Diesel and Chloe

So I finally had that chance to meet my first blog friend.  I am sad that we did not take a picture together... but did get some of our sweet dogs playing...kind of.  

We went to the Dog Park for Chloe's 2nd birthday

Go say HI to Erin for me......she is having a baby girl soon!

  Look, Chloe is shaking hands!

  And now she is kissing.. they move so fast you know?

I am sad that I did not get more pictures.

More ice storm fun

Here are a few pictures of our ice storm.... I also hope you enjoy the video of John and coconut.  He went to the grocery store with me and I never know what we will leave with.. this time, it was a coconut.  So what do you do when you are iced in.... I guess play with a coconut.

 As you can see, it went as planned.  

We did get some milk out the next time around...can't seem to load the video.   Did you know that Coconut  milk is gross warm... and a little less gross cold?

P90X preview

So here is absolutely ridiculous video of John and me.... (more ridiculous of me)  working out on day 14.  Everyday we move the furniture out of the way and make our dog sit on the couch while we dance around.  I enjoy days when we could do the workout together.  Most of the time, I do it while John is at work and he does it whenever he can.  Some days, we  have to do it separately because we have only one set of weights.  

The program is good and I will explain more about it in the 30 day update.  (They tell us to take pictures every 30 days).

Day 14 is called Kenpo X  which is like kickboxing and karate combined. This is my least favorite day because, well- I can't do it right. 

Here is Tony Horton who leads all the videos.... John likes him because he reminds him of a good friend of his.....Crazy.   

Okay... I can't believe I am posting this.....

  Oh goodness!  What makes the video even more silly, is that we turned the music off so it would not be so loud in this video... 

There is music on the P90X video, but John likes to use his own music.  There is option to turn P90x music off and just hear the work out cues... pretty cool...except when you are making a personal video like this one.   Enjoy laughing at us!

THE STORM OF THE CENTURY.......AGAIN!!!

  We woke up this morning to what I thought was a little bit of snow but was actually ICE piling up.  Crazy!  John of course had to go in to save the world.  Thankfully, even though my job is up there on the Glamour scale....it was cancelled...and maybe for two days!  STORM OF THE CENTURY!!!!

It's just to bad that I can't run outside.. man I REALLY wanted to do that!  :-)

I will just have to sit inside with my cup of hot chocolate.....and clean the house.....mmm, maybe I will run.

P90X

So we bought it..... I have been watching this infomercial for at least a year now.  I am a big sucker for infomercials.  I think in my life time I have fallen for the ploy maybe once....I can't remember what it was.... I think I was by myself at home and I took my moms CC and ordered something. (Mom did you know this?) 

Anyway....we bought THE P90X! For those of you who do not know about this program, let me splain.  It is 90 days of intense Muscle Confusion......do I sound like them?  Anyway, It comes with a nutrition plan for those who have their own personal chef and a gazillion dollars.  But, I figure if I am at least do something.... I am heading in the right direction.  

I will post from time to time how we are doing.  Don't think that I am about to post my before picture.  If the program works I might....MIGHT post a before picture.  

I do have goals:

1) I have lost muscle from not dancing everyday....rebuild my muscles.

2) Get in good running shape for the half marathon in April.

3) John and I are taking pictures in March with our wedding photographer......I don't want to look far off from the wedding weight pictures......unless it is better! 

4) Actually see if I can push myself and not be lazy.

5) Get back into some kind of Climbing shape.

We started the program on January 14Th so we will be RIPPED (yea right) by the middle of April?????  Oh goodness.

Anyone else have any goals for fitness? 

It was so cold......

That they closed the schools!  

Not cold AND rainy... not cold AND the roads were impossible to drive on... JUST PLAIN COLD! 

Tonight it will get down to -3 and tomorrow the high is 14....with some wind which I am sure FEELS like -100!

Watch this video... maybe it will be cold enough to do this.  I really like the kids reaction in the background.  It takes a while... but fast forward it.  :-)

This actually happened to me with a bottle of water in the car.  It had been in the car over night, I went to open it the next morning, and it froze on me!  

Planet Earth

John and I have been enjoying watching the show Planet Earth. We record it...or DVR it every Sunday night when it comes on the Discovery Channel. We find ourselves turning out the lights, turning up the volume and loosing ourselves in awesome panoramic views of places I will never go. We sometimes look at each other and ask, "Are we still cool because we are watching this and actually learning something?" We say yes, but I think we are okay with knowing that this question no longer matters in life.
----This is what non-cool people say.---

Anyway, if you have not seen it, it is worth watching. It reminds me of how creative my God is. How many random creatures can He create to live in a cave...in sulfuric acid....some with no with no eyes???  Crazy!

Has anyone seen any episodes?  Which is your favorite? 

Happy Birthday MOM!

Love you!

"Yellow," "Red," "Red," "Yellow"

These were the words repeated by John and I as we guided Jim and Yvonne (IN-laws) through their first game of Guitar Hero World Tour.  They were reluctant at first, but I know they had fun.

"This is fun!"  JIM

See- they had fun.  Here are some pictures of John explaining some basic Wii instructions, one of them learning what how to hold the remote, and some actual playing time photos.  They are playing as I blog...I just cold not wait....and yes.....John is wearing Wii PJ pants.  Thanks MOM!

  

The Most wonderful family

I just had to show off my wonderful family.....well, part of them. My brother and sister-inlaw have three children who are actually as kind and loving as they are cute

Please enjoy the video.... of the best dancing boy I have ever seen.

You can also see this on her awesome blog...The Secret Life of Kat.

Only 364 days until Christmas!

 Ahh, our sweet dog letting us know how he really feels about wearing my scarf.

What a wonderful Christmas this year!  John and I had a great time spending our second married Christmas together.  I was very thankful that he had Christmas day off and we even got a surprise day from his boss to have off tomorrow!

This last week has been full of memories.  This past Monday, I had 3 of the 5 Northrip family members over to bake from scratch some sugar cookie cut outs...in our pj's.

I wanted to make them for my mom  who came into town today.  The best part.....I used Saudi Arabian cookie cutters given to me by my dad.  He used to live there and I guess he  thought I would use them.  That was 10 years ago....  Anyhow- they consisted of a very Christmas like sword ( which when baked looked like an alligator), palm tree, genie lamp, and camel.  

We also had some pan cake cut outs given to me by my mother in law.  Very cute.

The whole thing started because my mother gave me an actual Christmas cookie cutter but it was too thin and did not work.  And since I hosted a little party, I had to come up with something else.  So, Saudi and Pan cake cutters would have to suffice.  

 As you can see, some of the cookies were pre-school quality.  I now remember why I don't do this cookie decorating thing.....because I can't!

Christmas day was mucho fun-o too!

John and I had a great slow morning just the two of us.  We made waffles and opened our gifts together.  We listened to a Christmas poem from John Piper. TEARS.  It was about Christ and the sacrifice that he was to us and how it all started at his birth.  John listens to it every year and it is becoming our tradition now.  

We then enjoyed chatting with our family on SKYPE.  I love technology because I got to open my presents from certain family members in front of them through video.  

I talked to my dad and younger brother in Moldova (near Russia), I talked to my extended family in Odessa TX, Haslet TX and my brother and family in Brownsville TX.  It was awesome!  It helps me out a lot because I miss them so much and I was not able to go visit them this year. 

Our Diesel dog also had a great Christmas.

Here are some cute pics of our sweet puppy and all of the fun goodies for him.  He was so excited.  He got Christmas breakfast and was very spoiled by the plethora of toys.

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He did receive a special HEMP toy that is supposed to be okay for him if he digests it.  AND HE DOES!  We think he is addicted to Marijuana because when we take the toy away from him he goes crazy looking for it.  Anyway, here is his reindeer toy and how Diesel destroyed some of it in 5 mins. It's throwing up.  :-)

I also wanted to share the lovely night gown that my mother gave me.  John thinks it is the hottest thing ever.  :-)

  

I hope everyone had a wonderful time with friends and family.   my sweet mom came to visit us for Christmas.  I am so thankful that she came!

I've been replaced.

What can I do?  I mean, he is cuter.  He is sweeter....a better listener, sometimes he smells better, he is always happy when I am home.  I feel safe with him,he is obedient, he does what I tell him...sometimes.  I guess I can handle being replaced.

Diesel has replaced me with my Husband.

Rebekah Wiggins

This is for my very best friend while I was growing up. Today is her 30Th birthday and I wanted everyone to know how wonderful she is.
SHE IS WONDERFUL.

She is married and has two beautiful children...who look just like her. Now that we live in separate places and clearly have different lives, we find ourselves talking to one another maybe once every few months. But like everyone says...."we pick up talking like it was yesterday."

But with Rebekah, the only thing our conversation leads to is Jesus.
When we lived across the street from each other growing up, we would play everyday. She was my first friend at 4 years old. I remember...I was riding my three wheeler- Cabbage Patch.

Not sure how the conversation started, but it has yet to end. She was the first person to ever ask me if I wanted Jesus in my heart. I did not understand at the time, but what she said to me that day began the process of me coming to know the Lord.

Wow! Rebekah, you did a pretty important thing and I am thankful.

I know she is raising her children to be the same way...just read her blog and you will see her desires to serve her family and the Lord.
I wish I could find some old pictures of because I have a ton... but here is one showing her true friendship.

She is the pregnant one to the far left jumping (kinda).....isn't she so cute?

If you want to- go say Happy Birthday to her and maybe you will make a great friend like I did.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY REBEKAH!.

Winter Wonderland

Diesel woke us up this morning at 3:30am. He was hungry apparently. I was very tired until I opened the back door to see the entire backyard covered in 2 inches of snow. SO FUN! I had to shove Diesel out because he is scared so easily by new things.

Now is was 4am and of course I was wide awake. I got online to see about school closing and to see if the roads were bad. I went and told John that he might want to leave earlier for work, (yikes) to be safe. When you have his job, if you can not get to work, they send the police or someone to come and get you.... to bring you to work. (just thought I would clarify.)

Anyway- the county I live closed it's schools so now I am waiting to see if my work is cancelled. They usually go by what the schools do, but by the time the afternoon rolls around, the streets are fine. BUT- by the time I leave the studio- it is bad again and I don't like driving home at night in all of it.

My friend called me to see if I wanted to go Christmas shopping this morning but I had to inform her that I was grounded until this afternoon to let the roads get a chance to warm up. She said that she learn to drive in these conditions and really she was only concerened about those crazy people that don't know how to drive in it. UM? That would be me.

She is from Ohio... I am from Texas.

ONe more thing. This is so immature I am sorry. One of the funniest things about Diesel and this snow.......yellow snow.
Man, it really looks like a lemon snow cone. :-)

Anyway, DON'T EAT IT!

By the way.. no work tonight. And my friend from Ohio came over and we ate dinner here.

Christmas Sweater Party

Well we had our Ugly Christmas sweater party last Saturday night for all of our friends at our church.   IT was so much fun.  We had about 35 people there and they all got dressed up in their ugliest sweaters.  Some of them were not that ugly but some of them were pretty bad. 

 

 John and I made a Turduckhen... well, we ordered it and then cooked it.  Turduckhen is a de-boned chicken, wrapped in a de-boned duck, then wrapped in a de-boned turkey all stuffed with cornbread stuffing and pork rice.  It was yummy.  I forgot to take a picture.  :-(

But here are some other photos for your enjoyment.
  The Winner- his grandmother was in town and actually got it out of her closet before he came.  he won because it was an original still in use.
  The men
  The Ladies
 The Chocolate fountain I purchased on e-bay for $15.