Dallas-Ft. Worth Brain Tumor Walk:

Dallas-Ft. Worth Brain Tumor Walk:

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NBTS Angel Adventure Walk

Happy Monday!

I'm so excited to announce that Juli Gage (Jess' sister) has started a team for the Angel Adventure walk in Ft. Worth on November 7.

This team is going to walk in memory of Jess' and also to help support those that are fighting brain tumors currently and remembering those who have bravely fought before us as well as celebrating with the survivors of this disease.

The walk will be held on November 7 at Trinity Park in Ft. Worth. What an amazing event last year this was supporting Jess and all of the other brave fighters, survivors, family members, friends and supporters!

Click this LINK to donate, join the team, and show your support!

Thank you for all your love and support!

Another week down...

This week was good (but honestly looking forward to it being over). I was in Seattle for work Wed./Thurs. I love Seattle - I hope I can go back and visit for fun soon. It's such a great city.

I did sit next to a very interesting and functioning alcoholic on the plane on the way to SeaTac. She was downing crown and water like she hadn't had anything to drink in days...and boy did you smell it and experience it. She kept asking me to read her book, listen to her music, she asked 4 times where I was going and where I was from. She angrily told me I had that "white collar kind of work" she only had "blue collar kind of job". She worked for the airline I was flying and I have serious doubts about flying them again if she is the one working on the tarmac. Sylvia if you stumble across this and you remember sitting next to a blonde who you thoroughly annoyed.... maybe it's time for an intervention.

I should have taken a pic of her for the pic of the week.

Instead: here it is.....

My precious oldest niece Kaylee...

She is going to be NINE tomorrow!! I can't believe it.

Kaylee - Happy birthday my love - I love you more than you will ever know!!!!

I need to dedicate a post to Shelby..... wait and see....

Happy Friday!!

Fall TV makes me happy....

I have said numerous times to numerous people... I am addicted to TV.... reality, sitcoms, movies, HGTV, Food network, anything.... I simply love TV.

So this time of year not only does it make me happy to be entering into the Fall Season (even though we really don't have "seasons" in Texas)... I am super excited. This is my favorite season.... for multiple reasons...

* cooler weather - By this time of the year I am so damn tired of 100 degree days.... My tan has worn off b/c I'm no longer in the sun, taking vacation, or tanning at Palm Beach

*Better wardrobe... I love dressing in the fall... Saturdays and Sundays consist of my A&M jersey and my Romo jersey - which makes me really happy with a pair of ripped up skinny jeans (see them HERE). Not to mention winter/fall clothes are soooo much cuter than summer clothes... I will miss my cotton dresses that I live in during the summer but I'll throw a pair of leggings on and some cute boots and call it a day :)

*Football Season - enough said... laying around on a Saturday watching endless college football makes me happy. Not to mention I look forward to Lee Corso choosing the mascot head for his pick that week.....and then I love love love to watch my Cowboys on Sundays... you can't beat that :)

* Closer to Christmas and Thanksgiving - the holidays are my MOST favorite time of the year so by September I'm ready to eat turkey, ham and all the fixings :)

*and..... FALL TV - which makes me equally happy as football....


sooooo for the pic of the week this week..... here are some of the shows I will be rotting my brain away to over the next few months :)

Bros. and Sisters - one of the greatest shows on television....

Biggest Loser - my secret motivation for all things "gym" - except I do normally watch it with some type of dessert in hand... :(

My nerd show.... and I love that Sheldon (arguably one of my favorite characters) is from East Texas...


TV brilliance at it's best... if you don't watch this show you should... FX Thursday nights

An MTV favorite - along with the Hills (shown below) and Real World/Road Rules Challenges... even though now the challenges are just mainly RW b/c they don't even do RR anymore... I love Whitney Port... even though she makes questionable fashion choices (in my opinion)...she super hot and could wear a garbage bag and look good

An old Reality TV favorite of mine... going strong now for what seems like 100 seasons. I love me some Jeff Probst and this is the one reality show I have NO desire to be on. I know I couldn't hack it and don't want to pretend I could. However, I wouldn't mind having the Survivor diet and coming home super skinny....


A Thursday favorite as well.... Love me some Addison Montgomery Shepard...

Another great sitcom that you should watch.... Barney Stinson (Doogie) is the best character on this show and will make you laugh until you cry

Grey's...need I say more?

I only order Showtime when Dexter is on.... it's that good that I'll budget in $24.99 for one TV show... I can't wait till the end of the season and buy it on I-tunes... I have to know what is happening when it's happening... but it does creep me out that Dex married his sister on the show in real life... I just can't get it out of my head... DUDE it's your SISTER

The Hills.... an endulgence I am not ready to give up.....now that LC is gone.. Kristin is going to bring the drama and I can't wait :)

I am sad to see Big Brother end next week.... I could go on and on about that show (and probably dedicate a kick a$$ blog to BB12 next year)...this however is one reality TV show I know I could win... and should totally try out next year.

Other shows on my tivo: Amazing Race (another one I think I could do exceptionally well at), Desperate Housewives, Accidentally on Purpose - new this year, The Good Wife (new as well), Law and Order SVU, America's Next Top Model, So You Think You Can Dance, and the Rachel Zoe Project.

I hope you enjoy your fall tv as much as me.... :)

Happy Thursday!!!!!

My life in pictures would be much better than words...

I've decided that I should start taking more pictures rather than stealing all the lovely pictures my friends take. I think my life would be better described that way...

To do this would involve two things:

#1 A camera - which I need to purchase... if you remember, I think I posted somewhere about my inability to hold a camera correctly after a night of drinking. At Kristin's bach. party I dropped it and broke it....oopsie

#2 The mind to remember to bring said camera on trips, outings, etc.

I also should probably throw in a 3rd thing and say a camera case.... maybe this would aid in helping not break every camera I've owned.

Anyway - I digress....

I had a lovely weekend in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. It was fabulous ....

I was wishing today I had a camera for a few reasons... which gave me the hankering for the title of this post...

I was wishing I had taken pictures of my super awesome packing job. Normally a 5 day trip would surely involve me checking a bag; but I fit all my stuff in a carry on size bag. That is right... a carry on....

My Hawaii trip including a rather large suitcase...fully equipped with 49 pounds of endless "necessities"... everything from 6 bathing suits...to a hair straightener...5 pairs of flip flops, running shoes, 15 (i think) dresses, etc... you get the picture. I was supremely made fun of for my lack of efficient packing skills. *on a side note * Della and i went to NYC for Spring Break our senior year in college and I packed everything... including, hooker boots, jeans, sweatshirts, and a jacket in a carry on. So somewhere between college and now I have lost my inherent ability to be a compact packer. Maybe I am on the upswing with this last packing job....

My suitcase for my Baton Rouge weekend included .. I'm recalling from memory (see it would be better with a picture) 2 pairs of jeans, 1 pair of sear-sucker pants, 1 pair of loungy pants, 5 dresses (and then I purchased two more while I was there ... so 5 on the way there... 7 on the way back), 2 pairs of flip flops, 1 pair of running shoes, a pair of wedges, 3 sets of work out clothes, 2 sets of PJ's, a few tshirts, a few cute tops to go with jeans, socks, undies, bras, hair straightener, hair dryer, clutch purse, jewelry, toothbrush, bathroom necessities (all packed in a zip loc for security), and 2 cami's. ... see i did good :)

You should have seen how tightly rolled and meticulously placed these items were....it looked like I had a serious case of OCD..but it all got there and back and didn't cost me $50 to check :)

When I got home I had my new pair of shoes from ShoeDazzle waiting for me. ShoeDazzle is my shoe of the month club (the best invention ever)... i should dedicate a blog to the wonderfulness that is ShoeDazzle :) As I was talking to Erinn today she said...oooo send me a picture (b/c of course I'm wearing them today)... good idea E..except no camera .... I guess I have one on my phone but eh...it's never the same quality.

My shoes are fabulous by the way....

Anyways - I know this is a bit of a random post but seriously life is much better told through pictures than words!

Whoo hooo It's Friday :)

Not too much to update this week: just a normal run of the mill week.... I'm in Baton Rouge today... I came in last night and had a lovely welcoming! It's great to be here (finally) :)

Sorry for no pic of the week this week... I just couldn't find anything that "struck" me....

But hopefully I'll have some good ones for next week after my trip here in Baton Rouge...

I hope you all have a wonderful and SAFE holiday weekend.... I'm off to shop and celebrate a special person's bday...oh and that pesky little thing called work... I have to do that too....at least for a little bit today!!

Have a great weekend!

The many faces of Cooper Webb.....

Erin... Here you go... the pic of the week!

sorry it's Friday and it should have been up yesterday...BUT ... I was super busy at work :)

My newphew Cooper cracks me up! Here is a series of pics from the funny faces he makes...

My precious.....

I know I know...

You are saying to yourself "Allison...where have you been!!!" j/k j/k

I have been here...just super busy :)

Last weekend marked completion of Tri #3.... I was not looking forward to this one AT ALL!!! In fact, I pretended to hurt myself on Saturday but it didn't work....

Let me explain why I pretended to hurt myself.... the bike course. I drove the course on Saturday afternoon... it was 14 miles of rolling hills. Good thing I had Dolce b/c I never could have come close to finishing that course on the old bike. I might have finished eventually but there would have been NO way I could have walked the next day.

I normally do all these fancy schmancy write ups after my tri's but I'm not feeling it this time. So I'll give you the basics... 300meter pool swim (loved it.... hate open water), 14 mile bitch of a bike (loved it...and hated it all at the same time), 3 mile run (hated it...b/c i hate running supremely)

This was Newbie's first tri, my 3rd and Cay's 4th.... It was an awesome experience again (as it always is after the fact) and I'm so proud every time I finish one of these it makes me not ever want to stop :)

Until Tomorrow.... it's pic of the week day you know!!!

Dolce...

I finally bit the bullet and bought my new bike... Her name is Dolce :)

I took her for a spin on Saturday morning and we are already in love.... a relationship made at Plano Cycling and Fitness on Friday, August 14 :)

I love her... and so does my body...

Hawa-ii

All I can say is "WOW" and "THANK YOU CASTLEBERRY'S :)"

Hawaii was amazing! We had an awesome trip! Would you like a re-cap.... ahhh why not :) We can start on Monday, August 3...

Monday night - Cayla came over and stayed with me since we had an early flight on Tuesday morning. We were going to drive to the airport and drop the rental that I had from my wreck and then head to the gate for our flight. I packed and Karen came over for a visit..... we ended up at the bar. OOPS :) We went to Scooters (an ole fav...but now kind of scary on a Monday night) then to Fox and Hound for some frosty beverages to start off our vacay!!! We got home and crashed...and set the alarm for 6am :( ick...not fun after you've been drinking...but ok b/c it marked vacation starting!

Tuesday - 7:30ish am.... arrive at the terminal to check in.... my bag weighed 49 pounds...enough said. You could ask "Allison, how did your bag weigh 49 pounds when you are going to a destination that could possibly require the least amount of close short of being naked..." My answer... "I'm a SERIOUS overpacker"

Tuesday - 8:30am - flight departs for Phoenix
Tuesday - 10:45ish - arrive in Phoenix
Tuesday - noon ish - depart for Kuai
LOST TRACK OF TIME AT THIS POINT....

arrive in Kuai - depart for Honolulu - arrive in Honolulu - depart for Kona - arrive in Kona (9:15is pm Hawaii time; 2:15AM Texas time) Total Travel Time = 18 hours....YUCK!!!

While we were in Hawaii we relaxed on the beach, hiked a volcano, snorkeled at one of the top 20 reefs in the world, played at the pool, went to a luau, toured a vanilla farm, visited waterfalls, cooked out excellent fresh fish right off the boat, met some new friends from California, Ohio, and Hawaii, ate alot, drank alot, and relaxed ALOT!!!

It was an amazing trip :) Cayla has posted all of our pics on FB... but here's a sneak preview until I can go steal her's off FB and post here....

Here's a few....

On the plane to our last stop - Kona :)


On the tarmac in Kona - you get off here and used to this is where you would get "leid" due to the cost of Lei's they no longer do that unless you pay for it


Night one - Luau (me and Cay)


Luau night - Me, Cay, Chesney, and Katie....

Mai Tai's - the best drink EVER

The Hawaiian Vanilla Company - who knew Vanilla comes from Orchids!!!

Me and Cay - Akaka Falls

Akaka Falls