Top Ten Tuesday is BACK!

In lieu of the Thanksgiving holiday this week, I am dedicating my list to the Ten Random Things I am Thankful For. I’m going to steer away from the generic list of things like family and friends because hopefully they already know how thankful I am for them. Also, notice how “top” was taken out of the title? That’s because this list is not necessarily a “top ten” of things, just a few things I am extremely thankful for. Here it goes…

Ten Random Things I am Thankful For

10. Chapstick – Yes, it’s making its second appearance in the series. That’s how important it is to me. So, thank you chapstick for keeping my lips feel moisturized year around!


9. Katy Kress – Thank you Katy for opening a dance studio and starting an adult dance class! The class has been the best therapy I have ever paid for.


8. Target – Thank you Target for allowing me to purchase shoes and clothes that are fashionable, yet still affordable.


7. 6” Roast beef and cheddar on wheat from Subway – Thank you sandwich for being the best dinner option when I need something filling and without a ton of Weight Watchers points.


6. Jack FM – Thank you Jack FM for playing music I can sing along with at work and not be embarrassed of the lyrics. You help me keep my sanity on those long days, and for that I am forever grateful!


5. Random Lady at Pitt Memorial Hospital – Thank you random lady for telling me I looked like I just had a baby, because of you I will remain on my diet this Thanksgiving and not gorge myself on unneeded calories


4. Koozie- Thank you dear Koozie for keeping all my beverages ice cold. It’s because of you I am able to enjoy my Coke Zero with Zero for hours after I have opened the can. Thanks a million!


3. Facebook (yes, I went there) – Thank you Facebook for allowing me to reconnect or stay connected with family and friends all around the country and the world. With your notifications I am able to cyber stalk from a far and still feel somewhat involved in the lives’ of old friends that I haven’t spoken to in years. Thank you for making me sound a little creepy…


2. DVR – Oh I sound like a dork, but whatever. Thank you DVR for keeping me in the loop with all my shows. Because of you I am able to live my life worry free from missing an episode of The Mentalist or Biggest Loser. You’re a lifesaver!


1. The Bible – Thank you for being there to answer all life’s questions when no one else could.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! In all seriousness, I am thankful for all the amazing people I have been blessed with in my life. I wish everyone a great holiday!

These are the best days of my life...

I know I am totally slacking on this blog. I promise I will do better; just been a little busy lately! Top Ten Tuesday will return next week I promise!

I want to start with updating everyone on what’s going on with my sister. Jaclyn delivered Adrianne Paige Rubin Smith (Rubin is the father’s last name and a “silent” middle name) on Friday the 13th a little after 1 p.m.

The delivery happened extremely fast. When I got there (around 11:00 a.m.) she was dilated to a 5. She thought she needed to use the restroom so she kicked us all out of the room. Turns out she didn’t need to go to the bathroom at all, she needed to have a baby! Within 30 minutes she had completely dilated and it happened so fast they didn’t even have time to move her to a delivery room. The nurse had to run to the cafeteria to get the father, my mom and me and we took off running towards the room. Of course only the father was allowed in, but I impatiently waited in the waiting room. I called our other sister Tamara to tell her the good news, and she had the audacity to put me on hold to order Taco Bell! (I’m never going to let her live that one down) Literally not even 5 minutes later we received a picture mail of the new family member. After only three pushes, Adrianne entered the world at 32.4 weeks weighing a grand total of 3 lbs and 2 oz and 15 ½ inches long, and to me was the most beautiful niece a girl could ask for! Yes, I was the only goober in the waiting room that cried when I saw the picture, but I was overwhelmed with emotion, partly because that beautiful baby girl is my niece and secondly holy wow, my little sister just became a mom!

I spent the next three days playing my sister’s nurse and earning the title of “Breast Pump Queen.” I loved it because I got special moments with my sister and Adrianne that no one else got to experience. I was the one who wheeled Jaclyn down to see Adrianne for the first time, and I was the one that got to watch her hold her for the first time (well, it took a little persuasion to the nurse on my part for the hold to even happen).
My favorite part was what I called my “midnight visits.” As soon as Jaclyn would fall asleep (which was after midnight most of the time) I would sneak down to the Neonatal ICU and spend alone time with Adrianne. I would pray with her, give her “auntly” advice, rub her tiny feet and let her hold my finger. Those seriously were some of the best times I have ever experienced in my life. No matter how tired I was, how much I hated the cafeteria food or even how uncomfortable the vinyl chair was that became my bed, I would not have changed a moment for anything in the world.

Of course this is just some tidbits of all that happened this past weekend but I wanted everyone to know that mom and baby are doing well! Jaclyn has been having some problems but they seem to be better and she hopes to be discharged today. She will be staying at the Ronald McDonald House for a while to be close to Adrianne while she is still in the hospital. Adrianne is definitely a little fighter. She was off the ventilator in less than 12 hours and breathing on her own. That’s outstanding for a premie! Everyday she keeps getting better so hopefully she will be discharged sooner than expected. They originally said she would be in the hospital for a month, but we can only hope for less since her progress is amazing.

Ok, another update on my other sister Tamara. She went to the doctor yesterday and just like I predicted she’s having…..A BOY! Franklin Riley (as seen in the photo directly above) is due in February and I am so ready to meet him. The name Franklin is in memory of the father’s brother who passed away and Riley is after our amazing step-dad. Let the countdown to February begin…

I want to say “thank you” to everyone for all the thoughts and prayers. Power of prayer is awesome and I can say it was felt by all of my family this past weekend.

Adrianne's Coming

We thought Jaclyn had gotten better and we were going to get to hold off on the delivery for a while, but God has a different plan. After a Jaclyn's blood pressure went back up and she started having chest pains, they decided to do a stress test on the baby. It was determined Adrianne would have better chances outside the womb. They have began inducing her for labor and we expect tiny Adrianne to be here sometime tomorrow. Please keep the prayers flowing becasue Jaclyn, Adrianne, our family,  and everyone involved need them dearly! Thanks for the support so far! Jaclyn is amazingly strong and I just hope Adrianne inherited a little bit of that to fight her way through....

Top Ten Tuesday Postponed

Hello readers. Usually I would be posting a top ten list for my weekly edition of Top Ten Tuesday but today I will be unable to do so. My mom called this morning to tell me my sister Jaclyn was in the hospital. I had mentioned her pregnacy in an earlier post and how excited I am to meet Adrianne. Well as I type this, Jaclyn is being transported by ambulance to a hospital in a city near by to the Air Force base where she is stationed. Turns out she has developed preclampsia and they will be delievering Adrianne sooner than expected. Adrianne is currently 32 weeks old and weighs approximately 3 pounds. So, today I am asking for prayers for Jaclyn and Adrianne during this time, as well as, my family as we all hope for the best. I am trying to arrange to be there Friday through Sunday  and the anxiety is overwhelming.

Weekend Recap

This weekend was pretty uneventful, which was just what the doctor ordered. I had a really bad day Friday, so Zac treated me to dinner at the new restaurant in town, The Landing. Since I had to weigh-in Saturday morning, I resisted the temptation of trying the cheeseburger and stuck with grilled chicken, but the food, atmosphere, and conversation was a nice end to a crappy day. Zac may not always be the best boyfriend, but he is good helping me through rough times.



Saturday started out pretty great with my weight loss that I spoke about in my last post. Well to celebrate, I not only treated myself to a mani and pedi, but I bought a couple new pairs of shoes. Hey, could you resist Kenneth Cole and Vans for 19.99? I think not! Saturday consisted mostly of spending as much time as possible with Izie. I brought her home from being spayed Saturday morning still in a lot of pain and super groggy. I thought she hated me because it took her forever to come to me, but she is back to herself and the love is still there. I actually enjoyed spending the evening chilling with my dogs and Zac. Plus, it was cheaper since I had already spent so much money on my celebration.


Sunday consisted of worship at The Edge and laundry. What an uplifting day right? Oh wait, I made these awesome grilled chicken and black bean nachos. They were amazing and low fat! I also had a great conversation with my friend Christina Joyce-Wilson. She provided me some great food-for-thought. She’s great at that! She’s the friend you call when you need guidance because she is going to tell you what you NEED to hear not just what you want to hear. I aim to be more like her!


This weekend was really low key and just what I needed to do some soul searching that was overdue. This morning I woke with some clarity and reassurance that it’s all going to be ok. The power of a great support system and prayer really do a body good.

Celebrate good times...come on!

Ok, so I am so excited I have to share it! Today was my weigh-in day at Weight Watchers and I am happy to say I have lost 20.6 pounds! This is a huge milestone for me and I can't wait to continue and see how far I can go. I treated myself to a mani and pedi to celebrate. 20 more and I get a facial! Talk about motivated; facial here I come!

Who would you write letters to?

   With all the horrific stories in the news these days, especially in Lake Charles (don’t believe me, check out this), I was glad to come across this story yesterday...
   A little girl named Elena was diagnosed pediatric brain cancer just days before her 6th birthday. The doctors only gave her 135 days to live, and even though she surpassed their expectations and lived 255 days, there is something more that makes Elena’s story special. Its obvious to me Elena must have been wise for her age and realized the importance of her final days unlike most 6-year-olds, that I imagine, would be traumatized and not able to grasp the reality of the situation. When I was six I was playing with Barbies and planning performances for my Fisher Price microphone and not worried about anything too serious, especially something like death. Elena on the other hand, was an extraordinary person, not child, PERSON. When Elena received the news she took it upon herself to write notes and draw pictures for her mom, dad and sister, Gracie. What did she do with these? She hid them. She hid them all around the family’s home in random places. Notes were between books, in drawers, briefcases and all over. So when Elena was gone, the family started to find these notes of comfort that she knew she would be ok, and that she loved them. The notes were also left as memories for her little sister to have. Since Gracie was younger than Elena, the notes are all she has as the link between the two. I have definitely shortened the story, so to check out the article in full detail click here. The parents have combined all the notes into a book they will be selling with proceeds benefiting the charity the family started in memorial of Elena, The Cure Starts Now.
Not only did this story make me think about what an amazing person God had created in Elena, but it had me thinking deeper. If tomorrow came, and I was told I had 135 days to live, who would I write notes to? Will I have successfully assured my loved ones that I am going to be ok and I love them? It’s amazing that a 6-year-old had the ability to do so, and here I am as a 25-year-old unsure if I have prepared the same comfort for those close to me.
   I would like to personally say, “thank you” to Elena. Because of her story, I am going to make more of an effort to show all people my gratitude and love. Why should I wait until I am gone? Reality is we all aren’t told our expiration date on earth, we’re not all allowed the preparation like Elena to write notes, so live each day with appreciation and start writing your notes today. Tomorrow could be too late…

Some of Elena's notes left behind:

Top Ten Tuesday-A Day Late

Since I have been sick the past few days, I didn’t get to do Top Ten Tuesday yesterday. So, I will do it today. I know it’s not politically correct, put I make my blog rules.

By the way, I am starting to feel better. No more fever for now, which is good. I had forgotten how weird fever makes you feel. I have an appointment to with an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist to discuss my constant ear problems and the hearing loss associated with the numerous ear infections. Hopefully there will be some sort of relief in that area.

Since I was home yesterday sick, I was able to catch up on some old shows and check out some new ones. That is why this week I present:

Top Ten Shows to Watch When Home Sick

10. 18 Kids and Counting on TLC – I think its 19 kids now, but I lose count. The amazing part of this show is the fact that this family lives debt free. It’s interesting to watch all the family interactions and to see how they operate. Interesting…


9. Parking Wars on A&E – This show documents the lives of Parking Enforcement Officers in cities like Pittsburg. It’s amazing to watch how upset some people get over a parking ticket.


8. Top Chef on Bravo- The only problem with this, is when you are sick to your stomach watching food may not be the best thing.


7. E! True Hollywood Story on E! – Doesn’t matter the celebrity they are covering, this show sucks you in and makes you their biggest fan. Courtney Cox-Arquette is now one of my favorite celebrities!


6.CSI: Miami on A&E – If David Caruso doesn’t make you feel a little better, than who will?


5. Food Network Challenge on The Food Network – I love, love this show. I love the competition and seeing the amazing things the chefs do with food. My favorite ones are the cake challenges.


4. My Fair Wedding with David Tutera on WE – This man is amazing! He helps out couples at the last minute transform their wedding plans into magical, celebrity scale weddings. He is my hero!


3. Sex and the City on TBS – Nothing like good ol’ reruns with Carrie and the girls to make you feel better on the inside, and in turn makes you feel better on the outside. Or at least you hope it works that way.


2. Real Housewives of Atlanta, Orange County or New Jersey on Bravo – Nothing like some wig pulling action to entertain you while you’re in the dumps.


1. The Back of Eyelids on YOU - The best thing to do is turn the TV off, climb into bed and get some rest! All these shows will be on again, and again so don’t stress! Better yet, do like I do and set the DVR.

Now a majority of these shows do require cable, but you can also buy some on itunes or view on their website.

Weekend Recap in One Minute

It happened. The sick bug took over! I have fever and feel horrible. Therefore, weekend recap will be extremely short! Had a great time catching up with everyone! Sorry about the concert to those of you there. It had been building up, and I'm sorry it went down like that. ANYWAYS, here are some of my favorite photos from this weekend: