It's a Double-Diet-DP Kind of Day...

Y'all know my obsession with Sonic's Diet Dr. Peppers!  I don't drink coffee (wish I did, but I just can't "acquire" that taste), so my caffeine of choice is DDP. Sonic's is the best of course because of the crunchy, perfectly engineered ice, the styro-foam cup (so sorry to my eco-loving friends/fam), and the perfectly sized red straw (which serves to get the refreshing goodness to my lips in just the right amount as well as a chew stick in meetings where I know I could say something, but with better judgement I keep my mouth/teeth busy on the straw).  Today was no different... I stopped by Sonic for my morning fix... the difference was that I didn't go by the Sonic nearest my house (where they know my name), but by another location since I was going to work from a different direction.  I ordered the "Route 44" instead of the "Large" and I requested extra ice since the day before a long holiday weekend is typically a looooong day at the office.  When the car hop delivered my order, there was so much ice that the top was bulging and after only 4 sips, the DDP was gone! I hadn't packed an extra can of DDP in my lunch bag, so what was I to do?!? Well, I made a second stop on my way to work (I'm glad I left for work early)... by Chick-fil-A... another one of my "loves". They sell the best chicken biscuits (which I've blogged about when I was totally addicted to them a couple of years ago) and of course DDP.  So I ordered a large DDP-no ice.  While sitting in the parking garage at work, I carefully emptied some of the Sonic ice from my cup, and poured in the DDP from Chick-fil-A... now I'm ready for my day!

Gingerbread House Recall?!?

Ok... so most of you who are friends of mine on FB know about the Davis Gingerbread Village that Erin & Dylan constructed on Christmas Eve... cute, very cute actually, until Chewee gobbled up one of the houses.  It frustrated me that our dog had the nerve to sneak up onto one of the dining room chairs where he can grab whatever he wishes off the table.  He would never, ever do this with one of us watching him, but if no one is looking... well whatever treat is on the tabletop is history! He's just too sneaky for a dog!  So he nabs the little cottage closest to the table's edge... keep in mind I didn't actually witness this action, but by the looks of the crumbs that were left back behind my wingback chair in the living room, we know he's guilty (that's where he always runs to eat any treat or even his monthly heartworm pill... somewhat of a "closet eater" I suppose).  He didn't even get sick or an upset stomach which I wished upon him.  Crazy dog!!!

Anyway, fast forward about 4 days... I'm sitting at work & I get a news alert from WAFB (if you don't have the GoWAFB app on your phone, you need to get it... it's the best way to get the latest news).  The news flash that popped up on my phone reads, "Gingerbread house recall affects Louisiana".

My first thought... how the hell does a gingerbread house recall make newsworthy news alert status?!? And my second thought... what causes a gingerbread house to be recalled (who actually eats them anyway)?!?  Then of course my third thought (keep in mind these thoughts flashed quickly through my brain)... OMG, Chewee ate the gingerbread cottage!!! The news alert stated that some of the gingerbread houses sold in Louisiana had possible staph poisoning. Good news though, it's only for gingerbread houses sold by Whole Foods... we bought our kit at Wal-mart.  I suppose revenge will not be played out on little Chewee after all... guess I'll just have to more closely watch his sneaky canine-self!!!

Christmas from the Shiftworker's Wife's Perspective

It changes from year to year, so being flexible is a must! With WD's work schedule, some Christmases he wakes with us while others he's working.  Tradition isn't necessary in the Davis house... we make our own depending on what life's schedule throws our way.  Last year & this year WD works/worked days (4am-4pm) on Christmas day.  It's actually pretty great because Santa makes a stop by our house Christmas eve (afternoon-ish) while I make Christmas supper in pj's (matching my girl, Erin, of course).  When Daddy WD walks through the door, we all sit down for yummy Christmas supper... and that's not traditional either... this year we had Cheesy-Shrimp soup with Focaccia bread. After dinner, we slip into the living room around the tree for gifts.  Starting with the stockings, we all dump them out to discover the neat little treats and the creamy chocolates and other candies (and my favorite the gum!). I try to snap pics while we open gifts and share the stories behind the purchases for each other... sometimes the stories are better than the gifts themselves. This year it was an iPhone for Erin, a laptop for Dylan, Kinect & iPad for WD, and a bike & Coach bag for me.  Another Davis Christmas "tradition" are the electronics!  We are technology junkies to say the least... this year was no different :-) Although I'll wake in the morning to an empty bed, I'll get to sleep late & enjoy the kids' company when we do leisurely crawl out of bed.  WD will join us again tomorrow after he gets off of work... hey, somebody has to earn the money to pay for our "Santa" visit!

Christmas Cheer

Yeah, yeah, yeah... I know it's been over 6 months since I've blogged!  I was so committed when life was a bit slower, but I'm living in 5th gear right now... and loving it :-)  The only real way to keep up with me is through FB... which I can quickly update via my iPhone, but I do miss blogging.  My friend, Heather, is the blogging queen right now!  She has motivated me to try this blogging thing more regularly even though life is busy.  Well it's not much, but here are a couple of fun things I enjoy about Christmas:

• The movie, "Elf" (I've watched it four times this season already... by "watch it" I mean I multi-task while it's playing in the background.  Me & the kids just love it... I even bought the soundtrack from iTunes the other night!  Fave song of the movie is of course, "Baby It's Cold Outside!", which I also used to make my ringtone for the season :-)
• Finding the PERFECT gift for those I love!  I'm so excited about having Christmas with my inlaws Saturday because I feel like I found the perfect thing for them!  Can't tell you now, but I'll share after Christmas.  Of course buying for Wayne is expensive, but I think he'll give Santa a great big kiss on the mouth this year!!!  I can't wait.
• Cutting myself a little slack & enjoying a few of the rich, decadent, holiday foods/drinks... yeah, when I teach two Jazzercise classes a day or one class & run for 4 miles, I go ahead and enjoy those foods/drinks on the "naughty" list!  I had 1/2 cinnamon sugar funnel cake & cup of hot chocolate the other night while walking along the river in Natchitoches looking at the lights.  YUMMY!!!
• Christmas lights... I love the way they twinkle and add such a warm feeling to a dark winter season.  I hate winter and I hate cold weather (I think I suffer with a bit of seasonal depression or I'm totally addicted to the sun/heat), so the lights make me "happy". 

Well these are a few of my favorite "Christmas" things!  I'll think of something more
important to blog about next time, but for now, this is all I've got :-)

What's Up?

Lots of things, that's what! I haven't had time to blog cuz I've been living life.  WD & I just got back from fabulous LasVegas.  It was so nice only having to plan for time in the gym, by the pool, dinner, & shows!  Now we are back to reality... running crazy getting kids where they need to be, working of course, & trying to run our household. 

Other news... I bought a new car! As all my FB friends are aware I wrecked the cruiser & now I am enjoying a 2010 Lexus convertible. It's so much fun... I pray everyday for NO rain so I can cruise with the top down :-)

I just heard that the new iPhone is coming out later this month... I won't be getting the upgrade, but I'm going to make WD happy for Father's day (although it'll be a few days afterwards since it's not released until the 24th).  I love my iPhone & really don't want to upgrade yet.  As a matter of fact I just downloaded a few new apps... Ms. PacMan & a really cool one that stores all of my frequent buyer cards in it.  I haven't tried it out yet, but I'm suppose to be able to use my phone to get discounts at places I frequently shop.  You know those places where they give you a membership card thingy to put on your keyring (like AutoZone, Winn Dixie, the health club, ect).  No more bulky keyring.  The app is called CardStar & it lets you easily store, manage and quickly retrieve your reward, club, and loyalty cards on your phone, where they can be scanned directly from your screen at most merchants. Way cool if it really works!

Other news... our beach vacation is cancelled this year... that oil spill messed up those plans.  I'm sad that the kiddos won't get to hang out with their cousins for the week & we won't get to lay in the sand with brothers/sisters/mom/dad :-(  Mom Barbara said she's planning something fun for next year though!  Knowing her, it'll be fantastic & even better than GulfShores or Destin!

Lots of other things going on, but I'll have to blog a little more later! Tata for now!

Day in the Life of a Jazzercise Instructor

One of my latest passions is Jazzercise.  I recently became certified to instruct classes.  Cardio, stretches, strength training... it's a great workout.  Being strong & being able to dance really helps, but there is oh so much more that you have to do! Like being friendly, confident & aware of class participants' needs.  On top of that you have to know all of the dance moves from memory, be able to cue the class before the moves, remember to stay hydrated, don't overuse/abuse your vocal chords, all the safety tips, plus work a sound system with a wireless mic & iPod! It's a lot, but quite fun & engaging.  Today I taught the 6:05 class at the Prairieville center.  I got the class warmed up & working up the heartrate... then silence! All of a sudden, there was absolute silence! The iPod shut down... leaving me hanging with no music!  I kept the class moving, jumped off stage, & ran to get my iPhone out of my basket, only to find that I had left my iPhone in my car!  I grabbed my keys & had the class owner run out to my car praying that my iPhone wasn't in the bottom of my purse while still having the class dance to nothing other than my cues & classmates singing the song.  She came running back in with it! I was so relieved to find that my routine set of music was on my iPhone... I clicked to it & led the class into the next routine.  I held it together & the class participants were absolutely excellent! Lesson learned... make sure iPod is fully charged every single day & always have the iPhone in the building as back up :-)

"Latest News" as Bulleted List

I've been quite busy lately; what else is new!  I noticed that I haven't blogged in over a month! So here it is as a list & in no particular order:

• One of our best friend's got a job after being unemployed for quite some time! It's really exciting for them and for us.  Congratulations Daven!
• Dylan crossed over into "Boy Scouts" from "Cub Scouts".  We love his troop in Prairieville, Troop 769... they have lots planned for the boys & they hold the boys themselves responsible for activities. Downside, they have hit us up for money nearly every meeting.  We actually participated in a fundraise, which I so desparately despise, but Dylan did pretty well selling coke products.  Hopefully the money-collecting is done with for this year.
• Erin is done with competition dance at Jete'.  She and her team did really well, receiving a number of platinum & high gold awards this year.  I'm so impressed with her perseverance & love of dancing! Now to prepare for Griffin Girls (high school dance team) try-outs.  I'm sure she'll do well, although I can't believe she'll be going to high school next year!
• Wayne is in good spirits now that he has gotten his back to quit hurting.  He suffered with back pain, like an old man, for months now.  It has prevented him from giving his all to running/working out.  He went to chiropractor to be told that his wallet is his problem! Yes, his wallet (which is funny to me since he never has money in it).  When he sits at the computers at work for hours on end with his wallet in his back pocket, it causes his pelvis to tilt which has put strain on his back.  Solution... a few back adjustments & take the wallet out of his back pocket. Now to shop for a money clip (there again, for what since me & the kids smell it when he has cash).
• As for me I just finished the process of becoming a certified Jazzercise instructor! It's so much fun & I go almost everyday anyway, so instructing made sense.  It has set me back quite a bit of money for start up costs (clothes, franchise fee, liability insurance, microphone, etc), but it's well worth it.  I now get to "teach" without all the crap of being a classroom teacher, plus it keeps me working out with great intensity & fervor! I love it!  If you like to have a good time, listen to great music (my favorite Jazzercise routine right now is done to Jennifer Lopez's "Louboutins"), dance, & get fit, you should give it a try.  I'm at the Ascension Jazzercise Centers (Prairieville & Gonzales), but you can find a center close to you by checking out Jazzercise's website.

Well I guess I should wrap it up here... my bulleted list turned into bulleted paragraphs!  I'll try to blog more often :-)

My New Snack

I love discovering "new" snacks.  Thanks to one of my scrappin' friends, Beverly, I was introduced to the world of wasabi.  Beverly brought a small bag of wasabi peas to our latest scrappin' event.  Their appearance peaked my interest... small green peas, covered in white coating!  I was thinking white chocolate or yogurt covering, but couldn't get my head around the idea of putting either on a green pea!  Once I popped one in my mouth, it took me completely by surprise... can you say, "Fire!" It was hot, but best of all, it had a nice little crunch.  It gave this burning sensation on the roof of my mouth that was actually pleasant in a weird sort of way!   I headed to Albertson's & picked up a bag of wasabi peas, wasabi "trail mix", and then at World Market I found wasabi cracker mix!  1/2 cup serving runs me about 127 calories.  To make them even more appealable... I read that spicy foods can actually raise your metabolism.  Rev it up & Bring on the wasabi peas!

Yep... that's what Drugs do for you...

So sad, but it was well known that some of our favorite 1980's & early 90's heartthrobs were living rough lives.  Drugs were prevalent and destructive.  Today I see in the news that another one of the boys who I just thought was soooo cute (had his poster from Teen magazine pinned on my wall) has died at only 38 years old.  Of course the press won't definitively say Corey Haim died from drug use or overdose, at least not until an autoposy is done, but when I saw a recent picture of him, it is written all over his face & body.  He looks terrible & it is quite obvious that his lifestyle took a serious toll on his body & looks.  I'm sad for his friends & family, and I hope that others will see that you reap what you sow & to make a choice to live drug free.