All White, Pre-Christmas Sweatshop

I will absolutely question ANYTHING I buy from overseas at this point. Granted I have probably only put one little toe in their shoes, but still... a lot of work. Two weeks before Christmas and my mom and I were on a mission to "go green" and "go stalking stuffers". We followed this blog to help us along our way (if only the blog could have cut and sewed) and relied heavily on caffeine during our 7-hour escapade. YES, that's right, 7-hours for 23 stalking stuffers! But, my mom and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and every recipient seemed to love their homemade gift.

Our stash of fabrics

The infamous sweatshop

(Look closely and you might see my blood and tears on the carpet)

The finished product,

I know all my fellow Starbucks customer's were jealous ;)

Black and Blue makes me RED all over

I know this is really dumb, but these are the types of things that keep me up at night. For the last 4 weeks I have been using both a Day cream and Night cream by Olay, and if I were answering a consumer report it would be fairly positive. Quality of product: very satisfied, Improvement in skin quality: very satisfied, Cost: very satisfied, Design and aesthetic appeal: dissatisfied! Twice a day, for the past 4 weeks, I found myself bewildered as to why someone would place a BLACK lid on the DAYTIME cream and a BLUE lid on the NIGHTTIME cream!!! Everyone knows that BLUE= DAYTIME and BLACK= NIGHTTIME, I mean c'mon! And one shouldn't have to experience shortness of breath and heart palpitations in order to know what cream to put on when.

Yes, I lost sleep over this and daily questioned the staff at Olay who finalized a product with such an absurd design flaw, but then I realized I could just switch the lids... So all is right in the world again.

I'm awake

There's something so powerful about the phrase "wake up". It has the ability to bring consciousness from the deepest sleep. And in that case it is not always welcomed. It can confuse or frustrate us, but in the end it brings a reality to our dreamy state. Whether that reality is, "I am in my own bed...today is Sunday... and I have to get up for church" or "Yes, I am a sinner and yes, I have been given the priceless gift of mercy and grace, so why do I keep living as if I'm not alive?"

Christ is risen from the dead

Trampling over death by death

Come awake, come awake

Come and rise up from the grave

O death, where is your sting?

O hell, where is your victory?

O church, come stand in the light

The glory of God has defeated the night

-Matt Maher

(have a listen)

The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is over; the day is almost here. Romans 13:11-12

Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you. Ephesians 5:14

...he will swallow up death forever. Isaiah 25:8

For even as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it...whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he crossed over from death to life. John 5:21, 24

I'm totally on the "Nice" List

The number 1 item on my Top 10 Christmas list would be (drum roll please)...

I'll get back to you on items 2-10!

CMA's... Country Music Awesomeness

No better way to spend a Wednesday night than with a friend, crafts, pedicures and the Country Music Awards. The CMA's are especially fun for me because you don't have to worry if nipples are going to be exposed or people are going to hump, I mean dance, on stage. It's good clean fun!

Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood are an entertaining duo,

and it's not just because I have an above averagw girl crush on her.

P.s. I've been focusing on my leg workouts more. Thanks Carrie

Miranda and her fiance Blake cleaned up!

And welcome Gwenyth P. to the CMA stage,

not bad lady, Chris Martin would be proud

Psych Week2, Day 3

Could this get any worse you ask? Of course it can!!!

Sigh. Bring on day 4 :(

Weekly Highs and Lows

The end of the week is near and I am at a loss for words. Thank you Jesus for a 3-day weekend.

Weekly Lows:

Psych Day 2.

Enough said.

Weekly Highs:

Crafting :)

Christmas Wreath pics coming soon...

Starbucks: Tall decaf Eggnog latte with Soy

and Hobby Lobby with Traci

Toffee covered caramel apple :)

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Umm, how do I begin? Okay, how about with a quote... "Mc Murphy: 'I must be crazy to be in a loony bin like this'". Get where I'm going with this? That's right, I started my psych rotation today. I've never wanted to laugh and cry so hard in my entire life. I felt like an innocent bystander on a hidden television show, thrown into some crazy prank that we would all get a good chuckle at later after the jokes were set aside and the truth was revealed. Well, there were in fact cameras, but no pranks. Tomorrow is day 2 of the adventure in the cuckoo's nest and I hope God will give me more strength for what lies ahead. A career as a psych nurse is definitely not in my future, but I will continue to pray for said individuals. I cannot imagine being so delusional and out of touch with reality. Thank you Jesus I am not stricken with such awful attacks!

Butterfingers

I wish!

Lately, I've been experiencing some pain and nausea that is far too familiar, a pending Doctor's appt. is in the works. Besides battling the usually discouragement that accompanies such pain, oddly I've been experiencing a new symptom. My nursing self would diagnose this as "at risk for breaking anything valuable as evidence by the inability to contain said stuff in my grasp, related to stress-induced/mind-numbing chronic illness".

Night #1: I am so nauseated I can barely think about food, but given I had not had anything to eat since the am I make myself a bowl of plain oatmeal. I sit, bowl in lab, for quite some time trying to motivate the spoon to my mouth. Not successful. So instead I decided to play a game of checkers on my handy-dandy iphone4. Again, not successful. Instead, I drop my entire phone into my bowl of oatmeal and watch it sink (along with my heart) like the Titanic. My sweet husband sees me staring at my bowl of oatmeal with a side of iphone4 and quickly cleans it off for me.

Following morning: I wake up rested and refreshed after a long night's slumber, completely oblivious to the events of the night before. I make myself a bowl of cereal (I'm more eager to try food at this point) and walk confidently towards the living room to my favorite couch. Not successful. I barely make it two steps out of the kitchen before the bowl JUMPS out of my hands and lands atop my pooch. He did not mind being covered in milk and Crispex cereal. The carpet however did mind. After I raised my chin and cleaned the mess, I thoroughly enjoyed a new breakfast.

Night #2: My sweet mom sent us home with leftover enchiladas and a side of gf chocolate cupcakes, given I feel more like poop and less like a chef these days.

* At this point in my story I feel compelled to let the blogging world know I am not pregnant. Nausea is something I have simply become accustomed to in my everyday life.

So, riding home with food in-tow, my right foot suddenly decides it would rather be covered in icing than happily nestled in my shoe. Now, with Matt's cupcake officially ruined (I already ate mine) I pick up the remains off the floorboard and try to dispose of them appropriately. Can you guess what phrase goes here? That's right, not successful. In picking up the cupcake from the passenger floorboard, I some how manage to toss it onto the floorboard in the backseat. Luckily, we always travel with a living, breathing Dyson vacuum, so he promptly cleaned it up. Thanks Trist for constantly helping mommy clean up her messes. Needless to say, Trist hasn't left my side for the last 24 hours.

Welcome October

Dear October,

Oh, I must anticipate your arrival no more... You are here and ready to stay (for the next 30 days at least). I welcomed you in this am with a trip to Starbucks for my PSL, although it upset my stomach. I'm still waiting for my apology. I'm sorry the weather isn't as inviting as it was earlier this week, but I'm optimistic it will cool down, don't you worry. Well October, I've got to run but, I look forward to all the wonderful things we will do, places we will go, and orange things we will buy. Enjoy your stay!

Your gracious hostess,

Melissa Waite

Hook 'em

Today marks another day of senseless violence occurring on school grounds. A 19 yr. old gunman opened fire at the UT library today with an automatic weapon, and by the glory of God, missed everyone he aimed for, and eventually took his own life. I still can't believe we live in such an ugly world that we should fear getting an education for such reasons as these! Being there just 3 years prior brings back all the emotions of being on campus after the Virginia Tech shooting, with the emails of bomb threats and our emergency sirens going off about once a month. My heart goes out to students, teachers, and administrators every where! Being a student comes with risks, but it also comes with such great gain! I pray for the lost souls who feel the need to commit such acts, and the hearts of those left trying to make sense of it all!

Gluten-free + Groupon= Grrrreat

So what's up with this thing called Groupon? (Thought I'd start with a Jerry Seinfeld-esq intro) But seriously, Groupon is amazing. You register based on your zipcode and you receive daily emails containing AMAZ-ing deals for food, fun, and other fluff. Thus far, the best Groupon I have purchased was for a little place known as Little Aussie Bakery. Be forewarned, do not go if you are able to eat gluten and intend on keeping your wallet heavy...EXPENSIVE! Delicious, yes. Worth it, well yes...thanks to Groupon. Best $10 I have spent in a while.

Among my purchases: package of 2 vanilla-iced cookies, a lamb sandwich with side salad and roll (can't remember the last time I used the words roll, restaurant, and myself in the same sentence), a piece of 4-layer strawberry sponge cake, and an additional package of cookies to reach my $25 Groupon Certificate level.

Yes, as good as it looks

About 5 min, I meeaaan 23 1/2 minutes later :(

*I didn't eat it all myself. Promise.

And I didn't get a stomach ache from eating it so fast.

And I'm not saying I had some in my hair.

Cause I didn't.

* If Justin Berner says otherwise, ignore him. He lies and he likes the Cowboys. And he will lie about really liking the Broncos over the Cowboys at this point. Although, you might wanna tell the truth on that one. Better football choice my friend!

Bigger News

We don't really celebrate Halloween. Just carving pumpkins, Fall Parties, and certain costumes are acceptable. This falls into one of those categories!

Yeehaw

Big News

That's right people. Fall is knocking on our door, so please ignore the weather channel stating 99+ degree weather. It was pointed out to me, by my sweet husband, that I associate seasons with what Starbuck's drinks are available. Thus, Pumpkin spice latte= Fall. I am not the biggest fan (nor any fan at all) of cold weather but, I do enjoy cooooollll weather. Plus, cooler weather = not needing to re-shower after walking from the front door to the car + other really awesome things that make Fall fantastic.

Welcome back "We'll always have Paris"

I have to admit I have already been wearing these.

Thank you UTHSCSA for keeping it Fall indoors year round

YES! Pottery Barn catalogs bursting with acorn filled hurricanes,

brightly decorated plates, and individually labeled pumpkin place markers!

Did I mention the PSL?

Pumpkin scented candle, I will be purchasing you tomorrow!

Well, maybe not in Texas but one can hope!

Food and Fam go together like turkey and gravy

(I actually hate gravy, just seemed like an appropriate metaphor)

BARF and glop

Say what?!?! Well, this may sound absolutely crazy to some, so feel free to judge us, but Mateo and I started Tristen on a new diet. BARF (Bone and Raw Food) and glop (not really sure what it stands for). We take whole chicken parts, grind them in a meat grinder, and form patties. Next, the glop. In a blender, I put a whole head of Romaine lettuce, green beans, carrots, clove of garlic, a banana, and a small orange, and pour into ice cube trays. Breakfast consists of one patty, a defrosted glop cube and a dollop of daisy (not really...a dollop of plain cultured yogurt), followed by a single patty for dinner.

Okay, so why did we choose to do this? We know a friend that does it and has seen great results with his pup. Plus, it mimics the dogs true diet in the wild. I mean what wild dog doesn't eat cultured yogurt, right? Truthfully, we thought it would be better for him inside and out. So far he hasn't been scratching as much, his coat looks awesome, and his poop is much better (outside of yesterday, not sure what happened there).

Shout out to Costco for chicken by the ton!

Glop!

My Happy Boy!

Geesh...

I consider my blog as a not so private outlet. I share the good, and the bad, but here is the UGLY.

School:

Since this is where I currently am, listening to hour one of a ten hour lecture on not so interesting topics. Anyways, my annoyance with school started this morning at 5:45 am. We were suppose to register for our clinical groups this morning at 6 am. Believe it or not, this is a big deal. We will be with these group-mates, with these instructors, at these locations for the next 9 weeks of our life. Since, Monday we received notifications everyday regarding the sign-ups and detailed instructions/locations (mind you, every single one of the announcements contained inaccurate information that was later corrected and reposted... proof read people). So, at this point it's not looking too good. Nevertheless, I was at my computer at 5:45 am anxiously awaiting the opening and longing to go back to sleep (I had an awful nights sleep as it was...more to come). 6:00 am comes, nothing. 6:15 am comes, still nothing, Facebook comments commence and tempers start to rise. 6:32 am comes, still nothing, Facebook comments continue, many are disgruntled and must walk away from their computer mouse in order to not arrive at school make-upless and naked. 6:50 am comes, and... it's up, texts are sent out to notify the troops. 7:22am, arrive at school to realize many people were completely unable to register due to being on the road or spontaneous closing of the groups. 8:11 am, professors address the class with no apologies or resolution in sight. Am I back in last semester, only slightly more successful because I have YET to burn my tongue repeatedly with coffee and a tree hasn't fallen on my car mid-commute? ... but we are 3 days in.

Blessing: I am thankful despite all the miscommunications, misunderstandings, and missed sleep, I have a 4.0 GPA.

Trist:

I was one bark away from finding him a new home last night. Matt was in Austin for the evening, so I was home with the little dude. Lately, he has been barking like crazy, mainly because it has been too hot to do any kind of physical activity and burn stagnant energy. I feel ya dude. We went for a fetch session and he seemed more interested in eating grass than returning the ball. Okay cool. Next, he repeatedly follows me from room to room (usually endearing), our small closet included barking at me and eating my clothes I was carrying. Not so endearing. Then he wakes me up at 12:30 am thinking Matt was home, he was not, and again at 2:30 am.

Blessing: I love him and enjoy feeling his presence in our home...notice I said "feeling" not "hearing".

Car:

This time of year in Texas is when I feel like packing up and moving north. Mark my words, never again will I buy a car with black leather interior and massive windows ever again. My car was 104F the whole way home Monday and I had sweat coming from places I didn't know could sweat. Curse you MINI Cooper!

Blessing: I am thankful to have a vehicle that gets me from one place to another... sometimes.

Acupuncture:

My mom has insisted, despite my objections, to schedule me for weekly acupuncture appointments to try and help rebuild my immunity and increase my energy level. Being poked with needles is not necessarily my idea of fun. Nor was it relaxing, laying there for an our while I made/repeatedly revised a mental list of things I needed to do once I left. Not to mention, I left feeling more tired then when I arrived and was dependent on caffeine to complete my assigned readings.

Blessing: My mom is worried about me is willing to pay for treatment, that may or maynot work.

Belated 1st Anni Trip

A couple weeks after our anniversary, we left our pup with his grandmother and we were beach bound! We stayed in such a nice condo in Port-A, right on the beach, and got some great time in the sand, by the pool, and around town (really only dinner and Dairy Queen).

View from our room... Ahhh vacation and solo time with the hubby

Our lovely pool

Dockside dinner at Trout Street... the fish was ehh, okay,

but we were happy to pay for the view!

He's so awesome he glows!

L-O-V-E

Give it up for our first anniversary!

On a side note, I have discovered I like the "idea" of the beach more than actually being on the beach. I do NOT like saltwater and its way of making your contacts feel oh so good in your eyeballs. Plus, sand gets everywhere... I mean EVERYwhere. Our last night we went for a romantic stroll on the beach and we returned with sand in places it certainly wasn't invited. But, I will forever say I heart the beach.

Just a thought... or a complaint

On one's vacation (mind you it is only 2 weeks long), who assigns 20+ chapters of new material to read. Who you might ask? Answer: UTHSCSA: School of Nursing

Thanks, that's all for now!

Vacation

I love vacation, everything about it... the food you eat, the things you do, the people you see, and the places you go. While I may not be up to much (I mean, I only have two weeks off you know) I am enjoying every bit of it.

So currently, what I am reading:

I might not agree with her decisions, I can appreciate where she is coming from. She is searching for something greater than herself, something/someone/somewhere to find happiness. And after all, she did spend 3 months in 3 incredible countries. I remember telling Matt the other night in bed, "Our world is SO big, if all we ever do experience is the same place we've ever known...well, what a waste!" I would love to travel and see our world for what it really is. Messed up and lovely all at the same time. I can't wait.

What I find myself constantly craving:

It is summer ya know and who wouldn't want this? I literally want one every other day. I am on my way to the world record of trying every flavor. Well, maybe San Antonio "World" record?

What I am trying to live by:

"Let your conversations be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone" Colossians 4:6

"For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;

he is to be feared above all gods.

For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the heavens.

Splendor and majesty before him;

strength and joy in his dwelling place.

1 Chronicles 16: 25-27

One Year already, seriously?

July SEVENteenth 2010 marked Matt and I's one year anniversary! I cannot believe it has already been a year and it feels like just yesterday we were shoving cupcakes in each others faces!

We had the most romantic 5 course dinner at Maggiano's Little Italy and I was one bite of creme brulee away from being rolled home. We decided to exchange gifts based on the "modern" guide of what to give... paper. I got Matt and 1.5 hour massage, which he had been mentioning for the last year. He got me a book, an Anthro gift card and... well a paper weight. Oh, exxxxcuse me, a paper "waite". My creative husband went to a trophy shop and had a paper weight engraved to say, "A paper 'waite' for our first year. I love you 7/17/10". While, it might not have been the romantic gift I was anticipating, he definitely gets points for thinking outside the box. *picture to come*

Throughout of first year, we had some downs and plenty of ups. He is my partner, my encourager, my lover, my leader, and my BEST friend. I enjoy playing with him, crying with him, praying with him, and laughing AT him :) God absolutely had me in mind when he created my wonderful husband and I cannot imagine my life without him. He makes me a better friend, lover, and woman of God and I know our purpose is to be better together than apart!

Happy 28th Birthday Lover!

i am ripping this idea off a friend's blog, but i dedicate this blog to my husband...

28 reasons why my husband is the best!

1. He always puts the toilet seat down (even i do not do that...by the way, this list is in no particular order)

2. He always greats me with a kiss

3. He rarely ever has anything negative to say

4. He is never full (between my gluten-free items and his endless appetite, our grocery bill is out of control)

5. He is soooo brilliant!!!

6. He is constantly encouraging me about my new life diet and finding new restaurants we can BOTH eat at (NEWLY DISCOVERED: SUSHI AT KONA GRILL)

7. He has started to become really in-tune with his fashion sense

8. He has the memory of a goldfish (although there are times this is not so endearing)

9. He is a Jersey boy (minus the greased out hair and funky accent)

10. He seems to be a magnet for gay men (better than women, right?)

11. I know he will be an AMAZ-ing dad!!!

12. He has such beautifully wavy, blond hair

13. He is a connoisseur of fine brews (I am allergic to beer, nor have I ever wanted to drink it, but I appreciate that he sets his standards very high)

14. I take up about 75% of our bed space and often yell mean things at him in my sleep when he pushes me over, but he never takes is personally :)

15. He does not like the Dallas Cowboys (GO GIANTS)

16. He has great taste in music/He always drives when we travel

17. I will never have to deal with another cockroach for this rest of our lives

18. He also allows me to have 75% of our closet space

19. He always makes me feel beautiful

20. He folds clothes better than I can

21. His eyes look like little sunflowers

22. I love when he plays, "From the Depths of Woe" (I cry every time, thank you God for hymnals)

23. He has so much humility ("All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble'" 1 Peter 5:5)

24. He indulges in my Twilight excitement (note I did not put obsession)

25. He dyes my hair for me (Shhhh, he secretly dyes my hair)

26. He asked me and I said, "YES"

27. He uses his cell phone light to pick out clothes early in the morning whenever I am still asleep

28. He is an unbelievable man of God... I look forward to seeing him grow and strengthen as our spiritual leader, become a dad, hold our babies, travel the world together, and be fully committed to each other and our Jesus for the rest of our lives.