to the grind. I made it a point to wake up early this morning to try and get some exercise in. Charlie and I went for a walk at a nearby park and it was perfect because there weren't too many people out so we got to enjoy the sights and sounds of a beautiful spring morning. Although this aren't my pictures, they're great shots of what we saw this morning at the park:

After running a couple of errands Robert and I drove out to Mercedes to see my cousin show her steer at the livestock show. We were so proud of her and her 3rd place finish. She took it a little hard because she was aiming for one of the top two spots but we finally convinced her that for only being 11, she did an awesome job showing that 1,200 pound steer. After her competition we walked around and somehow managed to make it out without buying anything. Let me tell you it wasn't easy. I mean who doesn't need $40 massaging insoles, $3000 therapeutic mattresses or even a handmade wooden sign that says "any more than 2 brews and the shirts come off." What? Seriously?
Our evening was pretty quiet. Robert had a baseball game at his school so I stayed home, ordered in sushi, and finally put up those awesome frames I found at Target. They look great. Around 10:30 I got excited because I thought SNL was on. Only problem was I had the wrong day of the week!I'm really going to try and drag out the next two days as much as possible. Wonder if my students are planning the same thing.

A Great Life

Understand your purpose in life by feeling your heart's desires. -- Marcia Wieder

On our way back from San Antonio on Tuesday we got a call from one of Robert's co-workers. They informed us that one of their teachers who was a friend of ours had been involved in fatal bus accident while vacationing in Mexico for Spring Break. Tonight we attended his rosary. The room was full of family, friends. colleagues, and both current and former students. It was evident that he touched so many lives throughout his career and truly understood his purpose in life. From the conversations we had while taking our master's classes together his work was his life. Art, drama, theatre, working with teachers, and students were what his heart desired and he followed it with all he had. Having taught for over 30 years, there is no lesson more fitting than his last for us all: know your purpose and listen to your heart.

89 and Still Going Strong

This evening we went over to Robert's grandparent's house to celebrate Grandpa Tony's 89th birthday. We had dinner with family and got the opportunity to hear some great stories from both Grandma and Grandpa. It's amazing to hear them talk about how things used to be and what times were like way back when. To see them with our new baby nephew was too cute. They're both proud great-grandparents now. We are so blessed to still have them in our lives and are looking forward to many more birthday celebrations. As he told us tonight "Next year I want a big party for my 90th and then we won't have another one until I hit 100!" Can't wait!

Free Stationary Anyone?

Monograms and Martinis in Manhattan is hosting another great giveaway.The winner will receive a set of 15 personalized note cards. IT GETS BETTER...the winner will be able to chose the design of the cards from her website! Be sure and stop by her site for your chance to win!

Home Sweet Home

We are finally home from our long weekend in San Antonio. Our plans to return yesterday were thrown out the window when hubby and father-in-law decided it was such a nice day to play golf. Again their tee time was set for 2:30 so by the time they finished the 18th hole it was almost 7 and too late to come home. While they were out on the course at the Quarry we did some more shopping for our new niece who is expected sometime the first week in May. It always amazes me how much time you can spend in the baby section at stores. Just when you think you've seen everything and nothing could be cuter hiding somewhere in a rack is something even cuter. One thing is for sure Baby Lexi will have an awesome size wardrobe to work with! For dinner last night we stopped at Zio's which was yummy. Our next trip up we are hoping to make it to The Melting Pot. From what we heard last night it is definetely an experience.This morning we walked downtown for a while and then headed home. Can't wait to unpack, do laundry, put up the new frames, relax with Charlie and catch up on my TiVo.

Golf, Shopping & BBQ

The title pretty much sums up our Sunday. We woke up early to take advantage of the free breakfast here at the hotel, enjoyed a little TV and then headed over to his sister's. Robert and his dad had a 2:20 tee time at the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort. From what I heard in the car it's supposed to be one of the best places to play. Here's a pic:

I guess if you're a golfer that picture is awesome and says a lot about the course.
While hubby was away playing golf I decided to to do a little shopping on my own at North Star Mall. I was a little worried about getting there by myself but Robert gave me great directions plus it's kind of hard to miss with these two right out in front:

I had really been wanting to visit the Limited and wasn't disaapointed. They had some great stuff. After the mall I made a visit to Target. I was so excited when I found these:

I've been wanting something for either side of our flat screen tv on the wall in the living room and these might just do the trick. The price was ridiculous. They were on sale for 9.98 a piece! We wrapped up our day at his aunt and uncles with a family BBQ. The ribeyes were great and his cousin's ER stories were better than an episode of Grey's! Tomorrow is the 16th and that means the beginning of Miles for Monika. If you haven't heard about this click the button on the right sidebar to learn more about this wonderful project. My goal is to be able to log in at least 20 miles. I'll keep you posted.

Saturday in S.A.

Today was our first day in San Antonio and boy was it full of activities. After breakfast this morning we got ready and headed over to my sister-in-law's baby shower. The food was yummy (I'm hoping to post one of the recipes tomorrow)and the gifts were adorable. She's expecting a girl so there was lots of pink and "oh, how cute" as she was opening her gifts. Apparently, I'm really good at word scrambles because I was the first to finish the ever populay Baby Word Unscramble! After the shower we headed back to her house to help unload the goodies and then headed out with the hungry husbands for a late lunch/dinner at Saltgrass. More yummy food. We decided to rest for a couple of hours and then hubby and I went on a search for a TJ Maxx in the area. I was so excited to find one but since the men's section wasn't too appealing we ended up leaving.:( On our way to the next store we passed a SuperTarget. The next bit of conversation was funny:
Me: "Wow, that must be like heaven. I could go in there and get all my shopping done at once."
Robert: "Jen, it's just like Wal-Mart. You could do all you're shopping there too."
Me: "You don't understand. When I walk into Target everything just feels different."
Robert:"That must be because EVERYTHING in there is more expensive. It's an EXPENSIVE different feeling."
Me: "You just don't understand."
The only other store we found ended up being Ross. Sure you can dress for less there but you always end up having to digg through piles and racks because they're so MESSY! Apparently I'm also a good digger because I managed to walk out with a new pair of Nike runnning capris and a couple of tops.

What I Learned in 3 Hours

We took off to San Antonio tonight at about 8 and settled in for the 3 hour long ride. It's amazing what you can learn in three hours while driving at night:
1. It's not a good idea to go for a 5 mile run before having to sit in a car for 3 hours. Knees don't appreciate that.
2. My husband can apparently manage to pack more things for a three day stay than me.
3. Singing does make the time go faster.
and the most important thing
4. I OBVIOUSLY DIDN'T MARRY A CO-PILOT----he fell asleep an hour in, leaving me to drive!!!!!!!

Girls Night

Tonight I met up with the girls for a nice dinner at Kato Sushi. Aurora and I have been trying to plan this for the last two weeks and it finally happened. I had never been there before and was impressed with their food and the service. It was the perfect way to relax and laugh after a long week. It's nice to be able to hang out with them and just talk. There never seems to be a shortage of topics (raw fish, silky smooth, and squeakys--the new place downtown etc...) to discuss. I got home and made some cupcakes for my kids tomorrow. Funny, I always make my favorite--strawberry with cream frosting! They're used to it by now and some of them have even told me it's their fave now too. Tomorrow is finally Friday and we're headed to San Antonio for a long weekend. Robert has an obsession with Priceline so when it came time to book a room yesterday he got comfortable in front of the computer and typed away until he finally got the "BEST DEAL." Looks like this will be our home for the next few nights:

Not bad for $50 dollars a night huh? Looks awesome, can't wait! Keeping my fingers crossed that the weather clears up. :)

Intuitive Inbox

This is starting to get a little creepy. For the last few months anytime something has been on my mind for a while I always end up receiving an email from a friend or website I subscribe to that helps me sort things out. The last couple of days I've been going back and forth in my mind about how to best respond to a certain situation. Should I say something or let it go and move on? Well this morning it was these two great quotes from WalktheTalk.com that helped me make my decision:

Silence is the language of wisdom beyond words. -- Michael Gellert

Joy is always available to us, moment by moment. But we must keep our minds open and pay attention. A closed mind or a mind filled with fear or judgment will never know joy. -- Author Unknown

Decision made.

TOOOO Long Tuesday

Today is finally coming to an end and boy has it been long! It started off early this morning as I got to school and tried to finish up things for Open House. Around 8:30 we left school and headed for the Dodge Arena to watch the Killer Bees 6th Annual Kids Game. Now if you've ever been to a hockey game you know they can be long and loud. Today's was just that. We arrived along with 4,800 other kids at the arena a little after nine and left to return back to school at 1:30! I do have to say though that it was nice to see the kids be kids. They had so much fun cheering on the Bees, dancing, and screaming at the top of their lungs everytime the announcer asked them to "Get Loud!" Once they were all out the door at 3:00, it was time for the finishing touches for Open House. My first parent walked in at 4:45 and the last one left at 6:45. We had fun playing our own version of "Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader?" Right after Open House the hubby and I met up with his mom, sisters, niece, nephew and brother-in-law for dinner at Logan's. It was so good! As we finally walked through the door a little after nine, it was hard to believe we woudl have to start all over tomorrow. Good news is tomorrow's Wednesday and that means only 2 more school days before Spring Break!!!!

A Laugh to Get Through Monday

Sister Mary Kathryn entered the Monastery of Silence.
The Priest said, 'Sister, this is a silent monastery.
You are welcome here as long as you like,
but you may not speak until directed to do so.'
Sister Mary Kathryn lived in the monastery for 5 years
before the Priest said to her,
'Sister Mary Kathryn, you have been here for 5 years. You may speak two words.'
Sister Mary Kathryn said,
'Hard bed.'
'I'm sorry to hear that,' the Priest said,
'We will get you a better bed.'
After another 5 years, Sister Mary Kathryn was summoned by the Priest.
'You may say another two words, Sister Mary Kathryn.'
'Cold food,' said Sister Mary Kathryn,
and the Priest assured her that the food would be better in the future.
On her 15th anniversary at the monastery,
the Priest again called Sister Mary Kathryn in to his office.
'You may say two words today.'
'I quit,' said Sister Mary Kathryn.
'It's probably best,' said the Priest,
'You've done nothing but bitch since you got here.'

La Isla Bonita

Robert, Charlie and I all love the beach. We met there 6 years ago, have spent the last five summers there and were married there last year. For the last month we have been trying to get out there for a weekend but it hasn't worked out. Today it finally did. He had plans to play basketball with friends and I wanted to get a long run in today, but instead we decided to drive the hour out to the beach and are so glad we did. The weather was great, the food at Daddy's was delicious and we beat the Spring Break crowd! After lunch we drove by our reserved spot at Isla Blanca Park for the months of June & July:


This is where we park our RV for the summer and leave all others worries behind. We also had to stop at the old Radisson Resort, where we got married 8 months ago for a drink at the:

I really believe these are the hands down the best margaritas around:

On our way home we made a stop at our actual wedding ceremony sight, the historic Port Isabel Lighthouse:

One more pic before leaving:


Can't wait to go back!

W.O.W 5K and Fun at the Carnival

Despite staying out a little late last night to celebrate my friend Mari's birthday downtown, I dragged myself out of bed this morning to run in UTPA's annual Working on Wellness 5k. The winds were horrible but the race itself went well. It's basically a run around and through the university. I finished under my goal time of 30 minutes with a time of 28:12. This afternoon we drove out to Hidalgo to go to Borderfest. I swear I felt like a little kid again. We had so much fun riding the carnival rides, loading up on funnel cakes, tacos and other stuff that's not so good for you and watching some fun entertainment. Best part was probably standing in the line to ride one of the rides and having a 12 year old ask me "Are you in line or just waiting for your kids?" What??????? "Yes I'm in line for the ride." I looked for her when we tried the bumper cars but she wasn't there. Oh well, took out my frustration on one of Robert's friends instead!

Totally Became this Person Today

That's right, that was me just now at HEB. I really was only going in quickly to grab something for lunch tomorrow. They only had three registers open, there's at least three people behind me and when the cashier runs my check, it won't read it! He's looking at me like don't you have a debit card or something? Yes I do, but there was this security breach thing at my bank....So embarassed! Can't wait for my new check card.

No Chewing Paper

Every day is a new experience with my fifth graders. Today on the way to Spanish somebody rushes up to me and says "Mrs. Lopez, so-and-so is chewing gum." I turn around and sure enough so-and-so is chewing something but she kindly takes it out and holds it out for me to show that it's not gum she's chewing, "it's only paper." Nicely I remind her there is no chewing gum or paper in class, we just don't do that. One student is quietly listening and comes up to me before entering the Spanish classroom and says "Uh by the way, you do know there are some people who put grass in paper and then smoke it, so technically some people do chew paper." Always an experience I tell you, always.

Thankful Tuesday

On the first Tuesday of March, one third of the way through 2009, I'm thankful for
1. Round 1 of state mandated testing is over! Can't tell you how much we dread this as teachers. Poor kids who have to sit through it all day. :(
2. Being able to run just over 100 miles since January! This started off just me trying to get out and do some physical activity. Now I look forward to it just about every evening. It's amazing how you push yourself to new limits.Next goal:200.
3. Spring Break is now only 8 school days away! At this point it doesn't matter if we go anywhere or not, it will just be nice to relax.
4. My husband who knows what those red lights mean on the dash of my car. I worried yesterday on my way to school when one of those came on. All he had to do was look at it to see that OBVIOUSLY it means the air pressure in the tires is low.
5. It's already March---only two more months in the school year! Not sure who will be happier that last day me or the kids.

I Waited 6 Days & 2 Hours for Him to Do That?????

I've been waiting patiently all week for tonight's finale of the Bachelor. While cooking dinner I would glance back and forth at the TV hooked on his every word. I even ran to Wal-Mart mega quick to grab some goodies for my kids tomorrow. After rushing back home I started watching again only to get to the end and for him to dump Melissa, the girl he proposed to????? I went from loving him to really disliking him!!!! I just wanted to scream!!! Can you tell Molly wasn't my favorite? Honestly, how do you fall in love with two people at the same time?
On a brighter note dinner turned out great. I tried slow cooking baby back ribs in the oven and they turned out great. Robert kept checking up on me the whole time they were cooking. He didn't seem to believe I could get them done. Well I did and he loved them!

UPDATE
Here's the recipe:
http://recipe.aol.com/recipe/tyler-florence-s-bbq-ribs/79964

Let's Get Physical...Physical

Not sure what got into us today but we were up early, had breakfast and visited with family and it was only 10AM. Robert decided he was going to cut the yard (a workout in itself) and then join some of his friends for a few games of basketball. I'm trying to save my long runs for Sundays so I had prepared myself mentally all weekend for a 7 miler today. So while he was away playing BB I headed to the gym. I surprised myself and was able to get through the 7 miles without passing out. By the time I got home Robert was almost done with dinner and it was nice not to have to worry about that. Needless to say that with all this physical activity we were just a little tired this evening. He played a couple of games on the XBOX while I watched Brothers & Sisters. Before he went to bed he mumbled something that sounded like I Love You. Apparently even his mouth is too tired!