The twirl girl

Had a great time with the kids last week. Chance and Hope both won their games Thursday night, then we watched the NBA finals and I foolishly agreed to buy dinner should the Celtics lose. A 12-point swing later, I found myself driving to Taco Bell at midnight to eat tacos and crow.

Friday and Saturday brought work, meetings, a long-overdue dinner with Sorne and Vance, hanging out with my grandmother, and a very fun wedding. More on that later.

After the dance recital, Hope decided she needed "one of those stiff skirts" like the ballerinas. She loved it!



Here's to a fun birthday week!

The best things in life aren't free

Yes we can, indeed. And if you drank the Obama Kool-aid, there's no need to read further.

I openly acknowledge my high maintenance lifestyle. I consider pedicures and massages to be necessities in my monthly budget. I don't color my own hair or mow my own lawn. I insist on nice hotels, great meals, and fabulous handbags.

In other words, my life ain't cheap.

Luckily, I went to college and despite all the partying, managed to graduate and go on to earn a master's degree. My job is stressful and often it's more than 40 hours a week. But I don't mind because I'm fortunate to have a job I love, and because I am well compensated for thinking about work 24/7.

With a nice salary comes some nice perks, like a nice home and a dependable (albeit recalled) vehicle, cosmetics from a department store counter, and the opportunity to travel. See, I'm obsessed with weekend shopping trips and concerts and nice dinners. I find myself planning months full of weekends to Dallas and Kansas City. Right now I'm saving to buy my nephew a laptop for his high school graduation. I have 20th row tickets to see Bon Jovi in Tulsa next month. I'm headed to Temple twice in April, once for a race and once just because I miss Jen. I'm currently trying to talk Scott and Alisa into Dallas in May to see Jimmy Buffett, and I want to schedule girls' weekend with Sorne, Kelly and Amanda to see SATC2 Memorial Day weekend.

Ruth's Chris for dinner? That's just a Wednesday night for me and my pal Lori B. And in December, Krista and I will be happily ensconced in our Times Square hotel suite in NYC.

If you're going somewhere, I want to go. If a great band is playing, I want to see the concert. I like stuff. I like places. I love spending time with my friends.

But often, I find myself having to stop planning things. Not only do my weekends fill, but I run out of funds. And when you don't have money, you have to stop spending it.

Unless you're Congress. Then you can continue to spend money you don't have on people who don't need it.

See, when I use credit to pay for things, I have to pay it back with interest. Where's my blank check?

But you know what? If someone gave me a beautiful new red patent leather Louis Vuitton bag with the understanding that it was totally free to me, but someday my niece and nephews would have to pay for it, I'd say no. Because I believe in paying for my lifestyle, even if it means doing without.

You listening, Nancy Pelosi?

Let's make plans for July, when I might be solvent again!

Mind over fatter

After four straight years of failed New Year's resolutions about running, I'm seriously training for my first 5K. Oh, I've walked my share, but I am determined to run one before I die. Which I could do while running.

I have the soul of a runner and the body of a wrestler.

Some time ago, I was asking my friend Sorne for some running advice. She's been doing races for years and gets up at dawn to train with some dedicated ladies. I asked how she ever got to the point of being able to run for miles and miles without quitting and she informed me that when you can push past the point when you want to quit and get to your second wind, you'll build endurance.

She was so right. Turns out that running is a mind game.

I find myself pushing past the point where I would have quit before, working toward incremental goals. Telling myself that I'll quit when I get to one mile, then to a mile and a quarter, and I find myself at two miles without sucking wind when I wanted to quit at the half-mile mark.

So maybe I'll become a runner after all. Oh, I don't see myself doing marathons or reducing my body fat to 10% anytime soon, but I am excited that I am on the path of running three miles a few times a week within the next month.

If only the rest of my life were that way. If only I could will myself to get more work done, get over boys, or not drive through McDonald's after my runs, I'd be in business.

'Til then, I'll settle for jeans that fit.

Queen of Denial

In my family, we don't have uncomfortable conversations. Instead, we ignore the elephant in the room, pretend bad stuff isn't happening, and hope whatever makes us nervous simply goes away.

We're also obsessed with food. My grandmother, for example, talks about nothing except what she's eaten, what she's going to eat, or what she wants to eat.

So I suppose it should be no surprise that I've been avoiding the scale lately. Yes, I knew my clothes were tighter than they used to be. That muffin top at the KISS concert was no fluke. Even Brady asked me last weekend why I always wear my clothes too tight. Out of the mouths of babes, I guess.

But today the scale couldn't be avoided when I went to the doctor. I've been fighting a sinus infection for weeks, but I've been on antibiotics for a couple of weeks, so I assumed it would go away. It did not. This morning I woke up under the weather and went to the doctor to make sure it was not strep.

My blood pressure is fine. I had no fever. I did have, however, eight more pounds than I used to have.

The doctor's office called to ask if I could show up 30 minutes earlier, which I did, then they made me wait for 45 minutes. Granted, it's flu season and I'm sure they're busy, but I fumed the whole time. Turns out it was not strep, but rather a persistently annoying sinus infection that 10 days of antibiotics didn't cure. So now I have more.

Other than whining and feeling the need to make my mom's famous lime sherbet freezes when I have a sore throat, being sick somehow makes me feel like I have permission to eat junk I wouldn't normally eat. So I went to Walmart and bought a cart full of oreos, potato chips, and iced sugar cookies.

Hence the trip to the gym tonight for the treadmill and elliptical machine. I will NOT get fat again. Seriously. If I have to go to the gym three times a day in order to keep from going back up a size, that's what I'll do.

Kate Moss recently said that noting tastes as good as being skinny feels. I don't know about that, but I do agree with my pal Sorne, who says that she loves to eat more than she hates working out. So bring on the Christmas food, and schedule my cardio.

Top chef, Johnson

As my friend Sorne would say, I love to eat more than I hate to exercise. But lately, I've been doing too much of the former and too little of the latter.

Tonight the folks from our advertising agency took me out to dinner to celebrate our big enrollment week (80 new students... wahoo!). It was my maiden voyage to James at the Mill and trust me, friends, it lived up to all the hype.

Dinner was an event. We met at 5:30 and finished around 8 p.m. But hey... it was work related, right?

Crab cake



Yummy steak



Dessert: warm chocolate cake



Alas, I did not meet Stacy London today. The sweet student did call and invite me to her office for a private meet and greet, but I'd already scheduled meetings, so work once again got in the way of my celebrity stalking. When she called, the student did tell me that Stacy was very tiny in person, and very sweet and funny. I'm glad she wasn't disappointed in her like I usually am when I meet famous people.

I think I've got a sinus infection coming on. Sore throat, sniffles, headache, sinus pressure... yuck. I do not want to get sick. But I have only one meeting in the morning, so if there's a good day to rest, tomorrow would be it.

I'm still stuffed. Need to walk 10 miles but have too many files to sort through and too many GPAs to figure. My life is so glamorous.

(There will be pics, but stupid Gmail is down. Grrr.)

Forgiveness... even if you don't love me anymore

The past few days have run the gamut of emotion. So much sadness, yet joy in knowing how many people truly care. It's in times like this that I am humbled by who God is. I am overwhelmed by His grace and His mercy, and His character of compassion shown by so many of His children. I am unequivocally blessed.

After several days of lethargy, I finally trekked over to Rogers yesterday for a much-needed massage and dinner with my good friend Kelly. It's weird sometimes to think back to how people come into our lives. I know Kelly because of my good pal and former roommate Sorne, but I know without a doubt that God gave me Kelly because she is my Barnabus... my encouragement and someone I can always depend on.

Today I went to a birthday party for a friend, then met Kelly and one of her friends for church. Tonight was communion and really an awesome service. I usually go on Sunday mornings, but have no doubt I was meant to be there this evening. (For more about that, visit the other blog.)

Earlier in the week I got a sympathy card from someone whom I've wronged, and it humbled me. It also made me start thinking about forgiveness. It takes so much energy to be angry. So I realized that sometimes forgiveness isn't about the forgiven so much as it's about the forgiver. It's easy to forgive someone who deserves it, but much more difficult and character-building to forgive someone who does not.

But if we really want to be more like Christ, isn't that what we should do? He forgave Judas. Not because of anything Judas had done, but because of who He is. I don't earn His forgiveness for my sin, either, but He gives it freely because that's God.

So I've decided to stop being mad. And yeah, LB doesn't deserve my forgiveness. He was a jerk. He hasn't been a good friend to me when I needed him most. But if I'm ever going to put some feet to this faith, I've got to live it when it's hard.

Olive branch extended. Dinner tomorrow. Much prayer needed.

Happy (belated) birthday, Sorne!

I'm a few days late, but I would be remiss to not wish a very happy birthday to my pal Sorne, one of the greatest people in the whole wide world! Happy belated birthday to my roomie. Can't wait to party in T-town.

Weekend update

First of all, Happy belated Mother's Day to all of the special women in my life. Yesterday was a sad day for me because I've really, really been missing my Mom lately. Mostly when I need to vent. Or when I need someone to tell me I'm really special, even if I don't feel special. So yesterday I was bummed because I miss Mom, but I was also grateful for all of the outstanding women God's given me to pick up the slack. My grandmother, who tells me to take care of myself (and makes me crazy). My aunt Kathy, who tells me what to do, but only when I ask. My surrogate Mom Estella, who teaches me how to cook and gives me work advice. Even friends like Sorne, Kelly, Alisa and Shauna, who are loyal to me, even when I'm a jerk. I am supremely blessed!

LB and I haven't kissed, but we did make up. We're making our way back to being really good friends and figuring out what that means for us. He's really an amazing, wonderful person and I'm lucky to have him in my life in any capacity. I mean that. (Of course, that doesn't mean I'm ready to go to his wedding, but I'll get there.) If nothing else, this past week has proven to me how much I mean to him, which is flattering.

Work continues to be a big struggle, but I'm trying to learn my lessons. I've made a lot of mistakes these past few months and some of the things I've had to do haven't been easy. But sometimes you have to speak out, even if it's hard. Sometimes you have to be silent, even when you don't want to be. And sometimes you have to take the blame for things that aren't your fault. I suppose that's part of being an adult.

Ugh. I can't believe it's Monday. Long week ahead! And five days of more rain is really gonna suck.

Running on faith

A few months ago I had this grand idea that Jen and I should do the Race for the Cure 5K in Waco in April. Jen's been running about 10 miles a day for months, but I needed some motivation and a deadline to finally conquer my New Year's resolution of running a 5K. I'm not trying to finish in 20 minutes or anything... just run it all, no matter how long it takes. Yesterday I realized that I have about six weeks to get ready. I've yet to run more than a quarter of a mile or so without stopping to walk for a bit before running a few more steps. Six weeks, people.

My pal Sorne told me once that the key to increasing your distance is just to force yourself past the point when you want to quit, hit your stride, and you'll be fine. Famous last words. But last night, getting fearful of failure yet again (and therefore being made fun of by Lonnie for another year), I decided it was time to suck it up and press on.

The good news is that I made it two miles. The better news is that I actually felt fine this morning. Minor shin splints, but that could have been from the fabulous four-inch BCBGirls stilettos I wore today. With pointed toes. Very sexy.

As Forrest Gump said, "I just felt like running."

Oh, and as of this morning... 25 pounds lost. Yay me!

(PS... I'm headed to Melbourne via Mountain Home tomorrow for the state basketball tournament, so my updates may be sporadic. Hooray for four-day weekends!)

Monday update

Only one more day to work this year, unless it starts to ice tomorrow morning, in which case I'll be headed south early. I'm spending tomorrow night with my brother and the kids, then Christmas Eve with Sorne and Amanda.

Sunday evening we had Christmas with my mom's family, which was great, but I lost my camera, so I guess you'll never see the great pic of me and Dr. Jen. I hope whatever Lonestar server went home with my Canon enjoys my family pics.

Under pressure

Well I suppose today was a bit better than yesterday considering nobody tried to put any body part in a vice, but it was still filled with a lot of pressure. The metaphoric kind, not the literal kind.

So I had a stinky morning and came home for lunch to feel sorry for myself. It was tough considering I'm on day two of my 48-hour fruit fast, but alas, I did not succumb to chocolate. I did, however, succumb to a long talk with God, during which He told me to get over myself. (That's just how God rolls, I'm convinced. I don't think He always talks to us in KJV lingo.)

My afternoon was much better. Less talking, more action. But also more meetings.

Tonight I'm doing laundry, ironing and packing to hit the road again. I'm relying on the hospitality of friends for the next four nights. Tomorrow I have LBC, then speaking at a board meeting, then back to LBC in the afternoon. Tomorrow night I'm driving to the Fort for a Chamber dinner with Ashley. I'll be crashing at Vance and Sorne's.

On Friday I'm driving to the Rock to have lunch with Ann, then Brent and I are going to Cold Stone to celebrate his natal anniversary. That night Joe's meeting Estella and I for dinner, and we'll be getting up early on Saturday to walk in the Race for the Cure in Little Rock. I've always wanted to do the Race and never have. I hear it's indescribable and I'm very excited.

Saturday afternoon/night I'll be driving to Nebo to stay with Scott and Alisa. On Sunday afternoon my ol' Tech friends are coming up for gumbo and good times. Then, late Sunday evening, I'll be driving to Rogers to stay with Kelly so that I can be at a 7 a.m. meeting on Monday.

Good grief. When did my life become so crazy? But I love it. And I'm grateful to have good friends (with spare bedrooms) to share it all with.

Lazy, hazy weekend

The past 72 hours have been filled with medicine and movies. I spent a couple of hours at the office yesterday morning, but other than that, all I've done is dope up on Nyquil and clear my DVR. You would think my allergies would give me a break in the heat of summer, but no dice. I did manage to watch seven or eight movies.

Thursday night I met Sorne, Vance and Amanda in Rogers to celebrate my birthday and Vance's promotion. Sorne evidently robbed a bank since she treated us all to Ruth's Chris Steak House. It was fantastic and quite a dining experience, but I'm quite sure she could have purchased a new handbag for what dinner cost.

While we were there Vance snuck into a private party in the back to see some sort of lady pool player who's evidently famous and on ESPN. The rest of us didn't care.

I can't believe I've managed to waste an entire three-day weekend. But I'm actually ready to go back to work tomorrow. Weird.

The other half

I come from modest beginnings. I grew up in a town of 700 people. My childhood was filled with love and friends, but eating out usually consisted of KFC (known back then as the politically-incorrect Kentucky Fried Chicken) on Sundays and Western Sizzlin on special occasions. We stayed in motels where you could park outside your door and enjoy a vibrating bed if you had enough quarters.

I'm lucky enough now to have a job that requires a lot of time in nice restaurants and moderately nice hotels. But this weekend proved to me, once again, that I was meant to be treated well.

Kelly and I arrived in Tulsa around 7 Friday night and were given the key to our room on the gold-status floor (Kelly travels a lot with her job)... a floor that you had to insert your room key in the elevator to gain access to. Our room had a sweeping view of one of Tulsa's nicest neighborhoods. Our beds were plush. Our morning meal was served in an exclusive lounge on our exclusive floor, where a nice lady brought me juice when I was thirsty and kleenex when I sneezed. I could definitely get used to being pampered.

After Sorne and Amanda joined us at the hotel Friday night, we drove to Cheesecake Factory for dinner, where I enjoyed a delicious ahi tuna salad, followed by decadent lemon raspberry cheesecake. And, since we were celebrating Sorne's birthday, our waitress was nice enough to bring her dessert (apple crisp) to the table with a special message and a song.



Sorne and me



Amanda and Kelly



After dinner we headed to the theatre, where we stood in line with hundreds of other women, many of them overdressed in really tacky clothes, to see the 10:30 p.m. showing of "Sex and the City." I must say, as a huge fan of the TV show, I was not at all disappointed. It was 160 minutes that I didn't want to end. I know the reviews have been mixed, but I thought it was fabulous. And Sorne, who's never seen a single episode, loved it, too.

So we got back to the hotel around 2 a.m., when Amanda stopped at the front desk to ask for her doubletree chocolate chip cookie. We rehashed the movie and Kelly's love life until around 3, when we finally all went to sleep.

After breakfast and showers, we all headed to the mall for some serious shopping (and a 10-minute massage for Kelly and me), after which we ate a late lunch at Macaroni Grill. It was my favorite meal of pasta and heavy cream, and given that I'd eaten raw veggies and fruit all week, I paid for it all the way home and all night last night. There weren't enough Tums in the world.

I was in bed around 8 last night, and after waking up with a stomachache at 2 a.m. and a hail storm at 5 a.m., I finally crawled out of bed at 8 this morning and got ready for church. I took a 2-hour nap this afternoon, then went to the theatre here in town by myself (something I've never done) to watch a movie twice in 48 hours (another thing I've never done).

What a great weekend! I feel really lucky to have such great friends. Friends who appreciate fine dining, good entertainment, great shopping, and fantastic conversation.

Happy birthday, Sorne!

Thursday update

Those of you who were worried about me (Dad, Kelly) will be glad to know that I ate real food today. I had fruit for breakfast, but salmon and bread for lunch (yum) and an Arby's roast beef sandwich for dinner. But still no Diet Coke. Hooray! And the detox resulted in an 8-pound weight loss overall. Not too shabby.

I left my house at 7:30 a.m. and drove to Little Rock for lunch and three job interviews, then I drove back home. And now I'm tired. The bone-weary kind of tired. Poor Lola got a $53 fill-up and 420 miles on her today.

Tomorrow's another vacay day, although I do have to do a lunch interview and have a meeting with my boss. But other than that, no work. Really. Well, probably. And then Kelly and I are off to T-town to meet Sorne and Amanda. I am so excited! I'm really craving Cheesecake Factory, so that's my dinner vote. And then it's the premiere of SATC at 10:30. I hope I'm still awake by then. I'll probably have to take a disco nap tomorrow afternoon.

Much ado about nothing

Boy, I've really been neglecting the ol' blog. I'm not quite sure why I never make the time to update this thing anymore, except that my life is really dull and there's not much to say.

I am excited about the three-day weekend, although I was under the weather yesterday, so I played hooky from a wedding I was supposed to attend. I have enjoyed multiple does of Nyquil, three naps, eight romantic comedies, five episodes of "Friends" and two magazines in the past 48 hours. This afternoon I started feeling better, so I managed to complete some tasks I've been avoiding, like polishing my silver and taking stuff up in the attic. I also cleaned my bathroom (ick) and washed my sheets and rugs.

See... told you my life was dull. But at least I've been a little productive. Hopefully tomorrow I can finish cleaning the casa and get some more rest. Only three days of work, then it's another three-day weekend. Woo-hoo! Amanda, Sorne, Kelly and I are headed to Tulsa on Friday to catch the SATC premiere and dinner and celebrate Sorne's birthday.

Back in the Fort

After a mere 48 hours at home, I'm back on the road. Today was another marathon day of meetings, ending with a faculty meeting that started at 4 p.m. (where the President introduced me and stated that I was responsible for raising about $500K... no pressure). Then I ran home, threw some stuff in a suitcase, and headed down to the Fort to get ahead of the ice storm.

(There's really not much to report tonight, but if I don't update every day, my dad worries. And besides, it's not called "the occasional drivel.")

Tonight I'm crashing at Sorne and Vance's. They cooked me dinner. And the best part of the night was, when I walked in the door, Mason and Isaac came barreling in to give me big hugs. Isn't that sweet?

I meant it last week when I said that I was overwhelmed by the love in my life. And it's nice to be wanted. But the bad part of it is (and I feel completely selfish as I'm typing this) that I sometimes feel stretched thin when I come "home." I mean, I have a lot of family and friends here. People who love me and merely want to spend time with me. But people who get hurt feelings if I stay on someone else's couch besides theirs. People who don't necessarily appreciate that I do my best to spread around the Lori while I'm here. This past weekend, I was in the Fort for nearly 36 hours, and I spent the bulk of it with my family. Tonight I only had a few hours, and I'm spending it with friends.

So shhh... don't tell my fam that I'm in the Fort. It'll be our little secret. You'd think as big as my butt is, there would be enough of me to go around. Turns out, not so much.

Holiday Recap

Today's the first day that I've felt any respite from the hustle and bustle of the holidays. It's been crazy since I got here, but I've finally caught my breath and have the opportunity to update you all on the exciting happenings in my life.

On Saturday, I met Ashley for lunch at Rolando's, then I went down to spend the evening in Hartford at Memaw and Pepaw's house. Since the Cowboys game was on NFL network, we went up to Woo and Amanda's to watch. Then we came back to Memaw's where 8 of us spent the night. I slept on the couch.

On Sunday morning, Kathy and I started cooking for the Plunkett fiesta. We made enchiladas, tacos, creamy taco, guacamole, pico de gallo, and cheese dip. My mom's family came down for lunch, then we had a rousing game of Dirty Santa (I got a mani/pedi set).

Here's Hewey, Dewie and Louie playing football with Chance in the mud.



And this is Taylor and me at the party.



Hope and MaKenzie, my cousin Carrie's little girl, got new purses from Granny Eck.



On Sunday evening, I stayed at my brother's house with the kids, where Chance, Taylor and I enjoyed a wild night of RockBand. Then I slept on the bottom bunk with Hope, who talked incessantly.

On Monday (Christmas Eve), we opened presents at Brad's early that morning, then went to Dad and Vickie's for brunch and more present opening. After that I ventured back to Fort Smith to my grandmother's for a nap prior to attending the candlelight service at church. Then I went to my aunt and uncle's house for German food. And I spent the night on my grandmother's couch.

Chance put the bow from his sister's present on his head.



I got Taylor a Romo jersey.



Hope got care bears from Grandpa and "Mickie."



On Tuesday (Christmas Day), I stopped at Vance and Sorne's to see what the boys got from Santa, then I picked up Taylor, Chance and Hope and we went to Memaw and Pepaw's to eat fish with the Hester brood. After dropping them off and coming back to the Gregory's for a nap, Amanda and I went to the movies.

Today (Wednesday) I slept in 'til after 10 a.m., then Vance cooked breakfast. Sorne and I went for coffee, then I took a nap. Tonight I met John and Tricia at Chili's for dinner.

Tomorrow (Thursday) Ashley and I are headed to Siloam Springs. I'm meeting with a realtor to find a place to live, then I'm having dinner tomorrow night with my dad, stepmom, brother, his GF, and my grandmother. Guess I'll head back to C-way on Friday to start packing.

And for those of you who are curious, my friends and family were generous this year. I got a beautiful bowl for my new office, a fabulous leopard throw, a cute coffee mug, and gift cards to Starbucks, Williams Sonoma, Best Buy, and Ann Taylor. Pretty cool, huh?

Around the world in 96 hours

First, the colossal event... how 'bout them Hogs?!? My comments about the game are as follows:
1. Darren McFadden had a Heisman-worthy performance. He's the best player in college football, especially when you consider that he plays for a less-than-stellar team. He and Tebow should finish 1/2 simply because they play in the nation's best conference. The Big 12's best player is not as great as either of these guys. Anyone remember Jason White?
2. Where the heck has Peyton Hillis been all year? Wowzers.
3. C. Dick played a heck of a game. Good for him.
4. Houston Dale showed after his well-timed time out why so many folks are praying for his demise... that cocky grin he showcased to the world. Have fun packin' for Waco.

I'm not sure what was more exhausting, that game or driving around the world for the past few days. I spent Thanksgiving day at Sorne and Vance's, eating turkey and egg rolls. Then I headed over to my aunt and uncle's to visit Mom's fam. Thursday night I watched "The Office" and went to bed at 9 p.m.

Yesterday I got up early to meet Dad and the rest of the fam at the Village Inn. Then I went to pick up the kids and head to Hartford to watch the game. Brady, Chance and Ave had their own game in the backyard. Brady and Chance "versed" Avery, and the scary thing is that, even though it was two against one and they're both two years older, Avery scored on them several times.

Wyatt, Peyton and Hope took a bath. Peyton was pointing at Hope and thinking "One of these things is not like the other..."

Chance and Hope got a new dog, Rocky. It weighs about two pounds and kept me up all night last night whining.

Forget the Hogs, this was the big game in town.

Home again, home again

I'm going into hour 26 at "home," and I realize that even though you can go home again, things are never quite the same. It was strange driving into the Fort last night, like I belonged here in so many ways, but in others, like I never lived here at all. It's really weird for the roads to be somehow familiar yet new.

Today's been full of friends and family and trying to squeeze in time with some really important people in my life. Amanda and I tagged along with Sorne to take the boys to school, then we headed to Sweet Bay for lattes and amazing cranberry orange scones. After breakfast, I went to Ashley's and we traveled out for shopping and lunch at Blue Plate.

I headed south to see the kids at my brother's house. We enjoyed burgers and shakes at McDonald's, then shopping at America's top retailer, Wal-Mart. Now I'm hanging out with Nanner, watching "Gossip Girl" and trying not to fall asleep.