Rainy Day Cancellation!

Shall I say the past few days have been a bit of a change from our typical 90+ degree dry summer heat and have transformed into a bit of a monsoon.... or that's the way I'd like to think of my return home last night. Ha! Roads were covered with water as cars came to a standstill and the windshield was barely visible for sight. But we made it home safe and sound.... and a little more damp than we had planned! lol. The picture does not do my clothing justice as my back and pants had been soaked. So our night of taking the pups on a long walk had been changed to a cozy evening at home .... dinner and a "movie." Ok our movie basically meant that we watched a few episodes of America's Got Talent and Top Chef while dinning on a very delicious chicken meal that I put together:) Thanks Steph for the recipe!

What a nice evening at home!!!!... Due to Hurricane Alex, it looks as though we may be spending a few more nights in this coming July 4th weekend as it appears that more rain is headed our direction. So while we may or may not be traveling to College Station this weekend... I am excited for what may come of our rainy day cancellation:)

Love,
Alicia

Tuesday Tidbits.... Q&A Updates!

Well hello there! Hope you are having a wonderful Tuesday! So I've been doing a lot of thinking lately... and for this Tuesday Tidbit post... I've decided it's time for another Q&A Session. And as random as these questions always are... I really do enjoy looking back on them as a fun way to keep up with the times and all that is happening in the lives of the Zellners.

1. How is my infamous Pontiac doing? Knock on wood... (no seriously) my car is running quite well... no random break downs and this week's tape on the windows is holding really well regardless of rain.
2. How are our P90X work out sessions going? To be honest we have not been faithful followers of the P90X and have fallen off the wagon a bit. I blame busy/random outings and too many to do's. Ha! We're hoping to get back in to the swing of things very soon! Maybe our World Vision Marathon/Half running teams will keep us motivated!
3. How is our Apartment search going? Well to be honest we haven't really moved forward with anything as of yet. Our lease ends in September... but figure we'll start looking within the next few weeks just to get a good idea. But it seems that we might be revisiting the North Dallas area again real soon:)
4. Am I team Edward/Jacob? Here's the deal ladies... and gents for that matter. I seem to completely stand alone on this deal when discussing the Twilight series. I am team Edward all the way! Harass me if you will.
5. What is your current job situation? I feel I have finally made some headway and discovered my next step. I couldn't be more relieved. While I will keep this subject to a minimum, I will have to say that it looks like this lady might be hitting the books;) More will be posted soon!
6. How addicted to Chapstick are you really? Well guys today in the middle of a torrential down pour, I ended up on the ground and searched under a car to find the brand new tube I dropped. Let's talk about dedication... and relief. Thank you to the owner of the BMW that did not happen to come outside to his/her car as I was awkwardly searching for lip balm. Ha... and yes this really happened.
7. Why are you not a fan of milk? I keep coming back to this... why must I love this calcium filled enrichment? Well guys... milk has not been doing this body good. I have felt horrible as of late... and may truly be lactose intolerant. I guess it is time to suck it up and try some soy milk or even Silk. Does anyone have suggestions?
8. What upcoming activities do you have planned? Red, White, & Blue Pot Luck Lunch (at work), Weekend day trip to College Station (our 1 year engagiversary:), The Brushwood Good-bye Bash:( Cavalier's Show, ABF Ranger's Game, Danny & Jessica's Wedding, Daniela's bachelorette in Austin, The Cox Wedding... and many many more!
9. What is your favorite food/snack? First of all can you tell I'm hungry if I'm writing about food...?!?! Currently I have been loving food probably a little more than I should but I would have to say my favorite foods/snacks are... anything with cheese including queso, sliced, laughing cow wedges, the kind in the can... really any cheese.... and of course all things mexican food is my fav!
10. What are your favorite summer shows? Well the summer has been a difficult time for shows. I've been missing all of my usual faves... so I've really gotten into a few random ones but they are still pretty great including Top Chef... yes my friends... it is currently playing this summer as well as a show on Mondays called Persons Unknown. I of course still watch reruns of SVU, How I Met Your Mother, Snapped, and lifetime. Again thank goodness for DVR!

Well I guess 10 is good for now... more tidbits to come:)

Love,
Alicia

Red, White, & Blue Pot Luck Lunch

I am super excited! This Friday my office will be hosting its annual Red, White, & Blue Bash!
... or more commonly known as our typical themed holiday pot luck lunch! It is a time where we bring our favorite breakfast/lunch/dessert treats to the office for everyone to enjoy! Plus we are asking for everyone to adorn himself/herself in America's favorite colors and to help make this a party of historic measure! What could be more fun than that?

So with that in mind... what fun activities do you have planned for this July 4th weekend? While nothing is officially set in stone for our July 4th, we are both excited for our random day trip to College Station this weekend for our one year engagiversary:)...



While it will be about a three hour drive, I absolutely cannot wait to enjoy any and all Aggie traditions and eateries. I have my heart set on some Rosas, Fazolis, Blue Baker, and Potato Shack to just name a few... is it sad I'm super excited about the food options?!? Ha. I also would love to just enjoy all the newness of the town and see what this year has in store for good ole' A&M.... Plus I would love to have a new Aggie Shirt:) Anyway I wish you a wonderful week ahead of us and look forward to hearing about all the July 4th funtivities to be had! Once a decision has been made about what to do for our July 4th... more pics and posts will be created shortly:)

Love,
Alicia

Days of Play: Go USA, Fort Worth Funtivities, Pups in Polka Dots, & Updates!

Lunch Date in Dallas

This past Thursday, Kristin and Bryson met me at work for a fun lunch date in Dallas. We dinned at OTB and boy was it tastey. What a special time with such sweet friends. Bryson has gotten to be such a big boy. He's so inquisitive and sure had most of the wait staff making sweet faces in his direction as well as commenting about how big he was for being six months old. He even got his very own kids menu with crayons. It might be a bit early... but such a sweet touch. Kristin thank you for such a fun day. I always love catching up with you and your sweet family. Cannot wait to do it again soon:) You both sure made my day!!!

Weekend Updates:
This past Friday night began with a quiet evening at home. While I was not a fan, it was definitely time to catch up on some grown up duties including... cleaning and tons of laundry! But it was ok because Saturday was right around the corner and would soon bring a few planned funtivities in Fort Worth.

Pups in Polka Dots!

Saturday morning while Ray and Michael were busy completing their monthly half marathon at White Rock, (Yes in the 90+ degree summer heat), I stayed home with the pups. We definitely enjoyed some puppy play time... and of course a small trip outside... when I returned, I realized that Mattie must have gotten in a ton of mud as she tried to clean it right on the couch... nope... it was bath time! So what is a furbaby mama to do?... take tons of pictures of course! Ha!

The many sleepy faces of Toby!

Sweet girl after her bath!

Early Saturday afternoon when Ray returned from his run, we quickly got ready for our day trip to Fort Worth. What a trooper my husband is. I couldn't imagine running 13.1 miles then spending a day walking around outside to enjoy city sites. At noon we had arrived in Fort Worth.

Fort Worth Funtivities

We watched the USA Soccer Game
at the Flying Saucer!

Enjoying some drinks!

Ray watching the game & celebrating good times!

Dinned on bar food! They definitely had some very yummy
chicken nachos! (Boy were they hot. Ha!)

After a good yet a sadly disappointing game... we left the Saucer and headed over to Schakolad Chocolate Factory! What an amazing place! They had so many different types of fudge and chocolate covered treats. So for dessert we ordered a few including the chocolate covered cheesecake, chocolate pretzel, and chocolate champagne truffle. I would highly recommend them all (especially the chocolate covered cheesecake... yum!)

After dessert we then headed around down town Fort Worth!

Beautiful Fountains!

Tarrant County Court House

Historic Building

Down Town streets of Fort Worth,TX

The Zellner exploring the city!

Fort Worth Stockyards!

This weekend was definitely filled with fun summer activities. I have loved soaking in the extra time, spending wonderful time with friends, and planning fun day trips to wherever. Life is absolutely an adventure and while each day may take its own course... it's fun having loved ones to travel with! I wish you all such a wonderful summer and upcoming 4th of July Holiday! What are some of your fun in the sun activities?

Sprouting Roots!

Look at our spices!!! Well we are doing something truly amazing with our chives... but it looks like some of the others might be taking the back seat. Our basil has officially started to root as well as some other minor changes are occurring with our oregano and cilantro. More updates to come... but first a bigger pot might be necessary! Ha!

On Sunday, we had such a great time with our ABF at the Heights Baptist Church. I absolutely missed all of our sweet friends. After an amazing service, a large group met up at Freebirds for some tasty food and catch up of course for our last Sunday lunch! It was such a great time to see everyone. I absolutely look forward to many more ABF activities... speaking of activities... our ABF will be attending a Rangers game in late July. Looking forward to many more posts and pics to come:)

I hope you have enjoyed the weekend updates! Have such a wonderful start to your week and I look forward to catching up with you as always:)

Love,
Alicia

Upcoming Summer Activities

So let me tell you... Ray and I have been a bit busy the last several months. We have enjoyed so many wonderful activities from weddings, birthdays, weekday outings, to fun nights at home with our little fam of four! So on this Thoughtful Thursday- Upcoming Summer Activities post... I figured I should do just that... tell you about a few fun things that we are looking forward to:)

This afternoon Kristin and baby Bryson will be meeting me in Uptown for a fun lunch date.

This is the super cute little man that I get to spend some great catch up time with as well as his amazing mother:) More pictures will have to be posted of our outing together!

Tonight, Ray and I will be attending a free dress rehearsal and practice for Vocal Majority, a men's barbershop choir, that will be soon leaving for national's within the next week. We will be there to support a few sweet friends form our ABF at church.

Update: What an amazing performance given by the Vocal Majority this Thursday evening. Here is a picture of VM at their Dress Rehearsal at the Eiseman Performance Center in Richardson. To Chase and Trent... we wish you all the luck in the world for the upcoming competition in Philly this next weekend. Going for Gold No. 12!

Within the next few months, I am happy to say that we will have some wonderful time to relax and catch up on our normal activities. I have absolutely missed being able to attend many of our ABF's monthly functions due to the fact that I've been out of town so much lately. It will be nice to catch up with sweet friends and relax at home. What are some fun activities you are looking forward to this summer?

Love,
Alicia

Long Road....

It is Thursday.... and while I usually sound surprisingly upbeat... which I am or at least work at being... I just have to say that this morning was a little bit more difficult than others. I found myself in bed, wrapped tightly with covers, and pretty much refusing to leave until the absolute last moment possible. I guess that is a lot of us though so I'm not too worried. Ha! I've just been having some of "those days" lately which has been pretty hard to shake off as of late. I mean things at home are amazing!!! I love seeing my husband, kiddos, and friends. They make each day so wonderful whether it is a night in or a night on the town. I owe some pretty awesome experiences to those around me. I think for me I'm kind of fighting an inner battle right now. One that I honestly am constantly praying for patience and for a level head. I think that sometimes it is nice to be reminded that we all in some form or fashion fight daily demons... so I'm definitely not alone. It has just been so difficult to not include this in my daily blog as you know I do truly write about almost everything.... just sadly I can't say exactly how I feel.... so I'll do my best. Since the beginning of this year I was given an opportunity... and even after promises were made, everything changed. I feel day in day out a sense of pressure and frustration. I know this is not where I'm meant to be in life and am really trying to figure out what path to take. I know in years to come this will merely be a stepping stone to where I'll end up... and I know the journey is not supposed to be easy... but I'm human and I feel every inch of it along the way. So I guess this is one of those blah moments... where it is so great to just put it down... so while it may be a long road ahead... I'm super hopeful and know that this too shall pass:) I guess you read a little bit of the frustrations on my previous Forrest Gump post! Ha! That was sure a day:) Well I had the intention of writing about some fun upcoming activities... but just don't feel that this is the post to do them... so do expect some fun updates to be coming shortly!

Love,
Alicia

Humperdink Happenings & Fam Photo Shoot!

This past Tuesday a group of friends met up at Humperdinks in Addison for some fun friendly hangout. It was a time of great friends, great fun, and tasty $2.99 drink specials. Here's to more Tuesday Specials:)

When we returned home, another family photo session was underway... or shall I say another attempt at a pic of our cute fam of four. We've done everything to get both pups to sit still and pose... but typically that's not their idea of fun. So I did what I could think of from bribing them with treats, including their favorite toys, and even the let me just hold you option... but still this is what we got. And regardless I think they are cute and always have a great amount of character! (Now please watch how Mattie is going for her toy... then the next pic shows Toby taking the toy which she was not too thrilled about... and then finally Mattie was just excited about treat options... HA!)

To my amazing husband who puts up with my family photo session attempts and understands the obsession with countless photos for blogging purposes.... I salute you love for all that you allow me to do:)

To fellow bloggers... I hope you have an amazing week and enjoy all the fun activities planned as well as some of the random moments with those you love. It is sometimes what is unexpected or unplanned that can really be the most fun!

Love,
Alicia

Forrest Gump Says it Best!

So I could honestly go on and on about this subject and even throw in a few more interesting lines of famous movie quotes... but I got to say that I think Forrest Gump says it best!

Now please don't get me wrong! I do agree that we all have our moments, but if I could only tell you of some of the classic ones I've received today... I'm sure you might agree. So sadly while I will bite my tongue, continue to put a smile on my face (as fake as it can be)... I will continue this day until that clock reads the exact number I've been hoping for and will return to normalcy (as I know it anyway). Ha! So thank you for attending my small vent session

Love,
Alicia

...Does a Body Good!

They typically say... "Milk does a body good" and that is definitely a proven fact... but there are so many things we can do to take care of our bodies.

I have honestly become so lazy over the past few weeks... months even. My goal was to be beach body ready for our Family Vacation to Panama City Beach, FL.... but then what? Each day I return home from work, put on comfy clothes, sit on the couch, and watch hours of television. I was good if I was getting in a walk with the hubs and pups. But I have to do something. Sunday night after Ray's meeting at the church, we began to discuss how we really wanted to focus our efforts and live a very happy and healthy lifestyle. But I will tell you drinking several cokes and snacking all day was not going to cut it for me. So we will once again have to get back on the work out wagon and truly make a lifestyle change if we want to have any results. So again, yesterday was officially day one. I know. We're back to this. I feel like I've been coming back to this same place... knowing that I don't feel healthy and realizing that I have to do something about it. But I'll work out for a few weeks and then get lazy again. So we're going to motivate each other. I think training for Team World Vision will be the additional push we need! So as of Monday I have decided to give it up... well as much as physically possible. I'm going to stay away from sodas and extra sugary drinks and trade them in for more of this...

On Monday I had a total of 5 water bottles to drink for the day. I was amazed. From a person who hated the taste of water to one that feels she can't get enough... Also if you are like me and are typically not a fan... try adding mixes. You can purchase mixes from any grocery store and really do transform the taste of your water.... and in regards to working out... boy am I out of shape. But I felt good afterwards. We worked out for about 45 minutes. I have never sweat so much... well I'm sure at one point or another I have... but it's sure been a while since I had. Then after dinner we took the pups for a walk as well.

So anyway with this in mind I'm saying good-bye sweets! I will do my best to put you out of my mind and focus on what food really should be... fuel! But we're all human. We of course want that fuel to taste good! For more information on tasty food that will not dip the scale view Eat This Not That options here. I'll keep you posted on our efforts!

Love,
Alicia

6 Months & Growing:)

I have to give a shout out to this absolutely adorable little man who has turned 6 months old today! Byrson, I cannot believe how much you've grown and continue to grow daily. You are such a wonderful little boy and I absolutely look forward to seeing your sweet face very soon:)

Love,
Alicia

Dallas White Rock World Vision Team!

This past Sunday, Ray went to a meeting at The Heights to look into a marathon team that was being put together to support an amazing charity. Team World Vision will be racing on December 5, 2010 at the Dallas White Rock Marathon. All donations will be raised to support World Vision and their efforts in Uganda to change the lives of the children and their community.

Here is the information provided:

Dallas White Rock
December 5th 2010

Why Should I Run?
Through this spiritual and physical life-changing experience you will be stretched beyond your comfort zone and in the process will... help more children by providing the right resources for a sustainable impact for children and their communities and you will be the voice for the poor by being in partnership with the poor and leveraging your influence as an effective agent for change to tackle the root causes of poverty and injustice.

What Do I Do?
1. Register with Team World Vision! (You make your own web page)
2. Click the link and register with White Rock!
3. Order your shirt, cause they are cool and cool!
4. Start Training and Raising donations for those in need!

How Do I Find Out Information?
Everything is online- sign up, training, and web donation pages...

Web- www.teamworldvision.org/Dallas
Meetup.com- www.meetup.com/twvdallas
Facebook- Dallas, TX- Team World Vision
Email- You will receive weekly emails from Team World Vision encouraging you during your training and to inform you of race information.

Key Dates:
July 10th: Dallas Run On at Mockingbird and 75
August 2nd: official Full Marathon training begins
August 2nd: Base Half Marathon training begins
August 7th: Group runs start at 6AM at White Rock Lake
September 13th: Official Half Marathon training begins
October 24th: 5 Mile Training race with 13.1 Us Road Sports
December 5th: Race Day

It's amazing how God can speak to us in so many different ways. Many of you may have read that I've been really feeling the need to complete another half or even a full (this would be my ultimate dream) and what could be better than to run for not only myself but for something that is absolutely bigger than me and bigger than I could ever imagine. Both Ray and I are looking forward to participating in such an amazing cause. I will have to keep you posted on the upcoming activities. And if this is something that tugs at your heart as much as ours... feel free to join us. There are numerous ways to participate. Join us as a runner or give a donation! Again our information/donation pages will be put up shortly... so please feel free to take a look and do something that is greater than you!

PS. I simply loved this picture... and while it is definitely a thought that may go through your head... you know you are running for something more!

RUN A RACE. CHANGE LIVES IN AFRICA.

Love,
Alicia