My LIfe in Social Media - (Alternate Title - I Can't Remember Anything)

As the alternate title suggests - I can't remember anything, so I thought I would update the month of April by recapping my Twitter and FB posts.  As I review them, I clearly have some issues - and have decided to give a yet another alternate title:

 First World Problems

April 3 - "The hubs and I are having a headed discussion about the DVR and the priority of shows recording." Mike and I have two DVRs. This is a travesty. We can record up to 7 shows at one time, and we still have heated discussions about show priorities. By re-posting, I am proving I have NO shame. I think the discussion might have been about the prioritization of NCIS vs. Biggest Loser.  Clearly - NCIS should win.

April 5 - "Can I please have in IV form today?"  I think this one is self explanatory.... and could be posted every single day. I need my Diet Coke!

April 14 - "Up and out entirely too early for tire rotation and oil change. Car maintenance should be automatic and require no effort on my part."   I HATE taking care of routine maintenance on my car - I think it's the thought of the time wasted, but since my 4Runner has close to 100K miles, I know I need to take care of it. Lord-a-mercy, I'd like it to last another 100K.

April 15 -" I've just vetoed a pair of shoes for Mike since he's not part of Run DNC circa 1988, although not Adidas - the feel is the same." via Facebook. He bought them anyway and now I feel compelled to play "It's Tricky" everytime I see the shoes.

April 17 - "Large RV busses pulling cars should not be allowed to merge on major interstates during rush hours." Clearly, someone's vacation made me waste 4 minutes while waiting to merge. I may be a little stressed if that made me that concerned to post!

April 20 - Retweet from Meghan McCain " Being the bad girl of the Republican party is like being the thinnest kid at fat camp - it's a low bar." This made me laugh out loud and nearly spit my Diet Coke out!

April 20 - Reply to my cousin (@john_higg) who tweeted "I find myself saying thank you to Siri." I agreed and then John said that it never hurt to be nice once she turned sentient. It's a little frightening, but how very Southern to think that good manners will matter!

April 21 - "The best magazine I've read in forever. The May issue is the best." 

Seriously, if you haven't read it - pick it up. I'll even let you borrow mine. In an article, "Rules to Live By"- two struck at my very heart:

Rule 2 - Southerners never put dark meat in their chicken salad and always use real mayonnaise.
Rule 3 - A real Southern girl should own an iced tea pitcher and a deviled-egg plate.
(I know - I'm so deep!)

April 24 - "Headline on News-4-Jax - 'Man shoots girlfriend instead of hog.' Only in Jax is this a legit headline."  This one struck me as too funny, until I later remembered that my brother and his best friend ditched the prom early to go hog hunting... Their dates might have gone along.. my family was only one shot away from being that headline.

April 25 - "Voting for Donald and Peta. #DWTS Their scores were too low." Hello - my name is Christi and I'm a DWTS addict.

This is my life....

By the way - there was also a trip to the movies with good friends, a play by the FBC Jax Academy to see my BFF's daughter in her solo debut (it was awesome), and a trip to Chicago which is a later post!

Trip to Italy - For My Parents...

So I have a crazy, busy work life. This comes as no surprise to anyone who knows me! I wanted to update my own life before I forget everything... which seems to be happening more and more lately. I'm a little concerned about that, i.e - I'm turning into my parents, who are turning into my grandparents (more on that in a bit).

At the beginning of April, my mom and dad went to Naples, Italy to visit Tristen, my nephew. They also saw my sister and brother-in-law. Let's be honest. Tristen was a game changer for them. My parents flew free, courtesy of his military retirement, which was great, but you don't get a guaranteed seat until all active duty and their families are taken care of. They fly a commercial charter jet out of Norfolk, so they drove up there the day before the flight and then had nothing to do until 10pm the next day, so my mom suggested shopping.

My mom is NOT an experienced traveler. This was her second time ever on a plane and the first time was on a little regional jet to MO for mine and Mike's wedding shower in MO. My dad says they were treated great and that my mom was a trouper. However, I would have given a lot to hear some of her comments and questions. I'm guessing I could have written a book.

My mom and dad had a fantastic time! They toured Naples, Pompeii, and went to Rome. They also drove in Italy, which my dad said was an experience, and "once I got mad, it got easier." (I'm not going to lie- I was a little scared by that.) I'm sharing a few pics that I stole from my sister's page.

The first one was where Beth and Terry go to church - right on the beach. They've found a wonderful church home off base!

I have no idea where this was taken, but I want to go..... isn't it beautiful!!!

I'm not sure where this was, but Tristen clearly has my mom wrapped around his finger... and all it takes is a smile!

Last but not least, here they are are at Pompeii.

While they were gone, my Grandma Conner stayed at their house with Harley (the dog who thinks he's a person). Harley was spoiled shamelessly while they were gone and last I heard, was seriously considering going to live with my Grandma.

Mike and I are now planning when we'll go.. can't pass up free room and board in Italy, oh and we want to see Beth, Terry, and Tristen too!

Mom and Dad were traveling for almost three full weeks. They were home just a few days before heading up to the house in Tennessee with my Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Margaret. I think this is the longest my dad has been gone since he was on active duty and traveling for the Army! I don't even know who they are anymore! It's like they've turned into Ama and Papa!

New Gym and Trainer

Just a quick update that I have now joined the gym at Baptist. It's called the Wolfson Wellness Center and there are a few important reasons why I've moved there:

1. It's literally above the ER - so if I seriously injure myself trying to lift something or stretching a hamstring - I'm very close to emergency medical care.
2. It's a part of the new Heart Hospital - so a lot of users are cardiac rehab patients. My self-esteem jumps  50 points when I realize I'm the only person not on oxygen and under 70!
3. It's even closer to work than the Y and has great training rates (this one was only an added bonus based on the first two)

So far it's been great, except for last week when I realized I've been accidentally parking in Clergy spaces.  It's later in the day - so I'm pretty sure I was in the clear -and I realized that I do a lot of praying when I'm training - so I felt almost like Clergy. Regardless - I won't park it there anymore!

Epcot - Flower and Garden Show

Mike and I took a spontaneous trip to Epcot for the Flower and Garden show on the 23rd and 24th. Since we now have our annual passes, we want to be sure we get our money's worth.

We had planned to leave Friday right at 4pm after work, but it was closer to 6 when we actually left. This time we managed a much better hotel. We stayed at the Hilton right next to Downtown Disney. (Much better than the Wyndham from our last trip!) We had dinner at Wolfgang Puck's Express and it was really good.

Epcot was fun. Now it may be a little ironic since I have the blackest thumb - ever. But I love seeing all the topiaries. It's amazing to see what they could create with some plants.  I added two of my favorite pictures. The first was Mater in Japan - I loved this one!

The other was a portion of the Fantasia scene in the entrance. There was also a butterfly garden and Pixie Hollow. Mike did a great job taking pictures of all the topiaries and they are on his Facebook page.

I love that Mike is willing just to  hop on over to Epcot for a day - lots more of these in our future!

Catching Up - March!

Okay - so it's been a long time since my last post. I knew March was going to be crazy!

Newark
So, I'll start with my Newark trip at the end of February. I knew I was a star and probably (actually - in spite of) my previous television appearance, I was asked to travel to Newark for work and participate in a panel discussion in from of 300 people and have it live streamed to any and everybody at my workplace. Now - for anyone who knows me, I'm not quiet and had no problems talking. However I did have a problem with it being recorded for posterity. All in all, it was a great experience, with the exception of driving in Newark traffic. That part nearly caused me to have a nervous breakdown.

When I arrived the rental car company handed me the keys to a Mercury Grand Marquis. I turned right around and said, "I'm so sorry, but I'm not sure I can drive at all in NJ - much less in a land yacht. Please tell me you have something slightly more drivable?" They did - a mini-van, but I was scared to ask for  a third choice. It was hair-raising, but I was only flipped off three times, so I consider it a victory!

My Closet(s)

The shame of my closet(s). Yes - I have three and they were a mess. But as the weather warmed up, I knew I had to transition my spring / summer clothes downstairs and my fall/winter wardrobe back upstairs to the "spare" closets. I spent almost a full Saturday getting them purged and ready for next winter. While I did have to say goodbye to a few pieces, the world is probably better off if I never wear my wool walking shorts again. While they were VERY stylish circa 1991 (with tights and cute Sam & Libbys) - that era is no more. It recalls big mall hair that was body waved and (unfortunately) MC Hammer and Debbie Gibson on the radio. Let's all have a moment of silence for fashion trends of days gone by......

So, I cleaned out my closet to allow for a updated pieces of Spring. Apparently, Ann Taylor has decided that neon colors are in. I purchased an electric blue dress and a neon yellow cardigan. As I tried it on - my mind flashed back to my cousin's 16th birthday party (I was 13) and was SO proud of my new Esprit outfit. This outfit consisted of - yellow pants, and royal blue shirt with yellow/ red paisleys, and a red sweater. I was SPECIAL. Words can't even describe it. Sadly, no pictures exist (because 10 years ago I destroyed all potential blackmail material.) And yet - I still bought the dress and cardigan.

Birthdays


March is also a month of birthdays. My mom's was on 5th, Beth's on the 11th, my mother-in-laws on the 12th, my dad's on the 15th, and Mike's was on 30th.  It's an expensive month!  My mom is easy to buy for - she likes anything that I wear.  My dad and Mike are impossible to buy for. What do you buy the men that don't need anything and don't really want anything?

Mike saved the day for my dad. He recommended walkie-talkies for when they are at the lake, since their cell phones don't work. I suggested my dad could call into the house for coffee and my mom could bring it down to the dock for him. My mom wasn't as thrilled with the suggestion, but she was busy thinking of alternate uses live having my dad take one when we was working at the barn or at Ama and Papa's house.

On the other hand Mike - doesn't need or really want anything. Really. I finally decided to give the gift that benefits us both - a cruise!!! We are going to Cozumel in June and we are both really excited! It will be several days in a row with no work and no cell service. It's something that we REALLY needed! But I still wanted to get him something on his actual birthday - so I bought a bluetooth keyboard for his iPAD. But - here's the shameful part - I am not a "card" person , so I didn't get one; and I thought I had gift wrap. I did not. I had to "wrap" his keyboard in a used Disney bag. I will NOT win Wife of the Year.

Disney Fun - My Future as a Baton Twirler?

Well, last weekend, Mike and I headed to Disney. I had to be at a conference for work starting on the 20th, so we took advantage and spent the weekend before at the parks.  Mike was in charge of finding a hotel for the weekend, since I was staying at the Contemporary for the conference, and we didn't want to spend $350 a night!

He found the Wyndham at Downtown Disney through a discount available to employees at AT&T.  We thought the Wyndham was a good name and the hotel would be okay. Apparently, they don't think much of their employees.

We got there (after a way-to-brief stop at the outlets) and found that we were in an "outside" the Tower room with external access, next to the loading dock. Even better, it was a room designed for disabled access. This meant all the controls and hanging rods were waist high. The best part - the shower and toilet were all in one area with no divider! Mike even took a video and posted on his facebook with a video tour.  Hotel Room - deeply discounted..... Look on Mike's face - PRICELESS

We were there over President's Day Weekend, so everything was pretty crowded, but on the plus side I learned that there is a Vera Bradley outlet in Orlando!

We decided to purchase Annual passes while there. We plan to head down a lot this year, and with an annual pass, you get free parking and discounts on Disney merchandise, restaurants, and hotels (no more Wyndham!).

We spent most of our time at Magic Kingdom, where Mike totally kicked my butt at Buzz Lightyear and I remembered how much I LOVED the Electrical Light parade.

But as a special treat before the light parade, we had a parade of baton twirlers from all over the country. Before I jump into this, let me just say that as a child, I ALWAYS wanted to be the one wearing the sparkly costumes, and if it came sequins and boots with fringe - I was all in. (Apparently as a child in the mid-to-late 70s, I also refused to wear pants of any kind and preferred full-on dresses with crinolines or short-shorts. Not sure if I planned a future as a Dallas-cowboy cheerleader or some other less savory profession.)

Anyway - back to the twirlers... We had great seats for the parade - on the cement curb in front of the train station. (When I say great seats - we could see everything up close, but my rear end was completely numb when I stood up.) I was watching the twirlers and mentally judging their costumes (ugly,  cute ribbons, too short, spandex pants?, oohhh sparkly!)  Mike was amusing himself by playing games on his i-Phone. Then we heard a cheer from the people on the parade route before us.

Coming down the road, twirling their hearts out....... the Senior Adult women of Texas! They were wearing short sparkly red skirts, white/blue tops, with sequined silver cowboy hats and white fringe boots! Not a one of them was under 70!  I am ashamed to say that I did not snap a pic. I was way too emotionally involved in the cheering. The absolute best part was the lady who was being pushed in a wheelchair - just a-twirling away!

I just could not help myself - I joined the standing ovation and cheering. I think it's fantastic to see older people who are active and really enjoying themselves (especially in glitter boots with fringe).  I hope I have the moxie (and the legs)  to twirl at Disney when I'm old. Of course, Mike would be far too embarrassed to push my wheelchair!

Hmmm..  I wonder if it's too late for me to take baton lessons......

Anyway... off to pack for a trip to Newark (again for work). From Disney to Newark... what a difference! The happiest place on earth to..... well.... Newark. 

Busy Month Ahead!

So how come it feels like Fourth of July is right around the corner, and Thanksgiving is just down the block? I feel so pressed for time right now, but was remembering how the months of January through may just D....R....A.....G......G.....E......D by when I was in school. I couldn't wait for the summer, then it was here and I was ready for school to start up again.  (Which probably indicates a complete inability to be content and appreciate the moment.)

Now, I'd settle for an un-busy weekend! But, it doesn't look like that is in my future.

This weekend, we are all about getting hair done, Dish Network installed, and getting the Westside house ready for renters (an answer to prayer, and a story for later).  And my favorite - Inaugural Girl's Night!

 Next weekend - Disney here we come!

I have a work conference from the 20th to the 22nd to go to in Orlando (at the Contemporary) and I am so excited to stay at the original monorail hotel!!!  Mike and I are headed down the weekend before to relax and play at the parks. We'll get our FL Resident Season passes and try to spend more time down there. (I have a feeling I might not be having dinner at the conference - not with a pass and monorail access!)

We'd have done the Play Three Florida resident special, but it isn't good on a holiday weekend. President's Day... while I'm grateful for the holiday and would normally be off work, it seems a little dull. I think there should be great holidays like Queso&Chip Day - where there are no calories and Carb day - where you can eat all of them without "carb-face" the next morning.  (Can you tell there have been no carbs for a few days? I'm, a little obsessive.) Oooh or how about mani-pedi day where there is no guilt because you should be more productive.

I'll be back sometime on Wednesday, then on Sunday, I'm headed to Newark. (Could I write that with any less excitement? Probably not.) It's a great opportunity for work, but really.... Newark?  I'll be back in town sometime on the 2nd of March, assuming I can get out of Newark on time (I'm not sure that's even possible!). And there you have it - the rest of my February....

By the way - I feel like I should admit that I think my Couch to 5K iPhone app is mocking me.. When it says, let's run - it sounds all sarcastic, like "let's see if you can do it, sucker." Then when she says, "whew, that was tough," I think her tone says something different. "That was tough for you maybe, but I think a beached beluga could have done it without the heavy breathing."  Now that I've added emotions to my iPhone app, and not just emotions, but mean girl emotions, I think my work here is done tonight.

Pinterest .... Socially Acceptable Addiction

My name is Christi and I'm a frustrated pinaholic. I love the idea of Pinterest and have pinned my share (or more if you ask Mike) of stuff. However, it has the tendency to make me feel just the slightest bit (or more) inadequate.

I feel like if I was a better person, I'd make my own cleaning products, mod-podge, marshmallows, and cook dinner every night from scratch, while whipping up a wreath for every season/holiday and making my own cards and gifts (specifically body scrubs and bath salts).

But I live in the real world where I have a demanding job. I have to admit:  I'm not a better person and my front door is currently wreath-less, often my dinners are catered by Subway or even better, the Chicken House, and I have a whole bottle of mod-podge (bought at Hobby Lobby, thank you very much) in my craft room (aka my back porch) just waiting for me to get crafty.  (What a run on sentence! Mrs. Proctor would be horrified!)

Speaking of making my own, I totally feel the craft itch right now, and I have a 25% off coupon at Michaels that is calling my name! But in the spirit of being totally transparent - I should go running, I should pre-chop all my fruits and veggies for the upcoming week, and I really should work on organizing my upstairs office..... I'll probably go to Michaels and buy something to put on my front door!

Mike literally just walked by my computer and asked if I were pinning, and said to me that he thinks this is an addiction that women should not have.  Which begs the question, what addition should women have?

Happy Pinning!

I'm a Star...

I'm a star.... or a quick soundbite for a desperate reporter! Last week, I was walking the bridges with my BFF, Ellen - a star herself (who totally talked to Jim Bob Duggar over the weekend!)  We made a loop of the Acosta bridge and were headed toward the Main Street bridge when a woman stopped us and wanted to know if she could ask us something. I thought she was lost or needed directions...

It was much worse. She was a reporter for Action News (Channel 30). She asked us about a recent study that said Jacksonville had the lowest unemployment rate for those aged 18-34. I had read the article earlier and so I knew the study wasn't totally accurate. I told her I had read the article and she was all over it. Now keep in mind, I was sporting a neon green Under Armour top,  black capri leggings, and neon green Nikes (courtsey of above BFF).  As a side note, I have the best BFF ever for a multitude of reasons, but the cherry on the top is we wear the SAME SHOE size. It's like we were meant to be BFF! I was not television ready, but said I'd do it! Ellen, wisely said she was not going on camera!

I had to spell my name and answered six questions, which later got reduced to two 10 second sound bites. As soon as I did it, I thought I might throw up. Why in the work had I agreed do this?

Anyway after I headed home, I told Mike, and we watched it. I then threatened him with everything I could think of if he shared it on social media of any kind.  I did not even call my parents. Then I prayed NO ONE ELSE would watch the news.

No such luck! During the broadcast, a lady I work with texted me. She must have told everyone since I walked in the next morning and they were immediately was teasing me about it. People I ride with in the elevator said, "I saw a woman who looked just like you on the news last night." I just smiled and said, "Really?" Of course I had to admit it to the people I knew! (I was just very vague about it to everyone else... neither confirming nor denying!)

It died down... or so I thought. My mother called today, a full week after the event. My high school English teacher, Mrs. Proctor, saw me and told Mama. Now I'm in trouble for not telling them. Mama said they would have watched it if I had called them. I had to remind her that's why I hadn't told ANYBODY!

Anyway - that was probably my one and only brush with fame and I was wearing neon green Under Armour, and had bad bridge-walking, sweaty hair. I'm pretty sure America's Next Top Model will not be calling. But I did have to wait a week to write this post so that the clip would no longer be online!

This and That

It's been a "blah" sort of few weeks after the holidays. I think this happens every year, but it was especially obvious this year. We had a wonderful Christmas in Missouri with the Mahans, then came home to spend some time with Beth, Terry, and the star of the show, Tristen! We spend NYE at my mom and dad's with the entire Conner side of the fam, and I was off work for two weeks!  Then reality set in: I got sick, went back to work, had an empty house, and had to face un-decorating for Christmas.  It just feels a like a let down. But finally around mid-month, I start to bounce back.

I started the Couch to 5K plan. I've been doing a run/walk thing for a while, but I'd like to run an entire 5K. This plan promises to get me there in nine weeks. I bought the app that goes with it, so that a nice lady can interrupt my play list to say really encouraging things, like: "Whew.. alright let's take a walk break" and "Ready to run?" I generally want to say NO, but I do it anyway.

I've also been cooking more, which hopefully supports my efforts to lose weight and be more healthy. My stuffed peppers turned out really well. The chicken and rice was okay, but the ham needed some work.

I find it hard to cook a lot during the week, when I don't get home until so late, after working a really long day. Otherwise, it's 8:30 or later by the time we eat, which really seems too late, but a girl has to do what a girl has to do.

We had our first weigh in with Weight Watchers, which went really well. Like J-Hud (I like to call Jennifer Hudson J-Hud - it makes me think we could be close) said, "I got this." I've also downloaded her new book and will be reading it this week!

I've also been playing with my new toy!

Mike gave me an iPhone 4S and I LOVE it. I'm never bored, ever. I also have a new cover from Three Hip Chicks, which I love (both the cover and the website!):

You might notice a theme between the cover and the blog. As I mentioned, I may or may not be obsessed with a little black, white, hot pink, and damask. Mike said it wasn't very protective, but I said it was beautiful and monogrammed, which trumps practicality and I promised to be very careful!

I've also been very obsessed with Pinterest! I've managed to make various relatives just as obsessed, and I tend to feel better about my own addictions when I know others are in the same boat.

Yay! I have a beautiful new blog. I knew these technical skills were well beyond my abilities, so I enlisted The Cutest Blog on the Block. Jenn did an amazing job! I may or may not be slightly obsessed with black, white, hot pink, damask and monograms. This ties it all in together and it's very "me"!  My hubs would definitely say I am obsessed. I prefer to think of it as channeled thinking!

Speaking of my journey to better spiritual and physical health, I think I NEED this adorable planner from Tiny Tulips.  (I hope my hubs is reading!)

Fresh Start 2012

I always feel like the beginning of a new year is time for fresh starts, so I decided to start a blog and put my goals out on the internet for the world to see. Hopefully this will help my accountability and not add to my shame! (However it's probably only of interest to a few small groups with the last names Mahan, Conner, and Williams.)

My goals are to become more healthy this year, both spiritually and physically. For part 2, I enlisted Weight Watchers, and for part 1, I'll start a new reading plan with You Version. I'd like to read through the New Testament and really dig into it.

Today is the last day before I go back to work and the insanity. I feel like I should be super-productive today and remove and re-pack all Christmas, deep clean the house, start a new journal, and cook all meals for the upcoming week in advance. However, in the spirit of being honest and transparent, I'll probably just snuggle with my nephew Tristen (see the adorableness above) and maybe get a mani-pedi!

My sister, brother-in-law, and sweet, precious Tristen have stayed with us over Christmas and it's been so fun! They are leaving for home (Italy) tomorrow, and I will miss them! Thank goodness for Skype and Facebook!

Happy New Year to everyone!