Developing a working schedule

Developing a working schedule has been a work in progress for me.

God deals with me with my schedule, and its important to me to be on top of my time, because it so easily gets away from me. I've often said I'm like a four year old- I need that structure.

Like a warm cup of coffee has a 31 days cleaning/organizing challenge. Today, it is developing a schedule, which I have actually recently done thanks to fly lady. I've got my "control journal" up and running!

Here is my current schedule:

5:30-7:30a Wake, breakfast, coffee, morning quiet time, dress and morning chores. My chores consist of unloading the dishwasher each morning and folding clothes. I usually try to do one other thing before I leave for work, sweep, dust, or . . . sometimes I just sit and watch the birds out of the dining room window.

8:00-5:00 at my job, working 9 to 5 what a way to make a living, barely getting by, its all taking and no giving....

6:00p Home again. My husband has usually put the dinner I made the night before in the oven. I leisurely eat dinner and spend time with husband.

7:30-8:00p Dog is walked.

8:00-9:00p I make tomorrow's dinner and put in fridge with written instructions to husband on what to do with it. Clean kitchen, start dishwasher and possibly a load of clothes. I lay out my clothes for the next day.

9:00-10:00p bath, blogging and then bedtime.


My two favorite time quotes:
You may not have time to have a clean car, a clean house or clean hair all on the same day, but you do have time to do what God has put you on earth to do, and a little sightseeing along the way. Author unknown.

Organization doesn't solve every problem, but it gives you a tool to better handle what you face on any given day. Author unknown.

Want to see other's schedules? Visit Like a warm cup of coffee

Weekend accomplishments

The second upstairs bedroom is now "spring green". Next weekend... the floor!

My crepe myrtles are clapping their hands

For you will go out with joy and be led forth with peace. The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Isaiah 55:12 (New American Standard)

Good news!!!

Rice Crispy treats are only 1 point!

Melt three tablespoons of butter in large saucepan, Add 1 package of big marsh mellows or 4 cups of mini marsh mellows and stir until completely melted. Add 6 cups of Rice Crispy cereal. Stir until well coated. Press mixture into baking pan and let cool. Cut into 24 squares and it is 1 point each!!

Peanut butter rice crispy treats are 2 points! Just add 1/3 cup reduced fat peanut butter before stirring in cereal

Reasons why I am choosing to live well

Visit others who are choosing to live well here

This little list is posted in several places where I see it multiple times everyday- the closet, the pantry, the car, at work...

Reasons I am choosing to live well;

1. More energy.

2. Generally feel better.

3. Joyfully walk the dog each night instead of dreading it as a chore and doing only the minimum (which means sometimes I make him stay in)

4. Stop thinking about food all the time.

5. Fit into all clothes in closet.

6. Able to take multiple stairs (without calling an ambulance), which is sometimes required at work.

7. Be more productive at home and at work by not spending the first four hours each day in a constant search for coffee and Diet Moutian Dew.

8. God wants me to consciously chose what is better, strive to do better and not just consume the fastest, easiest thing I can get by with (see Daniel 1)

9. Stop paying for the Weight Watcher meetings.

10. Keep that small feeling of accomplishment.

11. Exercising control in the areas of life which I can control- what I put in my mouth- makes me feel better about the many areas I cant control.

12. Avoiding preservatives and who knows what else in junk food.

13. Stop the merry-go-round of losing the same few pounds over and over and over again.

14. This is one of the only little things I get to do for myself- just for myself.

15. No one else can see it- but I feel the little bulge over my pantyhose and it drives me crazy and is uncomfortable - and I wear pantyhose five days a week (yes, even in the summer).

16. I want to be a good example to others whom I might have some influence over.

17. Sleep better.

18. Apples and Lettuce is generally cheaper than Oreos and dip.

19. More self confidence in appearance.

20. I am quicker to reach out to others if my mind is not always on myself.

Even more about my vacation-San Antonio Missions

One whole day of vacation was spent in San Antonio visiting the Missions.

San Antonio is home to five missions, established in the 1700's by missionaries from Spanish Mexico, built as churches and community centers for the Indians, and they are all still used as churches and still have Sunday service!!

The most famous mission of course, is San Antonio de Valero, or better known as "the Alamo". Can you believe I don't have a picture of the front of the Alamo? You know, that famous picture of the front of the Alamo? The one that everyone goes to San Antonio to get, that one picture?

Yeah, I don't have one.

I blame the heat, I wasn't thinking clearly. And it was really crowded. Really crowded. The other missions, not so much. The other missions were not as easy to find, unlike the Alamo which was literally in the middle of town. Sometimes we were the only ones visiting the other missions.

Which will account for all these pictures I did get:

This is Mission San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo, also known as the Queen of the Missions, because it is the largest. The compound was founded in 1720 and the church built between 1768-1782 and it is the only mission in the area where the entire compound has been restored/rebuilt, including the church and the wall that surrounds it.



Notice the octagon shaped window on the right. This is called Rose's window. It is the only mission with a decorative window built into it and no one knows why it was built or why it was named. Although it looks like the window is close to the ground so you can just walk up and go look in- but- it is actually way too high to look through and even if you could look through it, you would only see a wall on the other side. Its a mystery. (My husband thinks it was done for air circulation).

This is Mission Nuestro Senora de la Purisima Concepcion. It was built in 1731, and it is the oldest un-restored stone church in America. They say the Church acoustics are equal to the Mormon Tabernacle.



Can you see the twin bell towers? This is the Mission that has been restored the least and is therefore in the most original state. It still has the original decorative paintings on the inside walls. The ones on the outside walls are gone.

This one is Mission San Juan Capistrano, also built in 1731.



To the right of this little chapel, you can see what looks like a low wall, these are ruins of a larger, more elaborate church that was never completed.

Pretty interesting stuff, isn't it?

Menu Planning Monday

I am going to be a little more adventurous and try some new things this week.

You can try some new things too by seeing more weekly menus here

Monday: Red Beans, sausage and rice in the crockpot. Half will be frozen for later.
Tuesday: Meatloaf and homemade French Fries
Wednesday: Spinach and Pork Ribs in crockpot. Recipe from food section in local paper: Put 2 pounds of pork ribs (with or without bones) in crockpot, add seasoning salt, and one can of Rotel. Cook on low for 6 hours. Add two packages of slightly defrosted frozen creamed spinach. Cook on low for two more hours. Serve over pasta.
Thursday: Fiesta Chicken Bake. I got the recipe from Harrington House
Friday: Leftovers

Lemonade cookies (Recipe from Cat Cora, "Cooking from the Hip"). This cookie is so tasty- like a lemon sugar cookie, but not WW friendly.

Pre-heat oven to 375. In a large bowl, cream together two sticks of unsalted butter and one cup of sugar with hand mixer. Add 2 tablespoons of lemon zest, and 2 large eggs, one at a time. Beat for 4-5 minutes until mixture is light and creamy. Set aside.

In another bowl, mix together 2 1/2 cup flour, 1/8 teaspoon salt and one teaspoon baking soda. Slowly add flour and 3 Oz's. of a can of thawed frozen lemonade concentrate on low speed and mix until well blended.

Bake cookies for 8-9 minutes until just the edges are brown, the middle will still look uncooked. Take out of oven and immediate brush a little of the left over lemonade concentrate on them and sprinkle with sugar. Let cool completely.
The batter will freeze well.

R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. ~Ephesians 5:33

Titus 2:3-5 is asking this question... What do you do or say that shows your man that he's the thang in your life?
How do you make him feel special, valued, necessary, even heroic?
What mistakes have you made that made your loved one feel crummy, unimportant, and disrespected?


This week I:

Made him breakfast on Saturday morning, biscuits, bacon, scrambled eggs and coffee, delivered it to him in bed, along with the morning paper.

Did not pester him while he was sitting in front of the TV watching the College Baseball playoff games each night for the last week.

Walked the dog so he did not have to move from his spot in front of the College Baseball Playoff games.

Visit others who are sharing their practical tips here and share some of yours too over here at Titus 2:3-5

What is this?

What kind of plant is this?

The buds are light purple- although they look white in the pictures-and they don't really open wide, just kind of stay in the bud stage.

It also seems to be a pretty hardy plant. We have been ignoring it, thinking it was a weed, and here it is..... blooming.

Mini Oreo Cheesecake (WW recipe)

My biggest tip is to buy a very small box of Oreo cookies- the kind they have at the Circle K/7-11/On the Run/ nicer gas station stores. They have 14 Oreos- just enough for this recipe and no more laying around the house tempting you.

WW Mini Oreo Cheesecakes

14 Oreo Cookies, reduced fat
16 ounces fat-free cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar or ½ cup Splenda
1 egg or 1/2 cup Egg Beaters® 99% egg substitute
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 foil cupcake liners

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place 12 foil cupcake liners into a regular size muffin tin.
Place one Oreo into the bottom of each liner and set the remaining 2 Oreos aside.
In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese, Splenda, egg substitute and vanilla until smooth.
Divide the cheese mixture evenly on top of each Oreo. The mixture will be thick, so use your spoon and press down on the batter a little bit once it's on top of the Oreos so that some of the batter goes down around the cookies.
Crush the remaining 2 cookies into fine crumbs and sprinkle evenly on top of each cheesecake.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the center is almost set.
Cool completely, and then refrigerate for 2-3 hours or overnight.

Lest you think it is all sunshine and roses at my house

Visit others who are choosing to live well here

I don't want you to get the wrong idea, so here is the rest of the story.

Some weeks I just dont have anything good to report. Weight loss is a struggle for me, too. I have a lot of problems with it. I don't always do and eat great, healthy and inspiring things.

I think one of my biggest problems is that I have tasted success in the past in a big way. I went from a size 16 to a size 10.

How?

I joined Weight Watchers in January 2005, five months before my wedding, and it worked well for me. I have always been one that needed organization and a structured environment, like a five year old, I do well on a short leash.

Did you know that the bridal boutiques make you sign a waiver if you order a gown too small, acknowledging that the professionals told you it was not a good idea, so when your dress doesn't fit two weeks before your wedding, you have no one to blame but yourself?

I signed that waiver.

I ordered my wedding dress two sizes too small.

Then I had to have it further taken in before the wedding. I should have ordered it three sizes too small. That's how much weight I lost.

I have a lot that I contribute the success to, a secretary where I worked was already a member and it was easier and more fun to do it with her, I became good friends with my WW meeting leader and I really liked her and found her inspiring (but she has since moved away), and I had a lot of motivation in the form of a strapless dress two sizes too small.

Today, I don't have any of those factors in my life.

I don't have a whole lot of weight to lose, there is no deadline and no one will really notice if I lose the weight or not.

Today, I am a size 12. I have about 7 pounds I would like to lose, just to be able to wear all the clothes in my closet. Although working clothes are a big investment and its important that I get back into them comfortably, its not as exciting as getting into a wedding gown. and I have no deadline.

Realizing I needed the structured environment, I joined WW again in January with a goal of losing eight pounds. In the last six months, I lost five pounds, and then gained five pounds, so I am exactly in the same spot I was six months ago. Its a little depressing.

At the WW meeting this week, the leader was asking for tips and strategies to help you when you really want a piece of cake... my advice was to just plan ahead and have a piece each week- but only one piece a week, not one piece a day, like I am doing. She looked horrified and then said, "you mean one piece a month, don't you?" That is obviously my problem, because, no, I meant one piece a week, which I thought was extreme deprivation, as I am currently having some kind of dessert everyday. I'm serious.

Its so depressing that earlier this week I told my husband I was going to quit WW. I am so quick to quit. I told him all the reasons. I told him about the money I spent on the monthly pass for the meetings, the time, energy and gas money I was spending going to the meetings (and even looking for another one I liked better) and how it was all a big waste because in the last six months, I am exactly the same weight.... I gave him the whole sad story expecting him to agree with me and give me a partner in my weight loss pity party.

He listened patiently... not really, he was in the middle of doing something else, and I was pretty sure he wasn't listening at all.... until he said, "How much would you have gained if you were not on WW this past six months? It seems like its worth it even if all you do is maintain. I think you should stay with it. What's it hurting? You are maintaining."

So I guess the bigger picture is that this week, the worst thing I have to report is that I am maintaining, that I seriously considered quitting WW and giving up any weight loss goals, but did not, and instead of going to $.99 one scoop night at Baskin Robbins tonight, I had a Skinny Cow Skinny Dipping ice cream for 1 point and it was so darn tasty- I forgot all about Baskin Robbins.

A new week has begun

A new week that finds me with a freshly painted yellow upstairs bedroom (that took three coats). This is the window seat area:


Once the flooring is in, this will be my office, and this will be my view. I will love looking at the blooming Crepe Myrtle outside the window, and will probably just sit and look at the trees and not get any work done. I hope the birds come to visit.


A new week and new closet storage for purses.


Not the best looking ..... it was originally meant to hold heavy items in the garage, but it works for purses. Even my husband mentioned that it was not very attractive. But, no more purses falling from the high shelf on my head.

A new week has also found me with a new committment that this was the last weekend that you will find me in the grocery store. Shopping on a weekday evening has to be less painful, I'll have to see.

Menu Planning Monday

My weekly menus seem to be just more of the same thing....I need to add some more tricks to my bag.... by visiting here

Monday: Chicken Salad Sandwich. Weight-Watcher recipe. De bone a chicken, add 1 chopped onion, 1 chopped green bell pepper and some chopped grapes. Mix with low fat mayo.

Tuesday: Crock-pot roast with rice and gravy. Add one package of dry onion soup mix and one can of cream of mushroom soup. Cook on low for 10-12 hours.

Wednesday: Left over Roast with BBQ sauce on bun.

Thursday: English muffin pizza. Another weight watcher recipe. Toast a wheat englsh muffin. Top with a tablespoon of pizza sauce in a jar, pepperoni and shredded cheese. Bake for 10 minutes.

Friday: Gotta find something else to do with those hanburger buns?

Happy Father's Day

Dear Child:

You may not know me, but I know everything about you. Psalm 139:1

I know when you sit down and when you rise up. Psalm 139:2

I am familiar with all your ways. Psalm 139:3

Even the very hairs on your head are numbered. Matthew 10:29-31

For you were made in my image. Genesis 1:27

In me you live and move and have your being. Acts 17:28

For you are my offspring. Acts 17:28

I knew you even before you were conceived. Jeremiah 1:4-5

I chose you when I planned creation. Ephesians 1:11-12

You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book. Psalm 139:15-16

I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live. Acts 17:26

You are fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139:14

I knit you together in your mother's womb. Psalm 139:13

And brought you forth on the day you were born. Psalm 71:6

I have been misrepresented by those who don't know me. John 8:41-44

I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love. 1 John 4:16

And it is my desire to lavish my love on you. 1 John 3:1

Simply because you are my child and I am your Father. 1 John 3:1

I offer you more than your earthly father ever could. Matthew 7:11

For I am the perfect father. Matthew 5:48

Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand. James 1:17

For I am your provider and I meet all your needs. Matthew 6:31-33

My plan for your future has always been filled with hope. Jeremiah 29:11

Because I love you with an everlasting love. Jeremiah 31:3

My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore. Psalms 139:17-18

And I rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17

I will never stop doing good to you. Jeremiah 32:40

For you are my treasured possession. Exodus 19:5

I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul. Jeremiah 32:41

And I want to show you great and marvelous things. Jeremiah 33:3

If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me. Deuteronomy 4:29

Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

For it is I who gave you those desires. Philippians 2:13

I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine. Ephesians 3:20

For I am your greatest encourager. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you. Psalm 34:18

As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart. Isaiah 40:11

One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes. Revelation 21:3-4

And I'll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth. Revelation 21:3-4

I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus. John 17:23

For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed. John 17:26

He is the exact representation of my being. Hebrews 1:3

He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you. Romans 8:31

And to tell you that I am not counting your sins. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19

Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19

His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you. 1 John 4:10

I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love. Romans 8:31-32

If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me. 1 John 2:23

And nothing will ever separate you from my love again. Romans 8:38-39

Come home and I'll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen. Luke 15:7

I have always been Father, and will always be Father. Ephesians 3:14-15

My question is…Will you be my child? John 1:12-13

I am waiting for you. Luke 15:11-32

Love, Your Dad.

'Father's Love Letter used by permission Father Heart Communications Copyright 1999-2008 www.FathersLoveLetter.com'

Thank you to Peggy for sharing this beautiful letter.

PERMISSION TO COPY:
The printed version of Father's Love Letter can be copied and used for free distribution providing the following copyright information is displayed... 'Father's Love Letter used by permission Father Heart Communications Copyright 1999-2008 www.FathersLoveLetter.com'

Roasted Chicken Fettuccini

De bone a roasted chicken- set aside.

In a sauce pan, prepare package of Alfredo white sauce mix as directed on package (I use extra milk)- set aside.

In a heated skillet, saute sliced mushrooms until brown.

Add a tablespoon of olive oil and 2 fresh chopped garlic cloves, a bag of frozen peas and the roasted chicken.

Add sauce to chicken mixture. Heat on low.

Cook the pasta and top it off with the chicken and sauce.

Add grated Parmesan cheese and some fresh basil.

NOTE: This is very tasty and very filling and will require a nap afterward.

Recipe from Moll Anderson's book, "Change your Home, Change Your Life"

Weekend plans

Grocery shopping

All laundry from vacation

Paint one upstairs bedroom yellow

Get a good start on painting upstairs bathroom- I dont expect to finish this weekend

Find a way to store all purses in closet other than on closet floor

Attend Weight Watcher meeting Saturday morning

Thankful Thursdays

Visit others here

Here's what will happen. While you're out among the nations where God has dispersed you and the blessings and curses come in just the way I have set them before you, and you and your children take them seriously and come back to God, your God, and obey him with your whole heart and soul according to everything that I command you today, God, your God, will restore everything you lost; he'll have compassion on you; he'll come back and pick up the pieces from all the places where you were scattered. No matter how far away you end up, God, your God, will get you out of there and bring you back to the land your ancestors once possessed. It will be yours again. He will give you a good life and make you more numerous than your ancestors.

God, your God, will cut away the thick calluses on your heart and your children's hearts, freeing you to love God, your God, with your whole heart and soul and live, really live. God, your God, will put all these curses on your enemies who hated you and were out to get you.

And you will make a new start, listening obediently to God, keeping all his commandments that I'm commanding you today. God, your God, will outdo himself in making things go well for you: you'll have babies, get calves, grow crops, and enjoy an all-around good life. Yes, God will start enjoying you again, making things go well for you just as he enjoyed doing it for your ancestors.
Deuteronomy 30: 1-9 (The Message)

Living Well Wednesday

Visit others here

Oh the pressure! The pressure of coming up with things I did well this week... a week I spent on vacation....in Texas.... hitting every Mexican food place in San Antonio... and then having cookies....

Since I have been home, I've re-dedicated myself to sensible eating and have been rediscovering a few of my favorite Weight-Watcher friendly things.

Like this:

2 pieces of Oscar Meyer Center Cut Bacon- 1 point (not any bacon- just Oscar Meyer Center Cut Bacon is only 1 point for 2 pieces)

Whole wheat english muffin is 2 points

#2 Grilled Chicken Sandwich from Chick-Fil-A (without added honey BBQ sauce) is 5 points (each sauce package is 2 points extra. I LOVE those honey BBQ sauce packages)

Sliced cucumbers with salt and pepper (0 points) dipped in 2 tablespoons of fat free sour cream mixed with dry ranch dressing/dip mix (1 point)

1/2 can of Progressive low fat soup for 0 points

Lays light chips in the single serve bag is 1 point (not the baked kind- that's 3 points- this is the light kind)

2 Hershey Kisses is only 1 point

1 square of Dove chocolate bar for 1 point

Bowl of Oatmeal for 2 points

Cup of fat free hot chocolate made with water is 0 points

Mini bag of 94% fat free popcorn is 1 point

Fat free sugar free Jello (the kind you make with boiling water- not the pudding cups) for 0 points

McDonald's ice cream cone = 3 points

Breakfast cookie is 3 points (and it taste EXACTLY like the Oatmeal cookie at Subway)

Guess what ELSE I did on my vacation???

In the middle of taking a day trip one hour north of San Antonio to a small little town that had advertized its antique stores and wildflower farms, what a happy little surprise! Circle E Candles are made in Fredricksburg, Texas! And the factory is open to the public! Where you can buy the candles!

They have scents and sizes in their showroom not seen in usual stores. (Circle E pillars!! Circle E tea lights!!) I am enjoying fresh peach burning right now. I also have gourmet sugar cookie, cherry vanilla, and honeysuckle to look forward to.

Menu planning Monday

Its always hard for me to get back into the swing of things after a long vacation. I want to slowly get back into everything- especially work- but it never happens like that. Instead, I will be busier than ever. A simple planed menu helps, as does having some meals already cooked in the freezer and waiting for me.

Monday: Left over Jambalaya from a benefit sale at Church yesterday (always a good idea to buy extra and its for a good cause!) and Van egg rolls. You can buy these at Wal-Mart in the deli section for $2.50 for 5 egg rolls. They are Weight-Watcher Friendly! Only 2 points each!

Tuesday: 15 bean soup. I saw this bag in the dried bean aisle and thought I would give it a try. You add sausage, onion and garlic to the crock pot and have dinner in 10-12 hours on low. I will also bring some to work for lunch the next day.

Wednesday: Chicken Cakes from one-half of an already cooked chicken from freezer. I got the recipe from Big Mama

Thursday: Spaghetti. I have the meat cooked in the freezer and will add some sauce and have dinner in no time.

Friday: left overs!

Visit more Menu Planning here

Vacation #3

Every year we plan our vacation around our anniversary. Its kind of an anniversary present to each other, as well as something to look forward to. The first thing I will do when I get back to work is to put on the calender that I will be out the first week of next June!

I Bought a cookie jar- handmade in Mexico- at the San Antonio Market:

and a flower pot-


We like to go somewhere we have never gone before, and we take turns picking. It was my turn to pick. This year, we spent a week in San Antonio, Texas, and tried to see a lot of indoor attractions (like the outlet malls) because it was hot.

I mean it was HOT.

The official cow greeter at the LBJ Presidential Memorial Park/museum:


My husband kept saying, what do you expect going to South Texas in the summer?

Well, I didn't expect it to be 101.

Admired the wildflowers at America's largest wildflower farm in Fredricksburg, Tx:


Last year we went to the mountains in North Carolina, where we had to wear jackets every morning.

This year, I had a painful heat rash all over my arms.

I obviously have to keep the weather in mind for next year.

Day trip over to Galveston when it was a windy, overcast day and the Gulf was stirred up:


San Antonio is a wonderful trip, a lot to do and see, the Alamo, the other four missions in the area, the hill country, Mexican food, and the River Walk! Its a good 15 degrees cooler on the River Walk!

But I might have been a little more comfortable (and spent a little less time in the outlet malls) in October.

One of my favorite pictures

This is one of my favorite pictures. It is a sweet example of life at my house. We are in the middle of moving out of our old house. My husband is sitting on the kitchen floor- I cant remember what he was doing at the time- but he was clearly working on something when both the cat and dog stop him asking for some attention. And you can clearly see who the attention hound in the family is.

It is one of my favorites because Sweetie the cat is no longer with us. She was already an older cat when I got her 10 years ago, and had not been feeling well for the last couple of years. I worried about her when I married, and again when my father in law moved in with us. How would she adjust to living in a different house, with a dog, and with other people who were not really crazy about a cat?

But, as so often is the case, I was concerned about nothing.

Many mornings I heard my father in law stirring around the house, and the first words he uttered each morning was, "hello cat." He even fed the cat table scraps just like he fed the dog. And although I cant say that my husband became her biggest fan, he did grow to like her, pet her equally, and was the one who carried her to the doctor for the last time.

Its also my favorite picture because the cat was camera shy. I think she was afraid of the flash. She was always a little skittish. But this time, she was unaware of the camera, absorbed in keeping her place in line with the dog, waiting her turn to disrupt the work to get a little loving.

How June 3rd came to be my Anniversary

First attempted wedding date: June 5. Did you know that when you get married on a cruise ship docked in New Orleans you basically just show up? You can not pick your own flowers, music, cake, reception food, minister, colors, literally... you have no voice in the planning-you just show up. A little stress followed... re-book the photographer, cake order, reception food, flower order, preacher, chocolate fountain, change invitation printing, call out of town guests......

Second attempted wedding date: June 4. But, The church called to tell us they double booked the church for two weddings at the same time. A little more stress followed... re-book the photographer, cake order, reception food, flower order, preacher, chocolate fountain, change invitation printing, call out of town guests......

Third attempted wedding date: June 3. BINGO!!!