Jazzercise or Bust?!

Okay, so as many do after the first of each year...I came to a revelation. I'm almost 33 and I'm out of shape! I'm too young to be out of shape & not fitting into clothes...especially having never had children, etc etc! Don't worry...I promise to give you humor...just hold on another minute!

So...I signed up for Jazzercise (yes, totally corny name, but essentially aerobics) and went to my first class today over lunch. I imagined just sweating a bit, doing a quick shower & going back to work, I plan to do this 3 x's a week. Well the workout was incredible, however everything else was a diaster!

1. I learned in the first 15 minutes that this workout was NOT going to be the kind where you just glisten and barely sweat. No...this was a dripping sweat, beet red in the face workout....it's been almost 1 hour since the workout and my face is still blood red!

2. I also learned that many women in their 40s & 50s are in much better shape then me as I'm huffing & puffing and they look like they are having the time of their life.

3. There is such a thing as community showers for girls...who knew?! Technically there were 4 separate stalls, but there was NO curtain or anything where you had to undress prior to getting in the shower! Can we say, "Hello, my name is...." seems much more appropriate meeting someone that way, then taking a shower together!

4. As the sign quickly reminded me, I did NOT bring shower shoes...totally GROSS!

5. I begin to put soap on me only to realize that I grabbed the wrong travel size container and I was applying a nice lather of LOTION! FYI- Makes a mess in the shower and hard to rinse when the spout is only spitting water.

Okay, so that was my first class...what in the world could possibly happen on the 2nd time?!

Corazon at Castle Hill

Some of you seem to like my tips on places to eat. And, if you haven't learned by now...I LOVE food...Well, I finally tried Corazon at Castle Hill. You may not realize but Castle Hill used to be a restaraunt on 5th Street, but shut down for awhile and converted to a mexican restaraunt called Corazon at Castle Hill.

Anyway...I'm here to tell you that I thought it was great....2 THUMBS UP from me.

Very nice restaraunt...but laid back & casual. Price range for the majority of dishes is $10-12.

Here's what I got... VERY YUMMY...

Al Pastor
Chile-lime seared pork with pineapple, onion, and cilantro. Garnished with rice and beans, sour cream, pico de gallo, guacamole, and a choice of flour or corn tortillas.

Is your mouth watering, yet?

You can see more about them at:

http://www.corazonatcastlehill.com/

Gingerbread House

Last year I started the tradition of Wes and I making a gingerbread house. Last year we went to Whole Foods & they already had the houses constructed, we just did the decorating. This year, I bought a kit and we also constructed the house. It was lots of fun! Here are some pics!

Worst Case Scenario

Okay, so I got that book...The WORST-CASE SCENARIO Survival Handbook: Holidays. Some of it is funny. So since I can't come up with much to post these days, I'll try to remember to post some daily tips from this.

So here is today's... and for the record I'm not recommending these tactics, simply passing them along...

HOW TO SILENCE A GROUP OF CAROLERS

* Turn out the lights: As soon as you hear or see the carolers coming down the street, douse the lights. A dark house may deter them from stopping, since they'll think noone is home. Turning out the lights belatedly- after they've arrived at your door- will send a strong message, but carolers are frequently determined!

*Turn up your music: W/out opening your door, play CDs at high volume. Speed metal and 1970s rock are likely to be in a different key then the carolers, who will be unable to stay in tune, become discouraged & depart. If you're listening to Christmas music, shut it off immediately , or they may be encouraged to sing along.

*Answer the door in a robe or towel: Embarressed the carolers may simply leave. Nudity (even partial) may offend them & make them unable to sing.

*Answer the door holding a telephone: Shout, "I can't hear you! There are carolers singing!" into the moutpiece until the carolers move on.

*Bribe them: Tell them you'd like to make a small donation & that you enjoy their singing from a distance.

*Request songs they won't know: The song repertoire is generally quite shallow. Good choices to stump the carolers include "Adam Lay Ybouden," "Riu Chiu," and "The Zither Carol."

*Send them to someone else: Say, "My friend over there really loves carols," as you point to another house.

Cookies & Cookies & More Cookies, OH MY!

So my mom, sister & I hosted our very first cookie exchange. It was loads of fun and we all ended up with TONS of cookies. Here's a picture of the table of cookies!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...

I always love my parent's home at Christmas. Here are 2 of my favorite things...the tree & the mantel! The pics aren't great ones b/c I didn't do good lighting, but you get the idea!

3 YEARS, 6 MONTHS & 20 DAYS

Okay, those of you who know me well know the following:

1. I go to bed early...yes, I'm old beyond my years. But in my defense, I also leave my house by 6:15 every morning...so I get up early!

2. I truly am content and satisfied with being single. Okay...now this doesn't mean that my hopes & dreams involve being single forever, but God has granted me contentment and joy in my life!

Okay...now you are really asking yourself...what has that got to do with 3 years, 6 months & 20 days. Well I'm getting there...don't worry.

So last night, I'm driving home late (okay, well 10pm-past my usual bedtime) after having a wonderful dinner with The Cherry Family and then watching the kiddos while they did some Christmas shopping. Did I mention I absolutely love them all? And those kiddos continually steal my heart, especially in funny moments that involve a bath, a #2 messy diaper & running naked through the house. Okay, Lynna...so I owe you a story that I forgot to tell you last night!

Anyway...yes, those that know me are not at all suprised nor annoyed that I'm rambling & talking in circles, delaying the punch line. So, I'm driving home listening to The River and they have the John Tesh show on at nights. Anyway, according to John Tesh (or something he saw published) the average amount of time it takes for a man to propose is 3 years, 6 months & 20 days. Right then & there I realized, AHAA....that's it...that's my problem. You mean I've got to date a guy that long only to get him to ask me to then continue dating him for the rest of his life?! And, yes, I'm joking for the most part...but seriously....that's quite a large average...think about those poor girls who had to wait for 6 years to help equate to this 3 year average! WOW!