Courtney's Corner

Back by Popular Demand!!!

2011-03-15T14:04:00.010-05:00

So evidently I have failed at being a blogger! But, I will make another attempt at it! A lot has happened since I last updated my blog!! I graduated with my Masters, I got a sexy new boyfriend, I found out I'm going to be an aunt, I've been to weddings, showers, vacations, and I ran my first Half-Marathon!!! Oh and how could I forget I have got to watch my sweet Paisley (who I had just gotten in my last post) grow into the sweetest, feistiest dog ever!!! Wow...seems like a LOT!! But oh so much fun!!! Life is always a whirlwind, but I love every minute of it!!

FOR THE LOVE OF RUNNING -
Lately it seems like all I have been doing is running/training!! I sometimes feel a bit like Forrest Gump b/c I catch myself saying quite often..."When I was running"!! haha!! But I just love it! There is nothing like the feeling of accomplishment after a long run!!

Ever since high school I have very much missed track!! I would catch myself walking outside on a windy day and think oh how I miss track, b/c it never failed that track meet days were windy! I tried training for a full marathon while I was in college but due to excessive training to quickly I fractured my foot and had to stop running. Well at the beginning of the summer I decided I wanted to get back into running for the simple reason of getting in shape!! Then in October mom and I decided to do the Race for the Cure. I ran in memory of Tyler's (the sexy boyfriend) Dad who lost a long battle with cancer in May. Then in December (I think) Mom, Brooke, Hollye, Heather, Tyler, and I all did the White Rock 5k in Dallas. It was after that race that I decided that I wanted to run further!! Tyler has done several half marathons so it was not big deal for him to say...let's do it!! So...we (Mom, Tyler, and I) decided to run the Austin Half Marathon in February! Little did I know how much time and effort that took!! BUT...I loved every minute of it. I love having to pack my bags in the morning to go workout after work!! I love going to Academy to buy GU (supplements for running to keep your body fueled while running), workout clothes, knee bands, shin compression sleeves, more workout clothes, stuff to protect from chaffing, blisters, and anything else you would never think of! I love Tyler and I sitting in my living room after a long run with Ice on or feet and Cryoderm (greatest stuff EVER)on our legs!! And I love to be able to say, "I am a runner" again!! I also love the feeling I get every time I say, "I did it, I completed 13.1 miles"! Of course there were several hurdles...like my hips being uneven which caused my lower hip severe pain when I ran b/c it was like running in a heel and a flat...or the upper respiratory infection I got 4 days before my race which has lead to my latest hurdle...my fear of running again. Our half-marathon was Feb. 20 and on the 16th I woke up coughing my head off. Friday the 18th on the way to Austin I wasn't even sure I would be able to run Sunday. My dr gave me a steroid shot, steroid pills, and a zpak that I was hoping would help. By Sunday I was feeling much better, wasn't great, but determined to run what I had trained so long and hard to do! By about mile 4 I was hurting (keep in mind this time last year I was diagnosed with severe asthma too) my chest was just as tight as could be. Poor Tyler was so worried about me that he didn't want to leave me to run his own race. So I stopped for a drink and GU and kept trucking! I knew I wasn't running my pace I had hoped for but there was nothing I could do about it. I was totally frustrated and disappointed but I did the best I could do with the circumstances thankfully Tyler was with me or I might have never finished. At about mile 9 I finally convinced Tyler that I would be ok, I would walk if I needed to, but that I wanted him to finish strong!! He is highly competitive and I knew it was killing him to be going so slow, but he was worried so didn't care!! The last 4 miles I walked more than I EVER have but I finished...even sprinted at the end!!! Was an absolutely amazing feeling!! But the days after when I had to start training again for my next race (March 27...Rock and Roll Dallas) the pain of my chest tightening and not being able to breath started to haunt me! Our next long run was going to be 6 miles and at mile 2.5 I was freaking out...I wasn't sure I could do it...then about 2.75 Tyler twisted his ankle so our 6 mile run turned into me finishing 3 miles by running to the car and I didn't conquer my fear! The whole week after that I worried about having to do another long run, but last week's long run was much better!! I didn't have to stop at all!! I have never gone further than 3 miles w/out walking for at least a few seconds to catch my breath and use my inhaler, but I did it!!! I knew when I finished that day that I would be perfectly fine!! So, I am back on track and ready to go!! I need new shoes for running but don't want to change now for fear of blisters and I need new clothes, b/c amazingly enough running makes your clothes not fit anymore! haha!! Who knew running could be so expensive!! But when I got in my car at lunch today and saw a GU in my cup holder, my inhaler, Garmin watch, iPod and knee band in my compartment by the shifter I just had to laugh!! Yes I am one of those weird people who love to run!! :)

Now for the fun pics -

Tyler and I in Dallas...This picture defines us so well...we spend the majority of our time laughing!!

Little Miss Paisley growing up!!

The race that started it all!! Race for the Cure!
Tyler's sister Carrie!! Didn't know she was running, but right as mom and I were walking up there she was!! Was so neat to get to run it with her!!

Dallas White Rock 5k! Tyler and I finishing together is one of my favorite pictures!2011 Austin Livestrong Half Marathon!

Waiting in the 30min line for port-a-potty before the race...yes the gun went off before we got through...good thing it was a huge race and we could just jump in to start the race after we finished!!
BeforeAfter!Love love this pic of Mom! Makes me so proud of her!! This is as she is crossing the finish line!5k Memorial run for my Cousin Jonathan McDonald

Meet Paisley

2010-06-03T22:47:00.004-05:00

For anyone who doesn't know, I lost my dear precious Angel about 3 weeks ago. I was totally devastated and there is a huge part of my life missing. My house was soo lonely and it killed me not to have a little one waiting for me when I got home. I miss her to pieces. She was such a special gem that I will always have a special place for in my heart. She had the funniest and sweetest personality and the best temperament ever!!

With all that being said I know I will never be able to replace her but I thought I could fill the void in my life that was missing. So...I took the plunge and got me a new little yorkie!! Her name is Paisley (I call her Paisley Maisley) and she is sooooo tiny! I think she is about 7 weeks old but the breeder didn't write it down so just guessed. I took her to the vet yesterday and she weighed .12lbs haha!! That's right she doesn't even weigh a pound yet!! She is sooo sweet and such a spitfire for about 15-20 min then is right back to being sweet and lazy!! She loves stuff that sticks up...like weeds in the grass or fibers in the carpet...she pounces on it! Too funny!! I already love her to pieces!! Soo...with much excitement I introduce you to Miss Paisley Maisley!!

P.S. The tape is to help her remember to hold her ears up so they aren't floppy!

This is the toy the vet gave her...a bit big but she took it on!!

Toy won...she pooped out!!

My very favorite...Paisley in an XXSmall dress that is still way too big!! But I had to try it anyway!

She is Alive!!!!

2010-04-29T23:38:00.004-05:00

What a crazy busy semester this has been!! Last semester I took just as many classes but they weren't near as time consuming! I have had a lot go on and have many many pictures but they will have to wait for another day. As this semester nears to an end I am happy to say I have 1 more semester left of my masters!! Can't wait to be done!! With that being said I will give the great news!! I was invited to be inducted to Texas Tech's National Honor Society (Gamma Beta Phi)! Only the top 20% are invited and you have to maintain a 3.5 GPA (everyone believe it...I didn't)! Tonight was the induction and I was very honored!! Dad, Brooke, Brian, Kim, Kam, and one of the guys I work with Rob Postosteraro came to show their support. I felt very blessed to have so many people there! Mom would have been there but she was in Silver City supporting Ali!! Anyway, here are some of the pictures from after the ceremony! There were some from during but I look like a moron so I refuse to post them! haha!!

Anyway I hope that as I turn in my final project tomorrow I will have more time to blog!! Hope I still have a few followers!! Miss ya'll!!

Courtney

New Floors!!!

2009-11-13T14:48:00.007-06:00

So the past few day's I have been getting new floors installed in my house. As most of you know, prior to installing a doggy door Angel ruined my carpet. I have cleaned and cleaned it but the yucky always came back. Damage done! I finally decided I had enough and started the search for new flooring. It was quite stressful trying to decide what to go with because EVERYONE I talked to had an opinion and everyone's opinion was different. So it came down to what I thought best! Then I had to decide which color was best. And when working with my fireplace that has a LOT of red in it I had to be real careful to not end up with something that brought out a whole lot of red. But then things got too golden! So I finally found one that was just brown. Not too red, not too gold!! Then of course I worried about it until it was in! Other decisions was who to install it...go with the company's installer or a contractor. A lot of the installers wanted to put quarter round around the baseboards instead of pulling them up. Me, being the picky person I am, didn't care for the quarter round. So finding someone that would pull up my baseboards was another task! But I found someone and they did an AWESOME job! If anyone is wanting to do any kind of floor installations let me know, I would recommend them in a heartbeat!! Anyway, it was fun to watch them install it all and see the progress! I ended up getting my living room, dining room, and hallway done! It all turned out great!! Here are the before and after pictures!

Carpet is up...prepping the floor!Living room floors down...still need to do the hallway and polishing off the floor.End of Day 2 Baxter and Angel REALLY wanted to help so I had to keep them locked in the bedroom. But they still managed to keep an eye on what was going on!!2nd day they weren't as interested!!
All done!!! I wasn't really able to get a good picture of the color but it isn't as golden as the pictures make it look!!
Now I can put up my Christmas tree!! This year I decided since I had an extra tree I would make a western one to put in my back bedroom. I got a lot of the stuff in Fredericksburg and others from Holland Gardens and Kohls. So I was pretty anxious to get it up! I put it up the day after Halloween so it was already November! haha!! I was waiting on my floors to get done before I put up my pink tree. Maybe I will get to that this weekend! Anyway, here are a couple pictures of the Western tree. It is sooo cute!!

I had to include this because it was just too funny!! Evidently if you are around me long enough you turn into a computer nerd. Guess it happened to Bax too!!
Have a GREAT weekend everyone!! Happy Friday the 13th!!

Happy Birthday Angel

2009-10-10T13:05:00.002-05:00

Today is Angel's 8th birthday!! So far she got a new Tech shirt and got to go to the Tech Homecoming parade!! We had lots of fun and she got LOTS of attention!! Just about every float commented on "that cute dog"!! Kim's brother went with us and decided maybe he needed to hold Angel so he could get some attention from the girls too!! We are taking Kam to her first Tech game tonight and she is soo excited! Will post more pictures from tonight later!! Hope everyone has a great Saturday!! GO TECH!!!!

Summer Fun

2009-08-29T21:03:00.008-05:00

Kam and Abbye playing at Red Lobster...aren't they adorable!!

This afternoon Kim, Kam, Brooke, Charlie, Amy, Abbye, and I went to the new leisure pool at Tech! It is an awesome facility equipped w/slide, diving board, and a lazy river! We spent most of our time in the lazy river but Charlie and I had to try out the diving board and the slide!!Blonde Moment Warning: After spending all afternoon at the pool...when I went to put my shoes on to leave I noticed this...

It was a fun fun day!! I wish we had have gone before the first weekend that students were back but oh well!! School started Thursday! I am taking 3 classes this semester but they seem like they are going to be fun classes!

Nothing better than the Rodeo!

2009-08-14T10:27:00.008-05:00

Ok so I know it has been FOREVER, but I had a legitimate excuse this time! The second summer session of grad school was my life...I felt like all I did was listen to Ed Psych lectures for 4 weeks! It was really quite frustrating, but we won't get into that!! It is over and I NEVER have to take that horrible class again! Thank goodness!! With the exception of school, I have had a fun 4 weeks! The next weekend was more family fun! It was time again for the Annual Shopping and Swimming Extravaganza! We all headed to Dallas Thursday morning in time to make it to the Rangers game that evening! It was lots of fun!
Friday and Saturday was filled with lots of shopping and swimming! The next week was time for the 74th Annual Lea Country Fair & Rodeo! If you live in Lovington that is a HUGE time of year! Growing up that was like the last hoorah before going back to school. It was the place to see all your friends you hadn't seen all summer, and to ride lots of rides. Looking back I now know it is an EXPENSIVE time of year for parents! Anyway, this year Charlet was down from Oregon so Caran, Nanny, Charlet, Carol, Boston, Jude, Tyson, and Dash all decided to make a visit to the Land of Enchantment and the Fair & Rodeo. Brooke, Brian and I wanted to get to spend some time with them so we made the trek too! It was great to see them all!

Friday after work Kim, Kam, Baxter, Angel, and I headed back to Lovington for some more Fair & Rodeo.
Saturday Kambree came over for some "cowgirl" time. She just loves Stormy!

She would have rode all day if I would have let her, but we were all hot and needed to get ready for the evening. That evening we took Kam to ride some rides and the rodeo! We had such a good time!!

So...sorry this was soo long but I was way behind!! Hopefully the fall semester will not be so time consuming!! It just can't be...I can't miss out on my Birthday month festivities!!

I did it!!!!

2009-06-26T00:10:00.004-05:00

It's official!! I have completed my first semester of Graduate school!! What a fun/interesting/crazy 4 weeks it has been!! One of my classes I had to create (from beginning to end) 3 videos...you can find them on youtube (Csconner01) if you are interested!! It was quite a larger task than I ever thought it would be but we had a LOT of fun doing them!! I had some great actors and actresses who made it great!! After several 1:30am nights and several days of staying late at work (9:30pm and 6:30pm...EVERYONE MARK THAT DOWN in the record books!!) I got it all done!! I uploaded my last video at 7ish tonight!! It was a truly awesome feeling!! I feel a bit accomplished...I even learned stuff in the process!! 6hrs down 33 more to go!! I start my next summer session in July where I will take 6 more hours! Can't wait! hehe

Temporary Insanity

2009-05-27T20:55:00.009-05:00

So...today is/was the big day!! I am officially a Grad student now! I am not sure whether to be excited or totally freaked! As I looked over my 2 courses that I am taking this month (yes I said this month...not this semester...they are 4 wks long) I began to totally freak!! Maybe trying to take 4 courses in my first semester of the program was a bad idea! We shall see!! I am very excited and I know it will be well worth it in the end! I may be the obnoxious needy student that I always make fun of at work but hey whatever it takes!!

Raider Power!!

2009-04-29T10:08:00.003-05:00

Well it's official...I am starting back to school! After 4 years of enjoying my freedom I am going back to school for my Masters! I freaked a little when I submitted all my paperwork to apply, then freaked a little more when I got accepted a couple weeks ago, then REALLY freaked out yesterday when I met with my advisor and registered for classes! It made it much more real. I am actually very excited and look forward to starting! I will be getting my Masters of Education in Instructional Technology from Texas Tech. My courses will all be online so that will be really nice! With this I will either be able to continue with what I am doing here and just make more money...or I can go into teaching! I should be able to teach at the college level which is what I am hoping for! I am registered for 12 hours this summer so I am starting off with a bang!! So if there is a bit of lag in my blogging just know I am hard at work on school! HAHA!!! Or laying in my pool! One of the two!! Hope everyone is enjoying the BEAUTIFUL weather!

Hippity Hoppity Easter came our way!!

2009-04-13T15:22:00.008-05:00

What an awesome fun easter we had!! I got to Gran's on Friday evening and helped w/the cooking and baking to get ready for the weekend festivities!! I even made my first bunny rabbit cake!! Saturday evening the gang started arriving and once everyone got there we had our Easter meal since Sunday's are always so hectic trying to get it ready in a timely manner after church. After dinner we had birthday time for Kenna, Brian, Cade, and Kyla!

Pops spoiling Kenna and giving her potato casserole..Kenna saying "mmmm"

Kenna sharing her yummy cake with Pops!After birthday we went back to the kitchen to do dishes! The family has a tradition of singing while doing the dishes...it is such a wonderful time! You can tell who was really helping! haha!!We had such a great evening singing and visiting and watching the babies in the bathtub. I must add that Abbye had her first BM in the bathtub...it was absolutely the most HILARIOUS thing ever! Poor babies! They just wanted to play! Sunday was tons of fun too. After church we went and ate lunch before going back to Grans. When we got to Grans the Easter Bunny had been there for Kenna and Abbye! It was too cute! Of course we also took the traditional family pictures!! Always a fun time on Easter! Hope everyone had a great Easter as well!! Enjoy the pics!

Huh?

2009-04-06T13:19:00.004-05:00

Ok so evidently everyone thinks that just b/c I had a tube put in my ear on Thursday I can't hear! That has been the most common thing I have heard since then! Just an update...For several months I have been going to the ENT doctor for my ear and he has been watching the extreme amount of pressure in my ear drum. Finally a couple weeks ago he said it has gotten where the pressure is causing the eardrum to thin and we need to do something now or it could cause permanent damage. So, Thursday Mom, Dad, Gran and I went in to Dr. Potocki to have my tube put in. After sitting in the waiting room forever and then taking a retarded hearing test I finally got to see Dr. Potocki. The surgery took about 20 min then he sent me on my merry little way! They informed me it will sound like my head is in a barrel and that I may have some dizziness but that was about it! Well they were definitely right about the barrel but I had no clue what they meant about the dizziness. That evening Mom and I were sitting in the living room watching TV and all the sudden I just started burning up to the point of thinking I was about to pass out! Mom came and opened the back door for me and then in a few minutes it passed. After that happening several times we figured out that is what they were referring to about the dizziness...it was NOT fun! haha!! Friday Mom, Dad and I went to breakfast and then to Sams. While at Sams I couldn't hardly even hold myself up I was soo pooped! So after Sam's mom and dad went home and I went to my house and took a 4 hour nap! Guess I was worn out! haha!! Since then everything has been pretty normal! I had a good friend come and take me to dinner a couple of times...guess he felt sorry for me sitting at home! haha!! Saturday I spent the afternoon shopping for my Easter dress (which I ended up with 3 haha). I never thought I would say this, but the shopping wore me out! haha!! My ear isn't hurting too much...occassionally it hurts but mostly it i just bothersome. It feels like when your ear is real stopped up and won't pop. I don't like that feeling! I can hear myself talking in my head and that drives me nuts. I am hoping this feeling will go away soon!! Last night Kambree and I made a delicious Strawberry cake!! Kam loves to help me in the kitchen!! Except last night she informed me she really needed to help me more b/c just handing me things wasn't really help! haha!! Sometimes when I let her help more she is MORE help than I need! Anyway with all that being said things are pretty good. Had some dizziness this morning but I think that has cleared up! I go back in a month and he said that if I "like this tube" he will put one in the left ear. He must be crazy! Maybe it will all balance out soon and I may start to "like my tube" but until then I am saying no way! Thanks to everyone for the calls!! And thanks so much to Mom, Dad, and Gran for going with me and being my support! Gran informed me that she was there w/me the 3 other times I had them as a baby so she was going to be with me now! Thanks also to Gran for the GORGEOUS Tulips (which btw are my absolute favorite flower), I love them!! I will keep everyone updated on the status of my wonderful ear! Here are some pictures of the tulips and our baking night!!

We had a powdered sugar fight! haha!!

Here There and Everywhere!

2009-03-30T12:54:00.008-05:00

The past couple of weeks have been fun and exciting!! Spring Break was great, we had beautiful weather and it was a perfect time to get my pool back up!! Brooke, Kim, and I spent Tuesday afternoon setting the pool up! We had lots of fun and got lots of sun!! After we got the pool up we went out for St.Patty's day while the pool was filling up! Kambree is already asking if we can get in...I think 1 dip of her toe in there and she might change her mind!!

The rest of Spring Break was fun as well! Friday I went and visited one of my friends in Oklahoma City for the weekend! I went to my first NBA game and had a blast!! After the beautiful (other than the wind) weather that we had spring break last week was quite different!! Friday we had a cold front come in and brought snow! haha!! Gotta love West TX and the crazy weather patterns we have!!
Saturday was Abbye's 1st birthday party and what fun it was!! Some of my family met for lunch at Chick-fil-A before running errands and heading to the party! "The Fav" aunt Kellye (as she has termed herself) decided she was going to take some pics for a blog and as she was taking them was blogging out loud! It was quite entertaining but unfortunately most of them turned out quite dark or they are the kind that people hate you for when you put them up! But we got a cute one of Les and I! Once at the party we had a blast!! Abbye was quite overwhelmed with all the action I think, but she got lots of fun birthday stuff!! And the rest of us had a blast being together!! I believe someone counted that there were 56 people there at 1 time! CRAZINESS!! Here are a few pics from the day!!

Hope everyone has had a great couple of weeks!! I will try and be better about blogging more! No promises but I will definitely try!!

The 5 year old Princess!!!

2009-03-02T14:37:00.007-06:00

Well as I promised I have LOTS of fun pictures from Kambree's 5th Birthday party! We had such a blast and it all turned out sooo well! Kambree was absolutely a Princess and she had such a blast!! I can't believe today 5 yrs ago I was sitting in the hospital room holding her! INSANE!! It was fun to see some of our old friends from the LVT who came to the party!! It was a fun day for everyone and Kambree got tons of fun presents! After the party Kam and I sat in her room for hours playing with them!!

For any of you who read my previous blog you must note that this is Jeremy from Olive Garden! He actually showed up! Kam was kind of shy at first but then wanted a pic w/him!! It was too sweet!

Brooke was working a track meet but her and Brian took a few minutes to stop by! Made Kam's day...she was so disappointed when she found out they couldn't come!

Charlie, Amy, and Abbye got to come too! Glad my family was represented well! haha!! Abbye thought she needed to be a princess like Kambree!

So we made her a Princess!!

Kam was patiently waiting to get on the with the good stuff...cake and presents!!

She loves her auntie Cici!!
So Kim and I thought this sparkler candle would be too cool! Guess you shouldn't let 2 blondes think too much b/c it usually ends in disaster! Luckily this time it didn't...but could have been! It put off so much smoke that we were afraid the fire sprinklers were going to go off...we had 2 people fanning them to keep the smoke away!! haha!! It looked cool though and Kam liked it so guess that is all that matters!!

This picture was taken right after the sparkler was done! You can tell the amount of smoke in the room! Ooops!! Gotta love old time Lovington friends!!
Kimberly's mom and I listening to the Dueling Pianos...they are just so much fun!

The weekend was so much fun! Wish everyone could have been there! And there is probably enough cake left for everyone to have some! BTW...it was delicious! She had a layer of strawberry just for me!!!! Hope everyone had a great weekend!!

Kambree's growing up!

2009-02-26T12:43:00.003-06:00

A little bit of background before the story! A couple of weeks ago Kim's mom, Kim, Kambree, and I all went to the Olive Garden and we had this fun waiter who Kambree absolutely loved! Well since then she asks all the time to go to Olive Garden b/c she wants to see him!

Kambree's birthday is Sunday so last night we let her decide where to eat for supper and of course she chose Aver Garben (Olive Garden) and had to ask for "Jeremy" so we could sit in his section. As soon as we saw him she ran up to him and said hi! Evidently Kambree has a bit of a childhood crush on an older man! But hey...there is NOTHING wrong w/liking older men!! ;) Anyway all night she was soo hyper and talked about how much she loved him, and loved his hair. She informed Kim and I that he liked her better than us, then proceeded to ask him. She would get mad if he was gone for longer than she thought he should be! We had to inform her that there were other tables he had to attend to! Of course he didn't help a whole lot either. He just flirted right back! Told her that she was his favorite and that he loved when we came in b/c we were so much fun! haha! Anyway Kambree proceeded to ask him to come to her birthday party and he put it in his phone and said he would try his hardest! haha! She said it was a princess party but he could be a prince! haha! Anyway it was just too funny to see her act that way! Before we left he brought her out a cake and they sang to her! She made him sit down and eat cake with us! Then when the manager came over she thanked him for letting Jeremy have cake with us! It was absolutely hilarious and definitely entertaining! So those of you with little girls...beware!! Here are the pictures from last night...she just had to have a picture with Jeremy! Stay tuned for pictures from her actual birthday party on Saturday! It should be pretty entertaining too!

Valentine's Day Fun!

2009-02-18T13:28:00.009-06:00

Who would have thought that a Valentine's day w/out a hot date would be so much fun...but it was!! Saturday morning Amy texted Brooke, Brian, and I to go to her house for breakfast. Leslye and Joey were in town staying at their house so she wanted to cook for all of us!! It was so fun and felt like old days when we had "cousin dinner" except this time it was breakfast! The boys hung out in the living room playing w/Abbye (or Abbye's toys) while us girls slaved in the kitchen! haha! After breakfast we all kind of just hung out and visited for a bit before needing to go home and get ready for the day!!

The boys playing w/Abbye's toys!
I'm teaching Abbye how to text...she loves it! haha!!
I got to rock Abbye to sleep (everyone can be jealous) but guess I rocked myself to sleep too!!

After going home and getting ready we all met Gran, and the Aunts and Uncles (minus my parents who already had a date planned) for lunch at Dions! It was so much fun to all be together!!

Abbye really thought Gran should be sharing her pizza with her!!

After lunch I went shopping with Gran and Kellye at Kirklands...so fun! But being right there next to DSW really made me want some new shoes! Once we left Kirklands I was good and went home instead of venturing into the shoe store!! After being lazy and watching sappy Valentine Day chick flicks I decided that I desereved a pair of shoes as my Valentines Day gift to myself! haha!! So I headed up to DSW and spent an hour and a half among the shoes!! It was wonderful! Once I got my shoes it was time to head home and get ready for my date. haha! My date for Valentines Day was my carpet cleaner! We turned on the music and danced the night away! hahaha!! It was a good ending to a great day!
I can't end this blog without putting up a picture of my V-Day flowers! When I got home from work Friday I had these beautiful flowers sitting on my bar! The card read "From: Kambree To Cici I LOVE YOU!" All written by Kambree! It was the most special thing ever! And yes I cried! haha!!

For my Valentine!!

2009-02-13T10:07:00.003-06:00

Last night was such a fun night!! For Valentines day I like to make Cheesecake filled chocolate covered strawberries! I made them last year and took them to work and everyone LOVED them! So this year I have had several hints from people around the office saying they hope they get them again this year!! Me being the wonderful coworker I am took the hint! haha!! Actually I enjoy making them so I didn't complain! So after supper last night Kam and I put on our matching aprons, turned on the Mamma Mia soundtrack, and went to work. Well I went to work. Kam just sat there and ate the insides of all the strawberries (which she said we should put sugar on) and kept going over to the extra cheesecake filling and sneaking a few bites!! She said it was "just too good"!! After a while (and a lot of sugar) Kam decided she wanted to have a dance party! She went and got her microphone and went to town!! She kept coming over and making me sing in the mic and trying to get me to get up and dance with her but I was hard at work!! Finally I gave in and went on "stage" with her (I needed a break anyway)!! My fireplace ledge goes all the way across my wall and gives a PERFECT spot to get up and dance on "stage"!! So Kam and I got up there and sang and danced(thank goodness for guitar hero so we could have 2 microphones haha)!! We had a blast!! When Kim got there she joined us too!! haha!! Anyway after performing Dancing Queen I told her I had to get back to work! Kim got a video on her phone of our performance but it was too blurry and a bit embarassing!! So... sorry...no videos!! haha!! But we did get a few pictures of the strawberry making!! They turned out SOOOO yummy! Our secretary says I should go in business, now wouldn't that be fun!! I hope everyone has an awesome Valentines Day!

K-A-P-P-A Kappa Kappa all the way!

2009-02-08T18:26:00.006-06:00

What a fun Master Follies/Homecoming weekend we had!! Would have been better had I not had the never ending stomach bug but oh well! Life goes on! Kristi and Leslye got here Friday afternoon and after dinner Amy, Abbye, Leslye, Kristi, and I all went to cheer Brooke's team on at their basketball game! It was a nice surprise for her!!

Saturday morning was Alumni breakfast for Kappa and Alpha Chi. It was sure fun to catch up with old friends! Saturday night was the big Master Follies!! I love to go see all the hard work I know each club has put into their shows!! It sure makes me miss the days when we worked so hard for that big night!! All the shows were sooo good! I was disappointed that Kappa didn't win but they have to let someone else win sometimes! Totally kidding the other shows were really good!! Anyway we had a great time and I really enjoyed Les and Kristi staying with me! Here are some pictures to replay the weekend!!

After the alumni breakfast!!

Us girls waiting for Amy and Abbye so we could head into follies!!
Leslye, Kristi, and I...memories of dorm days!

Mine and Abbye's matching shoes...her's will be heels someday too!!!We had to get a picture of my COOL pink shades! hahaha All the excitement from Abbye's first follies totally wore her out!!We couldn't end a follies night w/out a follies face picture!!Kappa Cousins!!Brian's sister Amanda was in the LOA show...she did great!

I know this has nothing to do w/follies but it was too cute to pass up!! This morning when we were leaving Church Kambree wanted to wear my pink sunglasses! It was too funny!!

Here's my Lemonade!

2009-02-02T15:08:00.010-06:00

I have had a fun and interesting couple of weeks!! After recovering from being sick we decided to make a getaway trip to the mountains! So Kim, her brother Ryan, Kam, and I all headed to Ruidoso! We were planning on skiing but the mountain was just 25% open so we just decided to be bums instead!! Saturday evening we thought that instead of spending money eating out we would just have a cookout and play games! Kam and I decided that we needed to have a fake birthday party and I was the guest of honor! haha!! Here are a few pictures from our little trip and our very merry unbirthday!!

We were at Farleys for supper Friday and Kam ran across a "toy" machine w/Grillz in them. So we all thought we had to have some...they were pretty hilarious!! (you may have to click the pic to make it bigger to get the full effect)

A Very Merry Unbirthday!! Too fun!

When you're with kids...you have to act like them!!

Friday night Randy Rogers Band and Eli Young Band were having a concert here in Lubbock and I was SOOO excited! I LOVE a good Texas country concert! So I rounded up a couple of people and headed out there! I LOVED every minute of it...it was so much fun! There is just something about live music that makes it so much better!! I figured I might as well put a couple pictures from that night too!

So that has been the excitement of my past couple of weeks! I know it was probably a bit boring (was fun to me) but like I said before...if I don't post I get kicked off the blog roll on some people's computers!! I am SO ready for Masterfollies this weekend!! Prentiss Palace (thats my house for those of you who have never been a guest there) is ready for its visitors! And hopefully we can have a "Cousin Dinner" for those who have moved away and don't get to participate anymore (Love ya Les)!! So stay tuned for pictures from the LCU Alumni weekend!! Hope everyone has a wonderful week!!

Life ain't always beautiful, but its a beautiful ride!

2009-01-19T11:05:00.003-06:00

What a stressful week I have had! Tuesday night I realized that Angel's eye was all swollen and she couldn't even open it all the way. So Wednesday morning I took her to the vet and found out she had an abscess tooth that had got infected all the way up to her eye. They said they needed to get it out ASAP but couldn't do it until the infection was gone. So Friday morning I took her in for her surgery. Evidently Yorkies are prone to have bad teeth b/c they had to pull 7 of her teeth. Last time I had her teeth cleaned they pulled 5 so you could only imagine how few she has now! I was SO worried that they pulled her cute bottom teeth that she smiles w/all the time...but luckily they hadn't! She still has all her front bottom teeth...but she has no top front teeth! Poor thing! The vet did a bone graph type thing to make her gums stronger since that is all that is left there!

Yesterday during church Kambree kept coughing and I just felt like poop. I knew Kam was tired so I figured we would come home and eat then take a nap. Well Kam had a different idea b/c we didn't make it out of the parking lot before she fell asleep. Well by the time Kim got her to pick up Kam last night Kam and I both were curled up in the chair with fever! Luckily we both have the day off and are taking it easy today. Angel is taking it easy too!!

Sorry I didn't have anything more interesting to blog about today! I just knew I better or else my uncle Gary would quit looking at my blog again!! So this is for you Gary!

All Aboard

2008-12-19T12:55:00.010-06:00

Hello once again from the slacker!! I guess I like to save up all my fun news to do 1 big blog! I don't know why, but that seems to be the trend! So last night Kambree and I went on the Polar Express Train Ride and OMG what a blast it was! We met Nanny, Caran, Charlet, Jason, Carol, Jude, Boston, and Tyson there! The Polar Express took us out to the North Pole where we picked up Santa and he rode back to Lubbock with us! The kids had lots of fun together and were SOOOO excited about it all! They LOVED the Hot Chocolate song!

This is as we were pulling up to the North Poll! They were so excited!

Hot-Hot-Hot-Hot Chocolate!

After the Polar Express Kim, Brooke, and Brian met us at my house. We had our Christmas with Kambree last night b/c we won't see her again before Santa comes! Kam loved her new toys she got...but I am not sure that the rest of us didn't enjoy them just as much! haha!!

When she got her stocking she informed me that Santa put them in the wrong stocking but she knew they were for her! - BTW Santa dropped them off when he rode the Polar Express back to Lubbock with us!!

A couple weeks ago Mom, Dad, Chris, and I went to Vegas for the National Finals Rodeo. We had an amazing time!!! I meant to blog with a slideshow of all the pictures but I never did (maybe I still will sometime)...so here are a few pics from the trip!

Thanksgiving Festivities

2008-12-02T14:26:00.017-06:00

Thanksgiving was lots of fun this year! Actually I guess it is fun every year, but I think it gets more fun every year! Seems like there is always something new and improved! This year at Grans it was a baby! Abbye got to celebrate her first Thanksgiving at Grans this year!

Evidently I was too busy working to take pictures of the preparation and the clean-up, but I did get some goofy pics of us after we were done!

I got nosy at Kellye's new office and found these fun "Shades" I couldn't pass them up...obviously Brooke and Amy couldn't either!!

After all the festivities in Snyder were over we (Mom, Dad, Brooke, Brian and I) loaded up the Winnebago and headed back to Lubbock to make out a plan for our Black Friday shopping extravaganza!! When we pulled up it was raining and I just loved the sight of my house all decorated for Christmas, so I had to share!!

Sunday was the Conner Family Thanksgiving! While there were no babies this time, I had Kambree so we had some child entertainment!! After lunch we all convened to the living room for some Wa-Hoo, football watching, and to decorate Nanny's tree! We had lots of fun!

Hope everyone had as great of a Thanksgiving as I did!!

I Love My Crazy Life!!

2008-11-24T14:23:00.009-06:00

Ok so yet again I have been a slacker! Sorry! But I have had some FUN times here lately! The weekend after Halloween I decided I wanted to put up my Christmas tree (before anyone comments on the rules of when you can put up your tree, I will say I don't care! My house, my rules! hahaha) I am a firm believer of the earlier the better when it comes to Christmas! I think it is too much work and too pretty to only enjoy it for 2 weeks out of the year! Anyway...for the past 3-4 years I have done a green tree w/my pink lights and my Barbie Collector's Series Ornaments (This year makes 15 years - makes me feel old)! Well last year I noticed my pink lights were starting to fade and not look so pink so I figured this year I needed new ones. So Sunday after church Kambree and I went to Holland Gardens to get new pink lights, but of course they didn't have them. They did have an ADORABLE pink tree that I totally wanted but had a hard time justifying! Anyway while we were there we ran into Mr. Clause and Kambree was SO excited!! She got to sit in his lap and tell him what she wanted!
Since Holland Gardens didn't have what I needed I ran around town all afternoon trying to find some new pink lights (w/out much luck) so guess what I ended up with...A PINK TREE! I absolutely LOVE it!! If you know me at all it fits me perfect! And for all of you out there that feel sorry for the guy I marry, just know that I will compromise and put the pink tree in a spare bedroom! haha!!

Last weekend Brooke, Brian, and I went to Lovington to help Pop's with his Cattle! It was quite an experience! haha! The goal was to get all the cattle into the pin and get them their shots and get them tagged.

*Yes I was really working too, just so happened that when mom was taking the pictures I had passed the shocker thing off to Brian (notice he has both)! haha

Dad and I are the only ones who have ever done anything like that before and when I have done it there were about 15 guys doing it! Brooke and Brian were newbies and Brooke was not fond of it. When we got the first one in the shoot Brooke started crying...she thought it was sooo sad! Poor tender hearted little soul (I'm the same way so I can't say a whole lot, but I just didn't cry at this)! hehe!

Anyway, after about an hour of the stinking cows just going in circles and not into the shoot we had to try another method! Just letting them free into the big pin and chasing them into the shoot! I was the official chaser/blocker.

Thanks to my years of basketball I was quite successful (defense was always my specialty)! Brooke, Mom, Brian, and Dad formed the wall to block the cows from passing through once I got them headed in the right direction! Made me realize how stinking out of shape I was! haha! You never realize how good of shape you were in back in the day until you do the things now that you used to do and it kills you! haha! Once we got the hang of this it was MUCH easier! I am surprised people weren't lined up along the highway to watch b/c I am sure it was quite entertaining!! BUT, we got it done and know now what works best!

Stormy and Dakota (the little snots) were sure glad they weren't cows that day...they basked in the freedom they had!
Once we finished w/all the cattle we let them out on the wheat for a little treat!!
What an experience that was!! After getting everything put back up we went in for showers and lunch! As soon as we finished eating we were out for a well deserved nap!

In closing I would like to say that even though my Red Raiders failed to make it to the OU game, and they sent the Lubbock High football team to play for them, I am still a HUGE fan!!

Texas Tech Rocks my Socks off!!

2008-11-07T17:12:00.010-06:00

So I know it has been forever, but I have been lazy! I really wanted to say I have been busy to make it a better excuse, but I haven't! haha!! I have lots to catch up on in the past week!! So here goes!! First things first was Halloween!! I always love Halloween! Thursday night Brooke, Brian and I went to a Halloween party! I was a Flower Child, Brooke was a football coach, and Brian was her player! They were absolutely hilarious! Here are a few fun pictures!

Friday night was actual Halloween night! Brooke had a volleyball tournament that night so I didn't get to be home for too many trick-or-treaters. But I did get to dress Angel up and had the cutest little trick-or-treater ever!! Miss Abbye came and she got some sweet potatoes! haha!!

Saturday was a HUGE day!! College Gameday was here but I passed up that once in a lifetime opportunity to go root the Atkins Tornadoes to victory in their tournament! Really I just couldn't convince anyone to fight the crowd with me! haha! But I am so glad I got to go to Brooke's games b/c they were fun to watch! They ended up winning the consolation bracket and they were soo excited!! Brooke was pumped that she gets to add a trophy to the trophy case she worked so hard on this summer!!

Saturday afternoon I was probably the most anxious person ever! I just wasn't sure that 7 could get here fast enough!!! Back in September Chris (who is a huge UT fan) and I decided it would be fun to go to the game together since we are rivals! hehe!! We were lucky we decided to get tickets that early b/c the tickets we had could have sold for about $1500 each a day or two before the game! We debated about selling but just couldn't do it! haha!! #1 University of Texas just thought they could come to our house and put us out of business! Well we had another thing coming for them! We "Blacked them out" and knocked them to #4 and we moved up to #2!! It was the MOST exciting football game I have EVER been to plus we had ROCKIN' seats, even with the crazy old drunk lady behind us!! I can't explain how exciting it was when Crabtree caught that pass and scored a touchdown leaving 1 second on the clock! And then how irritating it was when our wonderful (idiotic) students ran on the field twice and caused us to have to kick off from the 7.5 yard line! Boy was I nervous! But we pulled it off and boy was it GREAT! Here are pictures from the game I am sure you ALL will enjoy them as much as I do! haha!!

The history making kickoff from the 7.5 yrd line!

And end with the sweetest sight of the night!!

Well I know it was long and sorry I have been a slacker and haven't blogged in so long, but I know it was so worth the wait! haha! Unfortunately I wasn't willing to spend $200 to go to the OSU game this weekend so I will be cheering from home (my throat will be thankful)!!

Fun pics

2008-10-26T20:51:00.007-05:00

A little background before the story....

So my back bedroom at my house is a "Cow" room. It is kind of westerny w/cowhides and rustic type stuff. Anyway, I have this awesome picture frame (that once had a great picture in it) that for about a year and a half now has needed a good picture in it. So...I have been wanting a picture of Kambree and Pop's (my dad) on our horse Stormy. Kam has decided she is a cowgirl so I thought how perfect! Anyway I decided to go to Lovington this weekend and Kim and Kam decided they would go too. When they told me that I thought what a great time it would be to take pics. So we put together the cutest outfit and planned to take pics Saturday afternoon! I was STOKED to finally get the picture for my frame! haha! So Saturday afternoon (AFTER MY RED RAIDERS KICKED SOME MAJOR BOOTY) Dad and I got ready, saddled the horse, and began to wait and wait and wait. Well, as luck would have it the Roger's girls became busy and put off the picture plans (until it was too dark for pics like I had warned them all day). So since Pop's and I were already looking cute and had Stormy saddled we figured we may as well make the best of it! Mom came out and took pics for us in dad's wheat field and we had a BLAST!!! Of course by the time we realized they weren't going to show up the sun was at a bad spot so some of the cutest ones didn't turn out but we got some way cute ones and a PERFECT picture for my frame!! I couldn't have asked for a better Saturday afternoon!! Or for a better picture!!! I have the worlds greatest parents, they always seem to make things better!!! Anyway, here are the fun pictures!!

And the picture for the frame is....

A meme

2008-10-14T21:19:00.005-05:00

Wonderful Kristi tagged me in her Meme blog. The assignment is to grab the 6th photo off of the 6th file of photos on my computer and post it. Of course I have different pictures on different computers that I have, but this one seemed to have the best story behind it! So here it is!!

This picture is little miss Kambree!! This was from her second birthday party! It was at Pizza Inn and was so much fun! Her theme was "Poodles in Paris"! This picture was taken right before she feel backwards out of her chair. The crazy thing about that is that she still to this day remembers that! Blows my mind! This picture definitely brought back GREAT memories and a little tear to my eye! I know Kristi already tagged Amy, Brooke, and Heather...but I am going to do them again so that they will actually do it! What a great fun blog Kristi! Thanks!!

My favorite 4yr old!

2008-10-10T14:34:00.005-05:00

Kambree is my friend Kimberly's little girl. Kim and I grew up together and have been greatest of friends forever! Kim and Kam moved to Lubbock in May and it has been a blast!! Kim doesn't get off work until 7 in the evenings (now - used to be 10) so since June I have been picking Kambree up from daycare and keeping her until Kim got off!! Kam and I had a fun summer together and I have posted pictures throughout the summer, but the following are pictures since August that haven't been posted! At the bottom is a video of my new favorite song!! If you listen to it be sure to listen to the words and you will understand why I love it so much!!

Kambree was the Flower Girl in our friend from Lovington's Wedding! She was precious!!

Kam started Pre-K this year and this was her first day of school! Mom always took pics of us so I had to do the same for her!

For some reason she wanted one on my jet skis too!

I picked Kam up from the daycare Monday and she seemed tired. Before we got home this was how I found her! haha

Tuesday was school picture day and this was her outfit! She was precious!!

Tuesday after school Kam came to work with me! Guess working was too much for her b/c she didn't hardly make it out of the parking lot! haha!

We love to show our Atkin's Pride (Brooke's School) when we go watch Brooke coach!!

Family Birthday Celebrations

2008-10-06T14:17:00.014-05:00

What a FUN birthday weekend we had. Even though it wasn't mine it was still a blast! haha!! Dad's birthday was Friday (Oct. 3) Heather's (Oct. 5), and Daniel's (Oct. 9). So we had LOTS of partying to do! This year is Heather's 30th birthday so the whole celebration was really about her, but we included the others! And...I even got a present (told ya'll I would carry into October!) My uncle Gary picked out my card for me...I LOVE it!!!

After/during the time we were opening presents Leslye and I played with the girls on the floor!! We felt like kids again! haha!! I attached a short little video of Abbye and Kenna talking and a slideshow of the Party Pics! What an awesome family we have!!

Heather has an even funnier video on her page Heather's Headlines!

Enjoy the Show!!

On this day...my birthday ends...

2008-09-30T21:22:00.001-05:00

This day marks the ending of my birthday month. Awww…sad I know! I have had such a wonderful fun month! Gran has sent me quite a few cards, at least 1 a week usually more! I love getting fun mail! Thanks to everyone who took time to celebrate with me! I took every opportunity I could to celebrate! Haha!! If anyone missed out on the opportunity I don’t mind flowing over into October, Nov, Dec…whatever! Haha! Totally kidding, I am not that selfish, I will share! Other than my birthday fun, life has pretty calm here lately, not a whole lot going on. Work is starting to settle down (I hope)! We haven’t had any more crazy escaped convicts running around the building! But I did get to go to the Nursing Simulation Center today and that was just too cool! It kinda made me wish I went into the medical field like I had always dreamed! Haha!! Oh well…being a computer nerd works too I guess! Haha! Well I don’t guess there is much more to talk about today…stay tuned for more adventures in the life of Courtney! I will attach a couple of pictures from the last couple of weeks!

Kim and I at the Motorcycle Rally

Ryan (The Neighbor boy)

Kim and I again!

Sis and I!!

Brooke and Brian…Aren’t they the cutest

Ryan and DC (The Boys..neighbors)