Sweeter Things

New Recipe :: Spicy Garlic Lime Chicken

2011-02-03T14:34:00.000-06:00

Since we're all going through "Iceageddon" and a lot of people are trying new recipes, I thought I'd post my new favorite one. My friend Amber told me about this recipe for garlic lime chicken on allrecipes.com, but I ended up using the wrong recipe ... but I REALLY liked the one I used. The chicken is spicy and flavorful and very juicy. After it was cooked, we sliced it up and put it in a tortilla with some cheese. Then Travis made his famous homemade guacamole to go with it. It was an amazing dinner! Let me know what you think.

Spicy Garlic Lime Chicken

Rated:

Submitted By: C. PEREZ

Photo By: CookinBug

Prep Time: 5 Minutes

Cook Time: 20 Minutes

Ready In: 25 Minutes

Servings: 4

"A delightful chicken dish with a little spicy kick. Serve with rice and your favorite vegetable."

Ingredients:

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/8 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon dried parsley

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast

halves

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons garlic powder

3 tablespoons lime juice

Directions:

1.	In a small bowl, mix together salt, black pepper, cayenne, paprika, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, onion powder, thyme and parsley. Sprinkle spice mixture generously on both sides of chicken breasts.
2.	Heat butter and olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute chicken until golden brown, about 6 minutes on each side. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons garlic powder and lime juice. Cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently to coat evenly with sauce.

Printed from Allrecipes.com 2/3/2011

The Burnett Christmas Letter

2010-12-20T01:19:00.097-06:00

Merry Christmas!

This is the first (we hope annual) Christmas letter from the Burnetts! We’ve had an amazing year and hope that you have too.

Travis loves working at Life Outreach International (LOI) with James and Betty Robison. He’s been at LOI for almost 5 years and really enjoys working with the LIFE donors. In his free time, he stays busy playing golf and working in "his" garage.

Stacy celebrated her 7th year working at Gateway Church as a Creative Director in the Media Department and loves every minute of it! The media team has worked on some really exciting projects this year, and she’s just blessed and honored to be part of what God’s doing at Gateway. When she's not working, she's busy writing blogs for Destiny In Bloom, editing freelance projects, reading the latest suspense novel or biography, taking pictures, watching HGTV, bike riding, watching movies and staying caught up on Facebook!

This is the second year we led a Gateway Group as a couple, and we loved it! We've really grown as a group and have gotten to know some amazing people. Best of all, our neighbors come to our group. It's been wonderful getting to know them better.

We also found some time to travel this year. We took our annual family vacation to Gulf Shores in September. When we got back, our time was filled with baseball playoffs. We were beyond excited when the Texas Rangers made it to the World Series. It was so much fun (and a dream come true) to get to go to all of the playoff games!

November 25 (Thanksgiving Day) was our four-year anniversary, and we decided to celebrate by going on a Caribbean cruise. We went to Princess Cays (a private island), St. Maartin, St. Thomas (our favorite!) and Grand Turk. It was one of the best trips we’ve ever been on! We both came home extremely relaxed.

Jack Bower had an adventurous year. He spent most of his days chasing squirrels and birds and finding a comfortable place to nap. He played with his BFF Molly Joy. He also had his first teeth cleaning, and he did not like it! His momma told him to get over it! He still remains as prissy as ever and one of the most spoiled rotten dogs on the planet!

As we take time during this busy season to reflect on Jesus’ birth, we find ourselves so thankful for all that he has done for us this year. We pray that you and your family find peace and love during this holiday season and all year long.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Love,

Travis, Stacy & Jack Bower

We're on Facebook and Twitter! You'll find many more pictures on Facebook.
TRAVIS Twitter | Facebook :::: STACY Twitter | Facebook

Our Year In Pictures

The First Snow of the Year

We Celebrated Our Nephew Brett's 1st Birthday

We Celebrated Our Niece Ashlynn's 3rd Birthday

Travis with His Second Parents, Jim and Elaine Hartin

Mom & Dad Burnett and Rachel Celebrated Stacy's Birthday

(We went shopping!)

LHS Mini-Runion #1

LHS Mini-Runion #2

Travis' Precious Grandma Duncan
(May 26, 1929–July 27, 2010)

Family Vacation | Orange Beach, Alabama

World Series

Anniversary Cruise | Princess Cays

Anniversary Cruise | St. Maarten

Anniversary Cruise | St. Maarten

Anniversary Cruise | St. Thomas

Anniversary Cruise | St. Thomas

Anniversary Cruise | St. Thomas (Magens Bay)

(NOTE: We planned on going to the beach ... otherwise I would not have worn this shirt with a bathing suit all day! LOL)

Anniversary Cruise | St. Thomas

Anniversary Cruise

Anniversary Cruise | Thanksgiving Day

Anniversary Dinner

Anniversary Dinner

Anniversary Cruise | Grand Turk

Anniversary Cruise | Grand Turk

Santa Dog!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL,
AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!

Tom Dooley

2010-11-11T20:23:00.002-06:00

This week, we lost a true man of faith. Tom Dooley went to be with the Lord. My dad wrote this amazing tribute to him.

TOM DOOLEY
A Voice to the Nation for the Cause of Christ

Fifteen years ago, I was privileged to speak at Tom’s Ordination Service ... there I compared Tom’s ministry to the military tradition of “Reveille” ... an early morning bugle call to awaken soldiers. Each morning at reveille is when accountability for the troops was taken—honor to the nation was rendered—and orders for the day were issued!

This is what Tom did each day ... brought us all to accountability—rendered honor to our Lord and King—and provided practical words for Christian living that served as our orders for the day!

Now he is in the presence of the Commander and Chief ... and no doubt Tom has taken his new position in heaven ... responsibility for Reveille.

I can hear him now calling the saints into accountability—rendering honor to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords—and issuing the orders for the day!

In the distance I can still hear Tom’s voice ... “Welcome to the Journey ... where the words and the music go together!”

Tom’s "Journey” has come to an end ... but his message remains!

Farewell my Friend ... I’ll see you soon!

Colonel Jim Pack

Dream Again

2009-12-03T21:18:00.001-06:00

I’ve always been a dreamer. In fact, when I was in elementary school, my teachers’ main complaint was that I liked to daydream. When I was young, I dreamt about growing up, meeting the perfect man (a mix between Poncharello and Magnum P.I.) and having a house full of kids. And I was going to do all this by the time I was 23.

Dreams are good. But dreams don’t always happen the way we think they will. Parts of my dream came true. I did grow up and meet “the perfect man,” AKA Travis (although he’s more of a mix between Vince Vaughn and Will Ferrell). But I didn’t meet him until I was 31 years old. We got married when I was 33, and we still haven’t had any children.

Like most newlyweds, we wanted to have some “us” time before we started a family, so we chose not to rush into having children right away. We really enjoyed our first two years of marriage. We traveled, went to baseball games, spent time with friends whenever we felt like it … we just did whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted. In fact, I enjoyed our time together so much, I started thinking that maybe we shouldn’t have kids at all. Maybe we should just enjoy being together—just the two of us—for the rest of our lives.

As I contemplated the idea of not having any children, I began to think about this world and all the horrible things going on. I began to let fear and doubt fill my heart. In fact, for the first time in my life, my heart started hardening towards having children. Over the next several months, my feelings of fear grew, and without even discussing it with Travis, I decided for both of us that we wouldn’t have children. Besides, I was already in my mid-30s and in a career I loved. Why bother now? Why mess up a good thing?

Then things started to change … my heart started to change.

My sister-in-law got pregnant and had a baby. As I held her baby boy in my arms, my hardened heart began to melt … just a little. He was so precious and amazing. I just wanted to hold him forever. My dream of having children slowly started to come alive again. But I had let fear creep so far into my heart, it was holding me back.

Then in July of this year, I started having some physical problems. I went to the doctor, and after a series of tests, I found out I had a fibroid (benign tumor) the size of a baseball on my uterus, which made it impossible for me to have children without having it removed.

I felt shattered. Just when I had started to let my guard down … to dream again … fear took over. Sure, I may have “decided” for myself not to have kids, but at least it was my decision. Now the choice had been taken away from me. I no longer had an option. I was lost and confused. Scared and angry.

A few days after receiving the diagnosis, I went to a prayer meeting at Gateway. Pastor David Smith joined us for the prayer time, but he couldn’t stay long. In fact, he only had time to be there during my prayer time. I know God sent him to be there at that time, because he said some things to me that changed my life … my heart … forever. He reminded me that children are a gift from God, and that God only gives good gifts to His children. At that very moment, all of my doubt and fear faded away. Through tears, I prayed and asked God to forgive me for being fearful. I asked Him to give me hope, to give me healing … to give me children.

I decided to follow the treatment recommended by my doctor in hopes that my fibroid would shrink. After three months of intense treatment, I found out it had actually grown and I needed to have surgery immediately.

Once again, I felt broken and scared … afraid to dream.

As I shared the news with a friend, she reminded me that God wants us to dream. He gives us dreams and desires. And not only does He answer those dreams, but He goes beyond them! As I thought about this, I was reminded of the scripture in Ephesians: “God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!” (Ephesians 3:20). I began to feel my childhood dreams come alive again. I felt excitement as I began to think about the possibility of having children. And this time, I wasn’t fearful. I knew God was in control.

Sometimes life is hard. Sometimes things happen that don’t make a lot of sense. But one think I do know is that life is better when I trust God and allow Him to be in control.

My surgery was two weeks ago. And right now I’m believing that God can and will heal me. I believe He will give me children one day. And I believe He is going to give me more dreams. But this time, I’m going to believe they’ll come true … all in His time and in His way.

In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.
Proverbs 16:9

Destiny in Bloom | My Journey

2009-12-01T23:55:00.005-06:00

Once every month, I write a blog for destinyinbloom.com. This month my blog is about the journey I’ve been on for the past six months. It's the featured blog for the next two days. Later, I'll post it on this blog as well.

I'm blogging again!

2009-11-07T12:30:00.009-06:00

This has been a super crazy year so far. To summarize ... I started the year doing The Biggest Loser (update: I lost over 30 pounds, some I have gained back), then I hurt my back in aerobics class and had to go through several months of treatment, and just when I started doing better (July), I was diagnosed with a fibroid the size of a baseball on my uterus and had to go through intense treatments that have made me feel like I've been in menopause for the past four months. Now, I will have a Myomectomy on Monday, November 16, to remove it. (More about this whole situation and the procedure will come in a later blog ... both here and on destinyinbloom.com.)

Needless to say, this has been an extremely long and emotional year for me. But there have been some bright spots: we bought our first house, Travis got a promotion, and our first nephew, Brett, was born in April.

So, with all of that said, I was very excited to see Brett when I went to Oklahoma a few weeks ago. We also were going to spend some time with Travis' grandparents who have not been doing very well. They live next door to Travis' parents, so when we go to Oklahoma, we get to see them often. The first day we were there we went with Chad (Travis' brother), Becky and baby Brett to visit his grandparents. What I didn't know is that they had a very special surprise for me.

Before I tell you what the surprise was, let me go back to March when we threw Becky a baby shower. One of the gifts she received was from Travis’ grandfather. It was a hand planed baby cradle. He made it to be an authentic antique. It is absolutely amazing! Of course, I wanted one. I mean, just because I was not having a baby now didn’t mean I wouldn't ever have one. But then when I got my diagnosis in July, along with it came the news that the possibility of having children was very unlikely unless fibroid was removed.

Well, when we went to their house, Grandpa Duncan took Travis and me out to the back where he showed us the baby cradle he made for us! I couldn't speak ... I just cried. My heart melted. He's been so sick and his arm is so badly damaged that we thought they'd have to amputate it. He practically made the cradle with one hand. He told Travis that he did everything he could to make it for us before they took his arm. He said it was the last one he would ever make. After he said that I just cried some more. After I got myself together and hugged and thanked him, I took some pictures of the cradle along with Travis and Grandpa Duncan.

The doctor believes that after this surgery, I will be able to have children ... more importantly, I believe I will have children one day. And I really believe that this cradle was a gift from God ... a sign of hope ... a sign that there's more to come. :)

Friends Are Friends Forever ...

2009-07-05T22:53:00.009-05:00

Last week we had a First Baptist Euless mini-reunion at my friend Traci's house. It was so much fun to see friends I haven't seen in many years. I hope we won't let so many years pass before we get together again.

Traci and me

Greg being ... Greg. Some boys never change.

I love the look Traci's giving him in the background.

Greg and Erin

YUMMY Fruit!

Travis and Traci

Rich and the Wii controller ... a scary combination!

Texas Rangers Opening Day

2009-04-11T01:28:00.007-05:00

We had so much fun at the baseball game on Monday. I'm so glad this is something we got to do together, especially since Travis has always wanted to attend Rangers Opening Day.

My gorgeous husband on game day. Check out those baby blues!

Former President George W. Bush threw out the first pitch.

My very happy husband. He loves baseball!!!

As usual, I was running late and couldn't find any of my Texas Rangers T-shirts (I have at least six!), so I grabbed my Southern Maryland Blue Crabs T-shirt. I wasn't really worried that anyone would even see it since it never occurred to me that I'd take off my sweatshirt or unwrap from my blanket. It was freezing and very windy outside ... except, of course, at our seats where the wind was completely blocked! We were burning up and actually got sunburns. Next time I'll make sure to wear one of my Rangers T-shirts!

Travis wearing the "right" T-shirt.

It's been a long time ...

2009-04-08T23:14:00.004-05:00

I haven't felt like blogging at all. :( I miss being excited about writing and photography. I'm ready to start feeling "normal" again ... whatever that is.

My back is doing better. It's probably about 75% better than it was last week. I go back to the doctor next Tuesday, and he'll determine if I need another epidural or if we can move on to physical therapy. I'm anxious to see what he thinks about my progress.

We decided to extend the Biggest Loser competition at work for another three months. We'll now finish on June 30. So far I've lost 32 pounds! I'm excited about it ... but it's been difficult to stay on track the last few weeks. Whenever I feel crappy I just want comfort food! The good thing is that I've still lost some weight despite not eating as well as I had been. Now that I'm feeling better, it will be easier to make dinner and not eat out so much. And hopefully I can start working out again. I noticed the other day that when I waved at someone my arm kept jiggling well after I had stopped waving. Was that too much information? Oh well! It will motivate me to go to the gym once I'm feeling better.

I surprised Travis last Friday night with tickets to a Texas Rangers pre-season game in Frisco. We had a really good time even though it was freezing outside. The Rough Riders Ballpark in Frisco is so nice! If you like baseball, take your family out there one night this summer. It's so much fun and great for families. Plus, every Friday night they have fireworks.

On Monday, we went to the Rangers home opener at The Ballpark. It was so much fun! Travis had not been to Opening Day before, and he was so excited. George Dubbya was there to throw out the first pitch, which was a strike! It was FREEZING cold outside with strong winds, but our seats blocked the wind, and we ended up hot all day and came home with sunburns. The Rangers won ... in fact, they won again tonight, so they're 2-0 so far! I'll post some pictures from the game soon.

Lastly ... we are still waiting to get final word on our closing date for our new house. As soon as we find out, we'll let everyone know. If you want to help us move (and you know you do!), mark April 25 on your calendar. That's the day we're hoping to move. :)

I'll try to be better about posting more often. Now that I'm feeling better, it will be easier. Thank you all for your prayers. I've felt every one of them!

Back Update!

2009-03-31T13:41:00.006-05:00

I went to the doctor yesterday to find out the results of my MRI. He said that my L4, L5 and S1 discs are bulging. There is no space between the S1 disc and the S nerve that goes down my left leg. That is why I’m in so much pain. He showed me the MRI … it was pretty crazy to see how bad the discs look. I took a picture of the screen with my cell phone, which doesn't take very good pictures, but I thought I'd post it anyway.

I was really disappointed because I thought they were going to be able to do the treatment yesterday, but I have to wait until Thursday. I’ll get an epidural that should relieve the pain … if not completely then I will have another one in two weeks.

I have to be taken and picked up by someone since I will be heavily sedated. I won’t be out, but I will be “almost out.” He calls it “la la land.”

Please pray with us that I will only need this one treatment. This is quite costly, even with insurance, and I really want this pain to be over soon.

Two Updates

2009-03-26T19:40:00.011-05:00

#1 | Update About My Back

I had a great appointment with a specialist on Tuesday. He said that I've either herniated my L5 disc even more as well as the S1 disc and/or I've got a nerve problem on my hip joint. He said he couldn't be sure until he got the results of the MRI.

I had the MRI done today. It was painful to lie flat on the table, but other than that it went really well. I meet with the doctor on Monday to go over my results and, hopefully, to get treatment for my pain.

Thank you all for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers!

#2 | Update About Our House

Travis and I have been looking for a house off and on for over a year. Well, we finally found one we love!! We put an offer on the house last Saturday and on Sunday we got news they accepted our offer! We are so excited! We had an inspector come out yesterday, and everything was great. Now all we have to do is wait and pack. We are scheduled to close on Friday, April 24. If you live near us and want to help us out, let me know! :)

The Biggest Loser | Day 79

2009-03-24T06:59:00.003-05:00

Well, the good news is I haven't gained any weight. The bad news is I haven't lost any either. :(

I've been in so much pain and haven't been able to exercise. I haven't even felt like eating right ... although I did MUCH better than last week!

I'm going to Spine Team Texas today at 2:00 pm. If you feel led, please pray for me. I need them to figure out what's going on so we can start working on a plan to recovery.

Watch This Amazing Video

2009-03-23T20:12:00.006-05:00

My friend, Natasha, just returned home after spending a week in Honduras. She and her husband, Aaron, are gifted photographers. Their pictures, along with the music, tell the amazing stories of the people they met in Honduras. It's an inspirational, heart-breaking, thought-provoking video. Watch it ... and share it with your friends.

Honduras from Natasha Brown on Vimeo.

The Biggest Loser | Day 70

2009-03-15T22:22:00.009-05:00

Blame it on the steroids ... I am.

This past week was insane. I ate everything I could get my hands on. I couldn't stop eating! I was constantly hungry. My co-workers got sick of hearing me talk about how hungry I was all the time ... I definitely know Travis was tired of hearing it!

Last Monday, I went to the doctor for my back (which still isn't better) and for an allergy shot. I got a shot of steroids and she put me on a steroid pack. So, being on a double dose of steroids has made me want to eat non-stop. It's been an absolutely crazy week. I was hungrier this week than ever before. I thought about food all the time, even when I wasn't hungry. I didn't even struggle this much the first week of my diet.

So, I've decided that I'm not going to "officially" weigh-in tomorrow. I weighed at home this morning and, thankfully, I haven't gained any weight. (But I certainly haven't lost any.)

This week, I'm going all out! I'm back in the game. I'm going to be THE Biggest Loser! No more steroids! No more munchies! No more cheating! No more excuses!

It's on!

A Sweet Reminder

2009-03-11T18:04:00.010-05:00

Yesterday, Katrina, one of my close friends and one of the designers at Gateway, sent out an email to our department. It was a sweet reminder that God cares about the smallest of things. She gave me permission to post it on my blog. I hope it blesses you all as much as it did me.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This morning while I was getting ready I couldn't stop thinking about a friend's Facebook posting from last night that said his 4-year-old little girl prayed and thanked God for STRAWBERRIES! Sometimes when I pray I feel like God will think it’s silly to ask for or thank Him for such minute or meaningless things. It is so easy for me to forget or take for granted all the little things that God has given us to enjoy. I let my "adultness" get in the way of having that childlike appreciation for what God has done for me. But as this kept coming to my mind this morning I couldn't help but thank God for COLORS! In everything I do, one of the things that makes me the most happy is lots and lots of COLOR! It is what I do. It surrounds me. It makes me whole. Red, orange, purple, green, blue and all the shades in between! How wonderful is that!! Can you imagine how depressing and miserable we would be if it weren’t COLOR? THANK YOU GOD FOR COLORS!!!

What seemingly unimportant or minor thing will you thank God for in a major way today?

Have a joy-filled day!

Katrina

Trip to Pocola, Oklahoma | Saturday, March 7

2009-03-10T22:12:00.024-05:00

This was a crazy, but fun day. The whole family got up early and went to breakfast at Scott and Annette's house ... everyone, but me and Travis. We stayed back to get the house ready for the baby shower and to get in a little extra sleep. I'm so glad we stayed home. Travis' Aunt Kathy stopped by the house and was acting very strange. When everyone else got home, we let them know she had come by. Loretta, Kathy's sister and Travis' mom, went next door to their parent's house and found her in the bedroom. She wasn't doing well at all. As it turns out she was having a small stroke. Loretta had to rush her to the hospital about 15 miles away.

While she was taking Kathy to the hospital, the rest of us went to the local bowling alley to celebrate Rachel's birthday (again) with her friends. Travis and I were so glad we had everything ready at the house for the baby shower so Loretta wouldn't worried about all the work that needed to be done. It turned out to be a huge blessing.

My husband has mad bowling skills!

Becky, Chad and Baby Brett.

Becky made these cakes, a bowling ball and a pin, for Rachel. They were so good!

So, we bowled and ate pizza and cake with Rachel and her friends. We had a good time. But, I must say, the most fun (for me anyway) was after the party. I told Rachel to get her friends and meet me in the field by the parking lot. I didn't tell her at the time, but I brought cans of silly string. The three girls had a massive silly string fight out in the empty field. It was so funny to watch. Every time Rachel would spray her silly string, she would close her eyes. I guess you had to be there, but it was so stinkin' funny! And it was so windy. It seemed like whenever Rachel would spray one of her friends that almost all the silly string would fly back on her. Poor thing!

When it was all over, her friends said that it was the best party every! They loved the silly string. Rachel, on the other hand, sulked over to me and Travis and said, "I hated it!" LOL ... it was so Rachel!!!!!!

The look she gave us when it was all over. Priceless!!!!

After the party, we went to pick up the cake and some ice for the baby shower. Loretta ordered the cake from a local grocery store. It was by far one of THE cutest baby shower cakes I've ever seen.

We had a wonderful time at the shower. Becky received some great gifts. One of the best gifts came from Grandpa and Grandma Duncan. Grandpa made a baby cradle with antique wood from 1929. The entire piece is hand planed ... he wanted it to be an authentic antique. It is absolutely amazing! I wish I had a better picture of it.

The day ended at The Lighthouse, a really cool restaurant on the Arkansas River. It was so much fun. They have amazing food, and Travis and I both splurged and had steaks. It was a perfect ending to a crazy/busy day.

The Lighthouse

The ceiling inside.

The decorations inside.

Family picture at The Lighthouse. From left to right: Annette, Elden, Becky, Chad, Loretta, Scott, Grandma Burnett, me and Travis.

The back of the restaurant overlooking the Arkansas River.

The Tulsa Burnetts

The Dallas Burnetts

The end.

Trip to Pocola, Oklahoma | Friday, March 6

2009-03-09T23:36:00.012-05:00

This past weekend, Travis and I went to Pocola, Oklahoma, to celebrate our niece Rachel's birthday, to throw a baby shower for our sister-in-law Becky and to just relax and spend time with family. We didn't get to do much relaxing, but we had a ton of fun doing all the other things! :)

On Friday, we woke to the smell of bacon and Loretta's famous pecan waffles. Oh my goodness, I'd been saving all my points for these waffles. I love them! I wish I had taken a picture for you all to see, but I was too busy eating them. Yummy!

After a quiet morning, we spent the day running errands and getting ready for the parties and the shower ... and, of course, we had time for a mani/pedi. That night we celebrated Rachel's 11th birthday as a family. She got a Karaoke machine, so we spent some of the evening "singing" songs and the rest of the night we watched one of her new movies, Beverly Hills Chihuahua.

I knew you'd want to see my feet!

Rachel as she is about to open her Karaoke machine.

She's getting ready to sing. I don't think she wanted anyone to look at her.

Now she's singing!

And her Mom is singing.

Becky and Chad are singing.

Mom and Dad Burnett are enjoying the singing.

Here's the movie we watched. She loved it!

The Biggest Loser | Day 57 & Day 64

2009-03-09T22:41:00.003-05:00

I'm sorry I've been behind on updating my blog.

Somehow last Monday the scale showed that I gained 1 pound. (I blame it all on the scale!) It was disappointing, but I knew I could do better.

Today, when I got on the scale it showed that I had lost 5 more pounds! So, I definitely made up for it ... and this time I like what the scale showed! Yay!

I have lost 26 pounds in just 9 weeks!

A Little Something

2009-03-01T23:46:00.004-06:00

George's "Not A Surprise" 30th Birthday Party

2009-02-28T12:42:00.007-06:00

Last night, we finally celebrated George's 30th birthday, which was Monday, February 23. I say "finally" because this was the third attempt to have a party for him. Two of my co-workers/friends put the party together, and they scheduled the first one for Oscar Night. If anyone knows George, they know this is his absolutely favorite night of the year. Several of his friends were concerned that he might not show up for his party since he'd rather watch the Oscars with the Millers or at home, so they canceled the party. Then the party almost happened on another night, but that changed due the the Connect Conference at our church. (Side note: There are some absolutely hysterical videos our department did for the conference at connect.gatewaypeople.com or at youtube.com/gatewaypeople. Watch the videos entitled "The Church." It's worth your time.)

So, "finally" they decided to do it last night. Tia, one of his close friends and co-workers who put the party together, was going to take him to the movies and then suggest that Hannah and Chip come along. They were going to stop and pick them up, but instead of going to the movies, we'd all be there to surprise him. It was a great plan ... but then Tia got very sick the night before, which is the reason it was "not a surprise" party. Hannah and I decided it would be better to just go ahead and tell him about the party. We didn't know any other surefire way to get him there.

Even though he wasn't surprised by the party, I think he was really surprised by his gift. All of his friends chipped in and got him an iTouch for his birthday.

I can honestly say that we are all better people for having George as a friend, and we were honored to get to celebrate with him ... and very relieved he realized that his friends didn't just blow off his 30th birthday!

The birthday boy with his bucket of "white" ice cream.

Opening his iTouch.

Why is it?

2009-02-26T17:55:00.002-06:00

Every now and then you'll see a "Why is it?" blog from me. These blogs are just about things that I've been thinking about or things that people do that make me ask, "Why is it ... ?" So, be watching ... I may be writing about you!

Kari Jobe

2009-02-26T17:17:00.007-06:00

Kari Jobe's new CD is amazing! If you haven't gotten a copy yet, you really should get one. It's an uplifting, fun, intimate worship CD (yes, I put fun and intimate in the same sentence). The CD contains several new songs along with some classic Kari songs. I especially like her new song "You Are For Me."

Here's a cool story about another one of her new songs, "Everyone Needs A Little."

The Biggest Loser | Day 50

2009-02-23T13:06:00.002-06:00

OK, I'll get right to it.

I lost 6 more pounds last week. As of today, I've lost 22 pounds since we started this on January 5. I am so excited!! Thank you all for your encouragement. The last few weeks have not been as easy, but it helps knowing you're all out there pulling for me.

Cleaning Tip

2009-02-21T14:00:00.006-06:00

Things have finally slowed down enough for me to start blogging again. I wanted to share a helpful little cleaning tip I was "forced" to learn last weekend.

Last Saturday, Valentine's Day, started out like most Saturdays, except this Saturday I got up later than usual. I went to the gym for Camp 24, but did not do any cardio or stretching before the class. During the class, my back started spasming and I was in a ton of pain. After the class, I left in a hurry and decided to stop and get some gas on my way home. I started filling up my tank with gas and got back in the car to wait. I got a phone call about the same time I heard the pump click off. I jumped out of the car and pulled out the nozzle and ... gas went EVERYWHERE!!!! It hadn't clicked off! I must have heard the pump beside mine. As quickly as I could, I shoved it back into my gas tank, but not before I had sprayed it all over my car, my pants and my brand-new Asics!

As soon as my tank really was full, I drove home ... in pain and smelling like gasoline. I walked into the door and saw Travis and staring sobbing. I was so upset that I ruined my brand-new tennis shoes and my back was still throbbing with pain. Poor guy! Not exactly how he expected to spend Valentine's Day morning.

After much consoling from Travis and Jack, I went upstairs to shower and wash my clothes and shoes. I figured I had nothing to lose: if I could get the gas smell out of my shoes, great. If the washer ruined them, that was OK too since they reeked of gas. Well, the first time through the washer didn't work. They now smelled like gas and Tide.

So I did an Internet search and found a ton of ways to get the smell out. The most sensible and least expensive way was to use vinegar. So, I doused my shoes in vinegar and put about four more cups in the washer with the clothes and shoes. I then added some more laundry detergent. This time it worked!

I then stuff fabric softener sheets in the shoes and laid more sheets on top of them and let them dry and air out for a week. I'm happy to report that as of today they are virtually gas free! (One of them still has a slight smell of gas, but I think it will go away with more wear.)

So, my tip for the day is to use Vinegar in your laundry to take out bad odors! And it can be used to help whiten your white clothes!

The Biggest Loser | Day 44

2009-02-17T07:00:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was the weigh-in and I gained 2 pounds. I was pretty upset about it yesterday, but I'm not losing the faith. I'm going to lose that 2 pounds and more this week!

The Biggest Loser | Day 38

2009-02-11T09:57:00.001-06:00

Quick update! As of Monday (day 36), I lost 2 more pounds. That's 18 pounds so far!

Sorry I'm behind on my blogging. :( As soon as I can get some major projects finished at work, I'll be back to blogging ... and it will be about more than just my weight!

The Biggest Loser | Day 29

2009-02-02T23:32:00.003-06:00

Today was a good day!!!! I lost 5 pounds last week! I've lost 16 pounds in just four weeks!

My goal is to lose another 15 pounds in February. I know that I can do it, especially with all the love and support I've gotten from all of you. Thank you for your encouragement!

The Biggest Loser | Day 25

2009-01-29T23:07:00.002-06:00

Well, I guess I should have blogged earlier this week, but there wasn't much to say. I didn't lose any weight, but I didn't gain any either. So, we're hoping that Monday will be good news! :)

On another note, I'd like to say Happy Birthday to my Aunt Stephanie and my cousin Doug! I pray the Lord continues to bless you all year long. I love you both very much!

Embarrassing Moment

2009-01-19T22:27:00.010-06:00

My friend Rebecca posted a funny blog today (she's such a great writer and always has the funniest stories). It reminded of something that once happened to me, and I thought I'd share it.

One morning last winter, I threw on some old clothes and ran to the grocery store before work. I decided that even though it was cold, I should take my dog Jack with me. (We hadn't had him for very long, and I liked to take him with me when I could.) I got to the store and went inside and did all of my shopping. When I got back to my car, I starting looking for my keys, but I couldn't find them. I looked everywhere. Finally, I realized I'd locked them in the car. I looked in my car and there they were in the middle of the console. Oh, I lost it. I just knew Jack would freeze to death. Crying quickly ensued!

I frantically tried to call Travis. He had gone to work at 6:00 am that day, and he really wasn't allowed to answer his cell phone during office hours. Thankfully he answered. As I began telling him what happened, through sobbing and unintelligible words, I saw little dog paws sticking out of the window. At first my brain didn't comprehend what I was seeing. Within seconds, I realized I had left the windows cracked; enough to get the door unlocked! My sobs instantly turned to laughter ... and embarrassment. The windows had been open the whole time!

Jack Bower - Taken December 2007 - The Month of the "Incident"

The Biggest Loser | Day 15

2009-01-19T22:22:00.002-06:00

I lost 5 pounds last week for a total of 11 pounds so far! I am so excited.

The best thing about this experience is doing it with my friends and co-workers. It's awesome to have such a great support team.

Thank you all for your support and encouragement.

Eating Healthy Can Still Be Tasty!

2009-01-14T21:37:00.010-06:00

My friend Erin is such a joy to be around. She has a very fun personality and is always making me laugh. Today she stopped by my office to talk to me about an event she's planning. She and another co-worker have been trying to find a caterer for their events and went to a food tasting party today. As she was describing all of the wonderful food she got to eat she used words like delicious and tasty. It reminded me that just because I'm eating healthy doesn't mean the food I eat has to taste like cardboard. It can be healthy and taste good!

So, I decided to share one of my favorite delicious recipes with all of my blog readers. It's healthy and quite tasty!

Peach-Glazed Chicken
total time: 14 minutes

Cooking Spray
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 pound chicken breast tenders
1/2 cup peach preserves
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 green onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; add oil, and place over medium-high heat until hot. Add chicken, and saute 5 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken; set aside, and keep warm.
Reduce heat to low; add preserves and remaining 3 ingredients. Cook, stirring constantly, until preserves melt and onion is tender. Spoon preserves mixture over chicken.
Yield: 4 servings.

Per Serving: Calories 238 (10% from fat) Fat 2.7 g (sat 0.6g) Protein 26.3 g Carbohydrate 26.4 g Fiber 0.1 g Cholesterol 66mg Sodium 95mg
Exchanges: 2 Starch, 3 Very Lean Meat

The Biggest Loser | Day 9

2009-01-13T22:06:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was the big weigh-in at work and I'm proud to say that I lost 6 pounds last week! That's six pounds that I don't have to carry around anymore! Yay!

Is anyone watching Biggest Loser this season? It's awesome! I love that show. It's so inspiring. If you're watching, let me know who you're rooting for.

Gone, baby, gone!

2009-01-10T23:30:00.008-06:00

You can thank my friends Kat and Lauren (also my hair designer) for this. They thought a new hairstyle would help keep me motivated to keep losing weight. I think they might be right! ;-)

Here's my sassy new hairdo!

A Question

2009-01-10T16:56:00.006-06:00

My friend Marjo emailed me a question today, and I wanted to post it for everyone else to read. Let me know what you think.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

QUESTION
What modern convenience is the one you absolutely could not live without? By modern, I mean something your grandmother didn't have at your age and by convenience ... I mean simply something that makes life simpler or easier. It could be an appliance. It could be a process. It could be a product. So .... think about it and and send your reply. There are NO wrong answers. As you think it through you'll realize how many things you appreciate!!

MY ANSWER
We were just talking about this at work the other day. I've actually thought about it a lot. It would absolutely be computers, but more specifically the Internet. Now that I'm connected with the world, I couldn't imagine what life would be like if I couldn't email and blog with friends and family; get news seconds after the event occurs; watch movies and TV; listen to ANY music I want from any time and any place; find out what the weather is today and ten days from now. I could go on and on.

I remember in 1993 (and that wasn't that long ago), when I went to Romania. The only way I could communicate with anyone back home was through the phone, which was very expensive, or fax. I still have faxes that I received while I was there. Actually, I have the paper they were sent on, but the ink has completely disappeared! I could send a letter, just like it my grandmother's time, but that would have taken so long to get home. Now, I can IM with friends in Russia. I can talk on the "phone" via the web (skype) to anyone anywhere in the world. I can use my web cam and meet with anyone anywhere at anytime. It's like were right there together. I remember doing this with friends in Germany not too long ago. I was sitting in my office at work and they were in their living room in Germany. It's absolutely amazing.

So, my answer is "dubbya dubbya dubbya" ... the World Wide Web.

What would you say?

An Update

2009-01-09T22:22:00.002-06:00

I just wanted to give everyone a quick update. I am doing great since the surgery. Other than the first night, I've been able to eat normally. I still have a slight sore throat, but it gets better each day.

As far as the snoring ... Travis says I'm still snoring, but that it's softer. Hopefully, in the next few months it will get better too.

Thanks again for all the prayers.

OUCH! | An Update on the Pillar Procedure

2009-01-07T22:00:00.004-06:00

This afternoon I had the Pillar Procedure done (see my blog from December 29 for more information on that). The most painful part was getting the anesthesia. They gave me about eight shots to numb my throat and each one really hurt. When the nurse was prepping me, she handed me a tissue. I laughed and asked if it was because she thought I might drool. She said, "Oh, you won't drool." I quickly found out later it was to wipe away the tears. The doctors said that almost everyone cries when they get the anesthesia shots.

He inserted three of the little white woven pillar inserts into the back of my throat. He said that I should be swollen for a few days, but that I should be fine after that. If it keeps hurting then that means the insert went through to the other side (we're praying that didn't happen). After three months, we'll see how I'm doing. If the snoring has stopped, then I'm good to go. If not, then he'll need to insert two more pillars.

When he first finished it was hard to talk and hurt a little. It felt really strange. I am doing OK right now, but am in some pain. It feels a little like having strep throat.

If anyone wants to go to a great doctor for this, I highly recommend Dr. Mullens. He's extremely nice and very thorough. And he charges half the price of the Snoring Center in Dallas.

Thanks to everyone for all your thoughts and prayers. Thank you for caring about me and for checking on me. I'll let you know in a few days how I'm doing.

The Biggest Loser | Day 1

2009-01-05T22:57:00.002-06:00

Today wasn't nearly as difficult as most first days on a diet. It helped that a bunch of us at work are doing this together. Paul, Kat and I went to Central Market for lunch and most of us ate very healthy lunches. I won't mention who didn't eat healthy (Paul), but I do know that he made a fabulous dinner tonight to make up for his lunch. :)

The funniest part of the day was when we all weighed ourselves. I forgot to bring the scale to work, so we all ran over to the Resource Ministries office and weighed on their big scale. We left on our heavy clothes and boots. Next week we'll take as much off as we can so we can weigh as little as possible. Ha ha!

Travis made dinner for us tonight. It was so good. He roasted garlic and grilled chicken with whole wheat pasta. YUMMY!

I hope tomorrow, and all the other days, are just as easy as this one ... at least when it comes to food!

Armed Forces Bowl

2009-01-05T20:45:00.003-06:00

On New Year's Eve, Travis' boss blessed him with tickets to the Armed Forces Bowl. We had so much fun. It was a beautiful day and thankfully we were sitting in the sun because it was cold. Here are a few pictures from the game.

I Want to be a Loser ... No, I want to be THE BIGGEST LOSER!

2009-01-04T22:07:00.007-06:00

The New Year has started, and tomorrow Travis and I start our diet. The Media Department at Gateway, along with our spouses, is starting The Biggest Loser competition. I have decided to take this very seriously. Even if everyone at work decides to give up before reaching their goal, I have decided to keep going. I really want to get all the way to my goal weight. I have also decided that one way of doing that is to blog about it and that way I’m held accountable. It’s not going to be easy, but I’m really looking forward to the challenge.

For those of you wondering, my goal is to lose 115 pounds. Please do not comment to tell me that I don’t need to lose that much. I know how much I weigh, and I also know how much I should weigh. So, let’s just leave it at that. Travis says that he wants to lose “a couple pounds.”

I am going to be doing Weight Watchers along with taking Alli and working out. Travis will just be doing Weight Watchers (or some form of what I’m doing) and working out.

I’m excited to start this journey and hope that you will all help us with encouragement and support.

To start the week off, here’s a picture of Michelle, last season’s Biggest Loser. She’s going to my inspiration this week.

usmagazine.com/news/biggest-loser-winner-i-feel-at-peace

Impromptu Photo Shoot

2009-01-03T16:31:00.007-06:00

Today my dad asked me to go with him to his pastor's house to take pictures of their family. I happily agreed, always wanting to get more practice taking pictures. They all looked great and are very photogenic. They made it easy to take pictures. This was a lot of fun, and I'm glad I got the opportunity to practice taking pictures outside. Here are a few of the ones I really liked.

The Hogue Family

Surprise!

2009-01-01T14:00:00.009-06:00

My mom brought Ashlynn Kate by to see us this morning. She was wearing one of the outfits we bought her for Christmas. She looked so pretty! I can't believe how quickly she's growing.

Here are a few pictures of the sweet baby girl.

Posing for Aunt Stacy.

So happy!

I love this look!

And this one!

Looking at Uncle Travis.

Laughing ... I'm sure at us for taking a million pictures!!!!

Plane!!!!

Coming Soon: A Good Night's Sleep

2008-12-29T11:10:00.010-06:00

On Wednesday, January 7, I am getting the Pillar Procedure. Many people have asked what this is, so I thought I'd post this blog about it.

The Pillar Procedure is a simple, effective treatment for sleep apnea and snoring. It is less invasive and less painful than other surgical procedures and is completed in a single, short office visit.

Most patients soon report a drastic reduction in snoring. In clinical studies, nearly 80% of patients' sleep apnea was reduced. Patients also experienced less daytime sleepiness.

The Pillar Procedure addresses one of the anatomical components of sleep apnea and snoring: the Soft Palate.During the Pillar Procedure, 4-5 tiny woven inserts [see illustration above] are placed in the soft palate to help reduce the vibration that causes snoring and the ability of the soft palate to obstruct the airway. Once in place, the inserts add structural support to the soft palate and, over time, the body's natural tissue response to the inserts increases the structural integrity of the soft palate.

Pillar inserts are made of material used in implantable medical devices for more than 50 years. They are designed to be invisible, and should not be felt or interfere with swallowing or speech. Many patients resume normal diet and activities the same day.

Christmas Pictures

2008-12-28T22:40:00.001-06:00

While on vacation in November, we tried to a find good place to take pictures for our Christmas card. We never really had one that we liked for the card, so we asked our friend Amber to take our picture. (For anyone who needs a great photographer, her website is onemomentintimephotography.com.)

Also, we've been reprimanded by many, many people for not including Jack Bower in our picture this year. If you're one of the ones upset by his absence, please know that he will definitely be a part of our family picture next year! :)

All She Wanted For Christmas ...

2008-12-28T21:27:00.013-06:00

Since all of the Burnetts & Knowles would be together for Christmas this year, my mother-in-law, Loretta, wanted to have a family picture taken. She said this was really all she wanted for Christmas. She didn't tell any of this until we got into town, and believe it or not, all of the girls had burgundy tops and all of the guys had black shirts. So we got dressed in our color-coordintated clothes and got our pictures taken at PictureMe at Wal-Mart.

This will always be a special memory of all of us together.

Our Family

Bottom Row: Rachel Knowles, Grandma (Juanita Burnett), Elden Burnett
Middle Row: Annette Knowles, Loretta Burnett, Stacy Burnett, Becky Burnett
Back Row: Scott Knowles, Travis Burnett, Chad Burnett

Mom and Dad Burnett

The Knowles

The Siblings

The Tulsa Burnetts (with baby Brett)
Love this one!

Three Generations

Miss. Rachel with straight hair.

Party Time

2008-12-13T21:40:00.014-06:00

Last night Travis and I celebrated our friend Ryan's birthday. He is a DJ on The Wolf and graduated from USC School of Cinema/Television. So for his 30th birthday his wife wanted to have a Hollywood themed surprise party. It was a lot of fun. Travis went as Austin Powers (with a red goatee), and I went as Amy Winehouse (post rehab and with a little more meat on her bones).

Amy Winehouse post rehab ;-)

Austin Powers ... notice the hair on his chest. Ya baby!!!!

Austin and Amy
(Since there's a Christmas tree in the background, maybe we should
use this as the picture on our Christmas cards.)

The birthday boy with the Amy Winehouse wig.

Check out my facebook page for more pictures from the party. :)

Fall Colors

2008-12-07T16:29:00.007-06:00

I love autumn. In Texas, we get to see the leaves change colors for about two weeks ... if we're lucky. This year, they began changing while we were on vacation. The day we got back, I went outside and took pictures of the trees around our apartment complex. I knew if I waited, I would miss getting any pictures of the colorful leaves. I was right ... most of these trees are now bare. I'm glad I made the effort to capture they're beauty.

Crazy Stuff

2008-12-04T22:15:00.004-06:00

Lately, I've had some pretty crazy things happen.

#1
A few weeks ago I received a thank you card in the mail. It was addressed to Mrs. Stacy Pack and it had my address, but it didn't have the apartment number. I opened the card and there was a nice note to "me" from some people I do not know in Indiana. They were thanking "me" for helping with a contingency plan. Inside the thank you card was a $25 American Express Giftcard. I tried to call the people that sent the card. I also tried to call every Stacy Pack in the area (I could only find one). No one answered or returned my call. I kept the giftcard.

#2
Monday was my first day back to work after our vacation. On my desk was a package from a bookstore. It was addressed to Stacy Burnett and had the church office address on the front. In it was a book that I've wanted. There wasn't a note or a card with it. I have no idea who sent it to me. The very strange part is that not many people knew I wanted this book. In fact, only my family and George Thomas knew that it was on my Christmas list (as far as I know). I asked everyone I could think of if they sent it to me and as of right now no one has fessed up to ordering it for me. So, now I'm looking forward to reading Deck the Halls by Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark.

They say things happen in threes. I am really looking forward to #3.

Anniversary Trip | Day Seven

2008-11-28T17:02:00.000-06:00

This was our last full day of vacation. We went to Mount Vernon and walked through all three floors of George and Martha Washington's home. We walked all over the grounds and saw his original grave and his final resting place. Mount Vernon is absolutely beautiful.

Standing in front of
George and Martha Washington's house.

The view from the back of the house--the Potomac River.

It's us!

Dana and Charles

Travis standing by a tree in front Mount Vernon.

Later that day we went to Old Town Alexandria for lunch. It's so beautiful, especially this time of year. We had lunch at Union Street Public House. It's a great restaurant and Travis got to eat A LOT of seafood. He loved that. :)

Dana, Charles, me and Travis standing in the

main entrance of the Union Street Public House.

A very cool chandelier in the restaurant.

We ended the evening playing Canasta. We played three nights in a row and each night the girls would win. That just about drove the guys insane! Then, finally, they won the very last game! The guys could go to bed happy.

This was the end to an amazing anniversary trip.

My Favorite Picture So Far

2008-11-27T23:15:00.001-06:00

Hershey, Pennsylvania

Anniversary Trip | Day Six (Thanksgiving)

2008-11-27T18:09:00.001-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

We've had a great day relaxing, eating, watching football, eating, playing games and eating!

Dana and Charles' House

Dana and Charles' House

Trees in the backyard.

More trees in the backyard.

Trees at sunset.

Trees at sunset.

A barn we saw on the way to Dana's house.

Buddy the dog.

Cousin Daniel and Uncle Warren

Aunt Joyce and Cousin Dana

Travis watching the first football game.

Travis watching the second football game (Go Cowboys!).

Anniversary Trip | Day Five

2008-11-27T11:03:00.000-06:00

Today was very laid back. We got up early and left Philly for DC. We were in DC last June/July and walked the mall, saw all the monuments and toured the Holocaust Museum, so all we had on our list to do was tour the Capitol and maybe the Washington Monument. To make a long story short, we ended up driving around all day and doing a DC tour from our car. I've had a cold all week and it got the best of me yesterday. My sweet husband didn't "make" me walk all over the city. We did get to see a lot, including the White House and the outside of the Capitol Building (from every angle).

The most interesting part was driving around and going to places that you wouldn't normally walk to. We definitely ended up in the ghetto part of DC. I even met Bon Qui Qui (and all of her friends) when we stopped to use the bathroom at McDonald's. WOW ... that's all I can say!

We decided to come to my cousins' (Dana and Charles) house early, but got stuck in traffic for hours. There was a bad wreck and three lanes were closed. We did arrive in time for dinner and stayed up late playing pool and Canasta. It was great to spend time with family.

Pictures taken from the car on our “tour.”

Anniversary Trip | Day Four (Our Anniversary)

2008-11-26T18:33:00.000-06:00

Today is our 2nd wedding anniversary! I’m so blessed that God brought Travis into my life. It was a long wait, but worth every minute. Never forget that God’s timing is not ours and that when we wait for what he has for us that it’s always perfect. Travis is truly my perfect soul mate, and I thank the Lord for him every day.

Today we got up and had a wonderful breakfast in our hotel. We then took the subway to Independence Hall. While on the subway, we met a very nice man and as he was getting off the subway he said, “I hope you all have a fun day visiting Philly.” I said, “I guess the camera around my neck was a dead giveaway that we’re tourists.” He laughed and said, “Actually, it was the map he was reading” and pointed to Travis. This was definitely our day to be tourist.

First, we walked around the visitor’s center for a while and booked a tour and got tickets to Independence Hall. It was raining most of the morning, so I was glad we were doing things inside. We went to Independence Hall and sat through a long (one hour) but interesting lecture given by a lady that looked like Quasimodo without the hump and sounded like she was born and raised in Jersey. Next, we went to Congress Hall and listened to a shorter (about 30 minutes) lecture. It was all very interesting. I wish I’d finished watching the John Adams documentary on HBO. I guess I’ll do that when I get home.

We then walked across the street to go look at the Liberty Bell. If you haven’t seen the Liberty Bell before, I must say … it’s small! I imagined it was about four times larger than it is. We took lots of pictures, including one of Travis licking the liberty bell (Paul’s request).

After all that fun, we went to find a Philly Cheesesteak for Travis. He had found two he wanted to go to before we left for our trip. Then when we got to the city, he asked everyone he saw where they thought had the best Cheesesteak. Just like finding a pizza place in NYC, everyone had a different answer. We finally decided on Sonny's Famous Steaks. It wasn’t one of the ones he found before we left, but it was one that was recommended by more than one person and it was close to Independence Hall. I knew the sandwich had steak and onions on it (if you want onions, you just say “Philly Cheesesteak with”), but I had no idea that they used cheese whiz! Apparently, you have had a real Philly Cheesesteak unless you’ve had one with cheese whiz. So, Travis got one with steak, onions and peppers with lots of cheese whiz. I got mine with meat and cheese whiz only. I was good, but not that great. I’m not sure why they’re so popular. Guess it’s just a Philly thing!

The last “touristy” thing we did was ride the Duck. It’s this ridiculously looking thing shaped like a duck and it drives on land and in the water. It was fun, but I couldn’t take any good pictures out of the plastic windows. I did get a good one of our driver with a plumber’s crack. A four-year-old little boy told him, “Hey driver, did you know your pants are falling down?” As cold as it was, I thought he’d be able to feel the chill. Guess he was well insulated. ;-)

By the afternoon, I was ready for a nap. So we went back to the hotel. Travis went driving around trying to find landmarks he wanted to see (mainly, the football and baseball stadiums), and I took a nap and a long bath in the Jacuzzi tub (I love that tub!)

We then got ready for our anniversary dinner. Travis found a wonderful restaurant called Moshulu. It’s right on the water. It was so much fun to get dressed up and have a very nice dinner. I took a few pictures, but they don’t do the place justice. If you’re ever in Philly and you want to have a nice dinner, I highly recommend this place.

And the rest of the night was just as wonderful, but I’m not going to blog about that. ;-) Let’s just say, “We lived happily ever after ….”

PS - I have a lot more pictures of the architecture and of us to post, but I am spending time with family and I haven't finished editing them. I have some good ones. I just wanted to upload some of the "funnier" ones. Check facebook tomorrow. :)

(Note: I wrote this yesterday, but didn't get to post it.)

Anniversary Trip | Day Three

2008-11-24T22:03:00.000-06:00

We left the wonderland of Hershey today. I did have one funny story about Hershey that I forgot to add yesterday. When we were getting out of the car to go to the park, we were watching all the "locals" getting out and putting on their hats, golves, scarves and coats. Travis and I couldn't decide how much we should put on. We both had on layers, so we kept going back and forth on whether or not we needed coats, hats, etc. Finally, I decided that my thick sweater (with a long shirt under it) would be enough to keep me warm. When I got out of the car a man turned to his family and said, "See, she's from Maine. She only needs to wear a sweater!" I laughed and said, "Actually, I'm from Dallas. Our rental car is from Maine. We've been watching you and trying to decide if we needed a coat!" It just made me laugh because they were watching to see how many layers we put on because they thought we were from Maine.

So, back to today. We headed towards Philly, but we took the scenic route. We went through Amish country. This part of Pennsylvania is very beautiful. We saw a lot of laundry hanging outside houses; some of the houses were very beautiful. One wouldn't expect to see laundry hanging in the front yard.

We stopped at an Amish Village (very touristy) and passed a man on a buggy, a boy on a skate/bike and a school with Amish kids (see pictures below).

Next we went to Valley Forge and visited the Washington Memorial Chapel. We also went to a used bookstore behind the chapel. I bought two really old books and a book on CD (The Dip by Seth Godin) all for only $6!

Next we went to the Valley Forge Visitor Center and watched a (boring) movie about the revolutionary war in the winter (yawn!). We then drove around Valley Forge, but some of the really good parts we wanted to see were closed for restoration.

Then we made our way into Philly. Right before we got to the heart of the city, we stopped to get gas. An older lady stopped Travis and asked him for directions to The Full Moon Saloon (I'll get back to that in a minute). It's so funny, because we've had at least three people stop us to ask for directions. I guess we look like we know where we're going.

We got to the city. I love Philly. It's a beautiful city full of all kinds of amazing architecture. There's so much history here. There's such a great feeling in this city. We asked our concierge for a good local place to eat. He recommended Portofino (Italian). It was really good. I really wish I had taken my camera. It was a really cool restaurant. The manager was so friendly. He was from Jersey. The owner even came over and gave us his business card and talked to us for a while. He had a very thick Italian accent ... he kinda reminded me of a "godfather" type of guy. They gave us a free dessert with a candle on it for our anniversary. It was very special.

After we were finished eating, we asked one of the waiters if there were any fun places to go on a Monday night. After telling us about every club in the city (man, did he know Philly or what??), we asked him about the The Full Moon Saloon. We had just happened to pass it on the way to the restaurant. Well, he looked at us like we were from Mars. He said, "That's a gay bar! Do you really want to go there?" We just laughed! We told him about the older lady asking for directions to the place. Needless to say, we did not go to the Full Moon Saloon!

We left and started to walk back to the hotel to get our car and stopped at Starbucks and walked through Macy's. We ended the evening by driving around the city in the rain listening to jazz music. It was a perfect ending to a perfect day.

Oh - and we love our hotel (HUGE jacuzzi tub--enough said!) and this area so much that we've decided to stay here an extra night instead of staying in DC. We'll just go to DC on Wednesday. I'll have to post pictures of the view from our hotel suite tomorrow. We have a view on three sides. Our suite just might be larger than our apartment!

Tomorrow is our actual anniversary and we're going to dinner on a boat! I'll blog more tomorrow.

(For all the pictures, check out my facebook page.)

Anniversary Trip | Day Two

2008-11-23T22:12:00.001-06:00

We had a really fun day today. We went to Hershey Park and Hershey Chocolate World. We also met a friend for dinner and saw the "Sweet Lights"—Hershey's version of Christmas lights—with our friend Tom.

All of the roller coasters were closed, but we rode all of the "smaller" rides (some two times in a row!). We also determined that we will not bring a baby to an amusement park, especially when it's below freezing! Every baby we saw was screaming. I guess people up north like to take their babies out in the cold. Who knows.

As cheesy as it sounds, we just really enjoyed spending time together and being in a place that we were experiencing for the first time together. It really doesn't get much better than that. :)

Philly is tomorrow. I'm sure it will be more exciting.

Anniversary Trip | Day One

2008-11-22T22:23:00.000-06:00

Today Travis and I began our 2nd anniversary trip. It's going to be quite an adventure.

We left DFW at 9:30 am and landed in Washington DC at 1:00 pm. We got our car and then started driving towards our first destination, Gettysburg. We got to the museum about 30 minutes before it closed. We spent some time in the gift shop and took a few pictures, but we didn't get to do much more than that. We hadn't eaten all day, so we decided to eat somewhere in Gettysburg. But since Travis wanted to get to the hotel in time to watch the OU/Texas Tech game, we decided to just go somewhere fast and close to the hotel. We ended up at Cracker Barrel (yeah, not so fast). The food wasn't that great, but we were so hungry it didn't matter. We had a fun time.

Now we're at the hotel in Hershey, PA. It's an amazing hotel. We have two rooms: the living room has a fireplace and a flat screen TV. The bedroom is huge with a flat screen TV, and the bathroom is separate. The kitchen is so nice. It's very modern. My design friends at work would LOVE it. It's totally Ikea.

Tomorrow it's Hershey Park and The Chocolate Factory.

For more pictures, check out my Facebook page. I'm having trouble uploading them to the blog.

A Blog

2008-11-18T08:06:00.001-06:00

I'm giving in. I'm starting my blog. Look out world!