Friends x 500000000000

Life's been a little busy lately.  First, our cable line was cut for the second time by the construction crews in the neighborhood.  You never really know how addicted you are until you are cut loose from the ties of social media.  Even though we've been in the dark ages, we've had some really great experiences with friends lately!

To catch you up on what's been going on....a couple of weekends ago we got to spend some time with our best friends in Amarillo - Brad and Stephanie.  They have 3 precious children who we just love to pieces.  We had a great time playing at the park and eating a leisurely lunch from Pizza Planet - an Amarillo gem.  Annie came with us, and she is just the best traveler!  She's content to just hang out in the backseat and take a nap - just like me!

I've decided lately that it would be really fun to begin cooking.  I have successfully mastered sauteed asparagus and roasted pork tenderloin with a side of wild rice.  Knowing me and my cooking capabilities, I was sure at least one of the three would end up as a disaster.  I surprised myself when all 3 turned out a success.  When I tried to follow the pork recipe I had, it was pretty much raw in the middle.  That's when I discovered that meat thermometers are my best friend - just set it and forget it!

Our sweet new neighbors just moved in and are the absolute sweetest people.  Zach had helped them move a few items in their new home, and somehow some of the boxes had some gunk on them, so they borrowed our spot cleaner.  In return, we received this sweet duo - I can't wait to have a glass on Halloween when I sit in the dark and avoid the Trick-or-Treaters (I know, I'm a Grinch...).  They just recently got married and love dogs, so we are really excited to get to know them better.  We love having such great neighbors!

We've gotten season tickets to Texas Tech theater, and this past weekend, we had the pleasure of seeing their production of RENT.  It was fantastic.  They are extremely talented, and we are glad to be season ticket members (on the front row!).  It's nice to support your local community by attending these types of things.  I'm definitely excited about the season to come.  We had a delicious appetizer and drink selection at Las Brisas prior to going to the play.  They have a patio that overlooks a pond/waterfall with ducks and a nice walkway.  It is such a fun place (though a little pricey!).

We had an extremely fun celebration with friends on Sunday.  It's interesting when you realize how many true friends you have.  They're the people who you enjoy being with, who support you, and who always have your back.  I can always count on this group for that.  Some of our friends have a really nice home located out on the canyon, so we enjoyed a delicious dinner, and had a beautiful hike around the canyon.  Their view is just spectacular.  I made my first cake at Pineapple Upside Down Cake, and it was a complete hit!!

 I recently attended a conference in Atlanta around patient experience.  I learned a ton that I can apply to my current job.  My only complaint was that my room was the size of a shoe box!  I had never seen a hotel room that tiny!  Thankfully the conference was so great that I hardly spent any time in my room.  I think one of the things that stuck with me the most is that I control my passion and that I should never have an attitude of "I'm too busy" or "My plate is too full".  It implies that I'm busy and you're not, and that is not a good behavior to show others!  I also am the one who makes me happy - I need to work on documenting one thing every day that I did to make a difference.  I think having a record of this will help me center myself and keep me on track to succeed and be someone others want to be around.  

I also got to see one of our friends, John, who moved to Atlanta.  His CNO is the woman below being inducted into the Studer Group Hall of Fame!

I'll end with this photo.  Let me preface it by saying that dog costumes at Petsmart were 75% off, so this beauty only cost $3.  I hope this photo makes you smile!

Self-Diagnosing with WebMD

So I have a self-diagnosed neurological condition.  No, not anything serious.  But I have finally found the answer to my EXTREME dislike of people smacking gum, making obnoxious chewing noises, or eating ice.

The answer: Misophonia

Here's what Wikipedia says about misophonia:

"People who have misophonia are most commonly angered, and even enraged, by common ambient sounds, such as other people clipping their nails, brushing teeth, eating crushed ice, eating, breathing, sniffing, talking, sneezing, yawning, walking, chewing gum, laughing, snoring, typing on a keyboard, whistling or coughing; certain consonants; or repetitive sounds."

I feel like this condition helps me define my entire life.  I can remember vehemently loathing people that chewed too loudly near my ear.  I would get angry, give evil looks, and have the urge to hit them or run away from the noise as fast as I can.

Interesting, huh?

Many can attest that I have gotten much better in this area, but do I still give the death stare to loud gum smacker/poppers?  Most definitely.  I sincerely apologize if I have ever done this to you - it's just my misophonia acting up.

Review of THREDUP

I recently came across a cool site called thredUP (www.thredup.com).  They will send you a bag (with postage!) that you can place your old  clothing items in (including kids' stuff!).  It takes a few weeks for them to process, but then they will send you an email with the amount you earned!  I think I made ~$60 just sending in some old items that no one seemed to want (Express dress pants from high school, dated skirts and shirts, etc.).

I was really frustrated with taking my clothes to places like Plato's Closet and having them tell me that my clothes weren't "teen" enough for them.  I was just trying to make Lubbock teens a little classier with a silk Banana Republic dress, but no luck.  They didn't want it.

ThredUP will take almost everything you send them as long as it's in good condition.  I highly recommend it.  Here's the bag that they send you in the mail.  It's a super cute teal and polka dot bag.  Just fill it up, send it in, and get paid.  It's that simple!

It did take them several weeks to process my bag, so you have to be patient.  You can take the money as cash through pay pal, but you have to wait two weeks to get it.  I opted to apply my funds to more purchases in the store.  Once I ordered, it only took about a week for my purchases to arrive.  I wanted to chronicle the event for you, but I was too excited, so I ripped into the box before I took photos.  Here's my recreation of the event.

I got lots of cute things - Banana Republic, Gap, Anthropologie, etc.  It was a great experience overall, and I definitely plan to do it again!  

Another cool thing is that they'll tell you when your own items sell in the store.  It's neat to see that someone else will make good use of your old stuff.  When I checked yesterday, I think about 1/3 of my items had sold.

As I write this blog, my friend wants to share her thoughts.  She says "qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq".  I think that means "I'm bored" in dog.  

Weekend Recap!

Thrifting Finds and Tip of the Day!

I was long overdue for a thrift store trip.  If I don't go once a week, I get kind of anxious about all the deals I may be missing.  Some say this is the first sign of being an addict, but hey, there are other things much worse to be addicted to!

I always start by going to the American Council for the Blind store.  It's extremely hit or miss, but they offer great sales - occasionally all items are 25% off, and other times items cost $0.99 based on their color category.  Every now and then you can find a good deal, but the Goodwill on 34th provides the best brands. I always end up finding some amazing steals there.

As I learn from my wins and losses in this process, I want to share tidbits with you.  One thing I've learned is that you should always look at tags!  Brands like J. Crew and Banana Republic will tell you the item's age by the tag on the side (see example below).  I try to look for items that are good quality and are from the last 3-5 years (though if you can find a staple item in great shape that's older, go for it!).

This item is in the picture of my finds below.  You can also tell an item's age by the tag itself.  For example, a few years ago Ann Taylor Loft started going just by LOFT.  Sometimes companies will change their tag designs too - this happens most frequently with stores like Old Navy or Forever 21.

Below are my finds from Goodwill.  Each item cost $3.52 with tax.  From left to right: Banana Republic Safari Dress; Ann Taylor Sweater (kind of looks like a blob in the photo, but is cute on), and an Anthropologie Cashmere blend cardigan.

I'll unveil my ThredUp finds tomorrow!

Weekend Recap

In addition to my shopping trips, we had a great weekend!  One of the girls that Zach works with got married this weekend.  We've really enjoyed getting to know Macey and her now-husband Aaron.  Their wedding was beautiful - it was located in an old building in downtown Lubbock, and it was a very special day.  My favorite part was that they truly customized their vows to each other - they placed a truly sweet twist on historic vows.  For example, instead of just saying "in sickness and in health", they vowed to pat each other on the back and hold each other's hair back (well, her hair back) when they are sick.  I'm not a big crier at weddings, but their love for and commitment to one another was evident.

I also had to experience my least favorite activity - anything related to cars.  I had to get my oil changed.  I don't know why I get so nervous and flustered every time I go.  Maybe it's because I think the workers will make fun of me for being ignorant.  How do I pop the hood again?

Anyway, I pulled in, and of course, decided to wait in the waiting area instead of in my car.  I was not about to sit in my car and then have to drive it over the grate thing the guy pops out of to change your oil.  No way, Jose.  I get myself a cup of burnt coffee and try to get some Goldfish from the vending machine.  Of course, they get stuck, but I'm not about to get one of them to come help me.  I don't need to appear any more helpless than I already have.  Especially not after I had to go up to them and say "I think my husband said to get like the medium grade stuff...oh, and what's that cost?" You're welcome for the $0.75 donation. Hopefully someone enjoys their free snack.

Then they decide to show me my air filter.  I think to myself, ha, you won't get me on this one suckers.  I say to the guy, "I know they're bad, but I'm on a budget."  He chuckles and walks off.  HA!  It's the little wins :). Needless to say, I'm glad oil changes don't happen very often.

I'll end with my favorite picture of our dog-baby.  She loooooves to be held. 

Happy Monday!

Long Time No See & Kickoff of "A Year of Thrifting" (3 months delayed)

So, blogging world, it's been awhile.  I'd like to say I have a legitimate reason for not blogging anything lately, but no such luck.  I have not had a child, changed jobs or anything else.  I'm just lazy.  Plain and simple.

Let me catch you up on what's been going on.  Zach and I bought our first house and moved in in June.  We enjoy having extra space, and I love having ample kitchen cabinet space for the two times a year I cook :).  We've met some great neighbors and really enjoy where we are.

We have also recently added a new addition to our family.  We adopted a 1 1/2 year old Schnauzer/Yorkie mix (though I'm convinced she's more Schnauzer!).  Her original name was Tinkerbell, so that had to change.  She now goes by Annie and fits right into our family.  Just after having gotten her, she had to have surgery to remove a stone the size of a golf ball from her bladder.  Yikes!  She now has to be on a special diet and can only drink extremely purified water.  She's high maintenance - go figure.  We think this might have been why the old owners got rid of her.  She's a sweetie and now has a lot more energy!  Below are photos of her.  In the bottom picture she is hiding in her "safe spot".  She likes to hide under Zach's clothes when she's in trouble or  hears a scary noise like the hair dryer.  She's quirky - just like her parents.  I like telling people she's my dog-daughter.  

You'll probably see a lot of her in subsequent posts, so I won't bore with the details.  

I like doing personal challenges.  For example, I had a bout in college where I thought I could be vegetarian. It lasted about 2 weeks before I got so desperate that I broke down and ate the meat off someone's discarded sandwich at a Habitat for Humanity event - true story.  Most times I fail within a few days.  I have, however, hit the jackpot.  I have the perfect personal challenge that ties together my two loves - clothes and bargains.  Starting in July, I told myself I was not to buy clothes from anywhere except second-hand thrift stores, and I have so far succeeded!  There are a few exceptions.  

Items I will not buy include:

-Undergarments of any sort

-Shoes

-Tight pants (ladies, you know what happens when you where tight pants on a hot night - yuck)

All other items are fair game.  I haven't photographed my items so far, but I can tell you my best find yet.  A silk Juicy Couture shirt for $2.00.  Seriously.

Now, there are some additional advantages too.  I get to try new sites like thredup.com, which basically allows me to do my own clothing swap.  The ladies at Goodwill also know me.  They all know that if I buy a shirt from them, I will hand them an even $3.52.  I am known as the girl who automatically knows the prices with tax.  Maybe one day it will get me an even better deal, who knows.

What I do promise is that I will document my treasures on this site.  Anytime I get a good deal, you'll see and hear about it on the blog.  I encourage you to try thrifting.  You will be shocked at what you find.  You will need to be patient and go often, but if you have few extracurricular activities like me, it can be quite rewarding!  Heck, I might even go tomorrow!