Downtown Austin

Downtown Austin
Originally uploaded by chunkychewie1

I had a meeting this morning at the top of one of the hotels in Austin. It was a fantastic view and I was glad that I had a camera with me to take a picture. I wish I had my big camera with me because I think it would have been a better picture! I wonder how many hotels or business buildings will allow people to travel to the top floor (or near it) to take pictures. Of course I would be quick about it but I imagine not a lot of places would like me doing it. Hmmmm,,, maybe that will be a project of mine : )

Pipes and gadgets galore

Pipes and gadgets galore
Originally uploaded by chunkychewie1

This picture came out a little more fuzzy that I would have liked. We visited a plumbing store and they had a bunch of cool containers with everything related to plumbing. It was a pretty rustic type store, so I didn't want to bring attention to me taking pictures as we were walking through. :)

Bridesmaid dress

Bridesmaid dress
Originally uploaded by chunkychewie1

I am in a wedding in March and I finally picked up my bridesmaid dress. I was slightly worried about putting it on, because I was in between two sizes so I ordered the smaller size :o) I didn't want to order the larger size because I wanted to have a reason to lose the jiggle in the junk in my trunk. I finally tried the dress on this weekend, and it fits. I have a little bit to go so I can breathe, but at least I can get it to zip up!!! WooooHooooo!!!!!

Oliver the Contractor

Oliver the Contractor
Originally uploaded by chunkychewie1

We spent a lot of time working on the kitchen this weekend. Most of the dry wall is up, a gas line was capped, and most of the electrical plugs were changed. Whew! We have so far to go, but at least we are working on it again.

Well, while we were working, I looked up to see Oliver watching us work. He took on the role of the contractor while sipping his coffee and using his ear muffs since were were kind of loud with the power tools.

** just in case anybody is wondering, my husband thinks I am slightly weird posing the owl around the house. :) **

This store takes all of my money

This store takes all of my money
Originally uploaded by chunkychewie1

The holidays are over and football is almost over... so that means that we are focusing on the kitchen. Today was a day of many visits to Lowes (we managed to buy the wrong thing TWICE!!) and a little done to the kitchen. Hopefully tomorrow will be a lot better.

a foggy morning

a foggy morning
Originally uploaded by chunkychewie1

I have woken up to foggy mornings the past few days. I took this picture yesterday on my way home from the meeting I had. Normally this drive over looks tree covered hils. All I did was balance the camera on the steering wheel to take this picture. I was pretty safe... Mom, don't yell at me

Berries in the yard

Berries in the yard
Originally uploaded by chunkychewie1

There isn't a lot in the yard worth taking pictures right now. The cold weather has prompted most plants and flowers to go into hiding (I can't blame them). We have one bush in the backyard that has no leaves but has these berries. So we have naked bushes with little red bunches all around it. :)

I'll be in Lakeway for the next couple of days for a work seminar. Hopefully there will be plenty to take pictures of. I will be a little bold and try to take a picture while I am in the seminar,,, just so you guys can catch a little glimps of life at work :)

Oliver the Owl

Oliver the Owl
Originally uploaded by chunkychewie1

We bought this owl months ago to keep birds from nesting in our carport. It never worked; in fact I think I heard a bird laugh when we put it up. So he has been sitting there totally bored since he failed at his bird scaring duties. So, since I am trying to take a picture every day during 2008 I thought I would get a little creative. Expect to see Oliver around..... more to come :)

The little village puppy

The little village puppy
Originally uploaded by chunkychewie1

Taylor looks a little mad at me in this picture, but I bet her ears were warm!!! :)

The English puppy

The English puppy
Originally uploaded by chunkychewie1

It has been quite chilly over the past couple of days, so we have spent our days inside! And of course that means we have to find ways to entertain us :) Believe it or not, Taylor did a pretty good job of just sitting while I put my hat and scarf on her.

MAC
Originally uploaded by chunkychewie1

I bought some new colors from MAC today!! They are more natural colors, because I wanted some different choices for work. I haven't actually used them yet but I'm sure they will look okay! I have a friend at the MAC counter, so I know she wouldn't sell me make-up that would make me look bad!

Vrrrooommmm

Originally uploaded by chunkychewie1

there goes Chewie! This crazy guy runs laps around the yard when it cools down!

Whhheeeeeeee!

Originally uploaded by chunkychewie1

I didn't really have a lot of time to play with my camera today, so I headed outside once I got home. Chewie and Taylor get pretty darn hyper when the temp's cool down. So I squated down and tried to take pictures as they ran back and forth. I couldn't decide between two pictures, so I am going to post both pictures. This is the first picture..... the second picture will be next (and it will probably be the post before this one since that is the way it works)

Candle Row

Candle Row
Originally uploaded by chunkychewie1

We received this candle holder a couple of years ago, but I finally brought it out of the closet to use. I love the way the candle light is in the glass table. I was going to make some adjustments on this photo in Photoshop, but I decided to leave it just as it was.


Oh, and on a totally different note, I just found out that my husband has never played Scrabble. I thought everybody over the age of 15 has played Scrabble!!! :) He is so good with words and spelling that I just assumed that he has played before.

Fresh Fruit

Fresh Fruit
Originally uploaded by chunkychewie1

I am trying to eat a lot more fruit in my diet. Not only is it healthy ,I am hoping that it will help with losing the jiggle around my middle section. :) I cut up one apple, one orange, one banana, a handful of strawberries and some frozen blueberries and take it to work with me. I munch on it for lunch and afternoon snack, and it usually takes me two days to finish. I am in my second week of taking it to work, and I am still really enjoying eating it! I hope I keep this healthy habit up!

Cowgirls lost!!!! Cowgirls lost!!! Cowgirls lost!!!! Cowgirls lost!!!! Cowgirls lost!!!! Cowgirls lost!!!

Yeah! I am very happy that the Cowboys lost tonight. It was a good game, but luckily the Giants won the game! I'm not a fan of either team, but I like the Cowgirls a whole lot less!!!

A whole lotta Thomas the Train
Originally uploaded by chunkychewie1

Yesterday we spent the afternoon with Jim's family at his sisters house. We had a great time catching up with everybody. I noticed these shelves of Thomas the Train toys and thought it was an interesting photo. I only know about Thomas the Train because we have bought their toys before for the nephews.

If only....



.... I could borrow somebodies OCD habits, just for the day. i have been dragging my feet on combining the two desks. My stuff has been sitting in a box for the past month and half. Which leads me to a question..... do I really need that stuff? But if I had just a little bit of OCD, then I probably would have finished putting this shit away, and cleaned behind the desk of all of the dust cooties.



Or maybe I could just channel my inner "I Dream of Jeannie", and bob my head while blinking and then all of this stuff would be put away and organized! By the way.... there is an actual website dedicated to I Dream of Jeannie. (www.idreamofjeannie.com).



Anywho, me writing on the blog is just another way to find something else to do besides clean up our desks and organize them :)



Off I go to sweep the kitchen, organize my pictures, and watch TV. Just kidding.... I'm going to work on my desk....

Ka-boom
Originally uploaded by chunkychewie1

We went to the shooting range with friends today. It has been around 2 or 3 years since I have gone with the hubby. Three of the guys had hand guns that we took turns shooting. I am a decent shot, not super accurate, but accurate enough to hit the target within the lines :) I was a little paranoid taking a picture since I wasn't sure if the shooting range would care. I didn't use the flash, so it wasn't obvious that I was taking pictures.

Pooped Poopa

Pooped Poopa
Originally uploaded by chunkychewie1

Oh, the pooped poopa is such a cute sight! Chewie (aka poopa) had a rough day of running around the back yard.

I'm sure if I make it through taking a picture every day for a year, Taylor and Chewie will be photographed even more than normal :)

Picture 11 of 365

Weekend Movie

Jim and I saw I am Legend last weekend. I had heard reviews that were good and bad but I don't typically listen to those reviews. Without going into to much detail (for those of you that haven't seen it), this movie really made me think about what happened in the movie. There is a scene that Jim and I debated on because we both had different views on what the scene meant. I even searched the Internet (long live the Internet!!!) to find out what other movie goers thought. It seemed that the masses were split on their opinions, but then I started to find more and more people agreeing with my views.

I will say that the movie was a tad bit slow in some parts, and I thought they could have expanded on some of the history of what happened but overall it was a good movie worth watching.

IMG_1037
Originally uploaded by chunkychewie1

There wasn't anything good on TV last night, so we decided to play a card game. Neither of us is very good at poker (plus I don't think you can play it with just two people) so we have a card game called Phase 10. There are 10 phases of the game that you have to accomplish to win. Of course you want to beat the person you are playing! Jim won last night so we'll have to play again soon so I can beat him! (I am way to competitive).

I used the "color spot" setting with my camera last night. I'm still not 100% sure how to use it, but once it is in that setting then only uses color that you choose (and that is the part that I don't understand). So that is why the redish/orangish colors are there and the rest of the colors in the photo isn't.
Picture 10 of 365

Standing in the sunset

Standing in the sunset
Originally uploaded by chunkychewie1

Nothing to special with this photo. I was at our main building for a meeting and I thought I would walk to the top of the parking garage. I thought the view would be better, but it was kind of blah. So, here is my silouette in the sunset.

Day 9 of 365

Yummy Mint-ness

Yummy Mint-ness
Originally uploaded by chunkychewie1

I love Christmas because the mint products come out of the woodworks. M&M's makes a mint M&M that is very yummy! I consume a lot of mint coffee, mint cookies, and mint candy's during every holiday season. My little mint stash is dwindling down... booohooo.

1, originally uploaded by chunkychewie1.

I bought these little flowers to bring a little life into the house. They are so simple and pretty! And they have lived for almost a week!!!

A nice way to start my Sunday, originally uploaded by chunkychewie1.

In my attempt to expand my horizons, I am going to try to figure out how to post pictures from other websites.


This is my Sunday picture, or what is known as picture number 6 out of 365 (one year). As one of my resolutions, I would like to take a picture every single day this year. Hopefully I can do it! I think by forcing me to take a picture every day it should help me take better pictures.

78 degrees in January!?!?!? WTF??? REALLY??

I'm not a big fan of the weather being this hot in January. I need some type of chill in the air, but there is nada. Nothing except muggy and warm. Ick. We have had the windows open for the past two days, with the heat off. I guess the positive in all of this hot humid weather is that we are saving some money heating the house.

My New Year's Goals

I know I am a little late to do this, but it is better late than never :). I think my new years goals are pretty much in line with most people.

Getting healthy. I would like to get rid of the "giggle" that has been riding around my thighs and ass. I have a wedding in March, on the beach in Mexico, so I would really like to be able to run around in a bikini without worrying if the junk in my trunk is bouncing around. So I have been watching what I am eating (no junk food or fried food) and I am easing my way into exercising. I'll be very happy to lose about 10 pounds... we'll see how that goes.

Unfinished projects. Another goal I have is to finish a lot of projects that I started in 2007. The kitchen is first on that list. I am officially sick of not having a completed kitchen, so we will be working hard to finish! And I have about 4.7 million other projects that I would like to finish (refinish chairs, paint den, organize black and white pictures, clean out closest, finish combining our desk, etc). There truly is a never ending list of stuff to do, but I want to do better at finishing those projects!

Pictures. A couple of blogs that I read did a project in 2007 to take a picture every day and post it on their blog or on Flikr. I am going to attempt this and I have no doubt that I will take a picture every day but it will be getting that picture posted on the blog. I'll do my best!!

Photoshop. I want to work more with Photoshop and really learn how to use it. I know just a few of the functions but none of the cool stuff. If I can't pick it up on my own, then I'll take a course.

Procrastination. I have a bad habit of waiting until the last minute to do projects/homework/cleaning/etc. So in 2008 I will try to take each thing I don't want to do, and finish it early. I think part of me needs the rush of the deadline in order to get it right. We'll see how that goes.

Blog changes. I want to learn how to customize my blog and how to write code. I tried to add a Flickr banner to my blog earlier and it almost killed my blog :) So if I can learn a little I will be very happy!!

I think that short little list will start me off for my 2008 goals. I reserve the right to make changes as the year goes on.

New Years Eve Festivities

Before we headed to the bar we went out to dinner. We went to Zax Pints and Plates, which was a really good idea. Jim and I both ordered the steak tenderloin skewers, and they were excellent. The steak was basted with a green peppercorn sauce, which really made the steak tasty! Everybody else enjoyed their entrees as well. However, the first round of drinks (besides mine and Jim's) were made pretty bad so the night didn't start off great but the food made up for it. After dinner we went to Lucky Lounge to party with friends. The twins, Mike and Charlie, rented out the top of the bar so we could all have a place to sit and drink. We had a great night and everybody made it home safe, so it was a great night!! :)

Some of the boys at Lucky Lounge

Getting jiggy with it

Chris was tearing up the makeshift dance floor.... the hat gave him special dancing powers... this was right before we left the bar to head home

We all had fun dancing.... a big party... a few drinks... and good music will lead to us all dancing

The view of the bar downstairs

Lindsey, Vanessa, Ashley, Jim and I

Our New Years Eve kiss

New Years Eve kisses for everybody around!

The ladies

Yes... Jim is staring at my chest on purpose