Happy Birthday, Amy

Today is my friend, Amy’s, birthday. We celebrated Amy’s birthday last Saturday. We started the day at her house with her favorite dessert, homemade banana pudding. Next, Amy opened her birthday presents and then we spent the afternoon shopping at Old Town Spring. It was a fun day. Happy Birthday, Amy. Don’t worry, I won’t tell you age on the internet.

Happy Birthday, Mei Lynn

Meg, Jenny, Maddie, and Mei Lynn... They look so happy!

Friday night I was invited to a Birthday Party/Chinese New Year’s Party. My friends from church, Eric and Jenny, adopted the cutest little girl from China last fall. Mei Lynn is absolutely adorable. The party was so much fun. Jenny went to a local China Market and bought decorations and lots of goodies. Everything was so cute! They also presented a sweet video of their journey to Mei Lynn. It brought tears to my eyes. Thanks for inviting me, Jenny!

Valentine's Day

I had such a fun Valentine’s Day. I spent the day with my friend, Debbie, from church. Debbie and her husband, Joel were the leaders of my small group. I got to know Debbie really well and I just love her. She’s so nice to everyone, so pretty, and she has great style!

We spent the day in Wharton, TX. It’s a cute little town outside of Houston. We had lunch at a cute place and spent the rest of the day shopping… my kind of day. I got this great body form at one of the antique shops. I’ve been looking for a body form for a long time. I love this one because the base is vintage lamp stand…so cool.

Debbie and I hit another great gift shop and I noticed my FAVORITE sunglasses in the display case at half off! I’m such a fan of Jimmy Crystal sunglasses. They are embellished with Swarovski crystals. My favorite JC sunglasses have my name on the side. My fabulous friend, Tiffany, ordered them for me at the Dallas market.

I purchased a couple of new JC sunglasses at half price… what a victory!

Thanks Debbie for a fun day!

Sunglasses with my name

My sister modeling a new pair of JC sunglasses

Seven Strange or Weird Facts

I’ve been tagged for the first time by Danielle at Well That Is Just Fabulous. I’m a new blogger so this is very exciting!

Here’s how it works… “Share 7 strange or weird facts about yourself. Then tag 7 random people at the end of your post. Let each person know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.”

I really don’t know 7 people to tag, yet. I know a few bloggers but I think Danielle has already tagged them. I’ll have to skip that part.

1. Next to my little niece, Daisy, my favorite animal is an owl. I don’t really know how this started but I love owls. They’re cute.

My Gym Bag

2. I have a form of eczema on my face called seborrhoeic dermatitis. My dermatologist told me people usually develop this in their early 40’s. I developed mine in my late 20’s. Great! When I’m in an outbreak, it’s really itchy and painful.

3. I really don’t care for chocolate. I think it taste good but it’s not a flavor I crave. I would never order a chocolate dessert in a restaurant or make one at home and I very seldom buy chocolate candy. However, I LOVE chocolate fondue.

Girl's Night at the Melting Pot

Maria's Birthday at the Melting Pot

4. I LOVE, LOVE roller coasters and crazy carnival rides. It’s hard to find age appropriate people who also love roller coasters. My brother shares the same love for them as I do but he lives in Dallas. I could ride all day and never get sick.

So, bumper cars and race cars don't really count. I just like these pictures.

5. Throughout my adult life I’ve had random fainting spells. It doesn’t happen often, about every 2-3 years. I’ve seen a doctor about it and I was told, “It is normal to faint every year or so.” I don’t believe this but I’m not sure what it is. I’ve been tested for low blood sugar, etc… The last time I fainted was in October 2005. We had a Six Flags theme park in Houston. The theme park permanently closed in fall ‘05. Of course, I had to go one last time. I was in line to ride the Texas Cyclone (a very fun roller coaster); we had been waiting over an hour. We were 2nd in line to ride the Cyclone (front seat) and all of the sudden I fainted. The roller coaster workers gave me cold water and tried to talk me into visiting the nurse’s station. No thanks, no nurse for me. I had waited in line for over an hour to ride the Texas Cyclone for the last time in my life and I was riding it.

6. I stay out of the sun at all costs! I’ve finally embraced my “pasty whiteness.” Did you know the Chinese buy products to make their skin whiter?

7. I don’t think this is strange or weird and if you’re reading this you probably know this about me… I LOOOONG for a baby. I’m not trying to be negative or a downer but I’m not even close to adopting from China. The Chinese Government changed the law in May 2007, you have to be married for 2 years before you can apply for adoption. After you apply there is a very long wait. I’m not dating anyone, so I won’t be tying the knot anytime soon. I have a long way to go. I think about this everyday and it makes me sad. I can’t wait for the day….

Getting In Shape

Today I had a consultation with my new personal trainer. It was a little horrifying. We went through a questionnaire about my health and family history…no problem. Next we discussed my exercising and eating habits. Now the fun starts. I had to tell him that I don’t always exercise because I don’t enjoy sweating. I would much rather be shopping or enjoying Days of Our Lives (with a snack). My eating habits are really circumstantial. When I’m home I tend to eat healthier than the times I’m traveling. Unfortunately, the last quarter of 2007, I was on the road 90%. I definitely won’t write about everything I eat on this blog but I do love sugar candy… jelly beans, fruit sours, gummies, etc… You get the picture. Has anyone been to Dylan’s Candy Bar? Love it! Anyway, I have to cut out the junk food. My trainer said he was shocked that I’m not bigger with my crazy eating habits.

I had to perform a physical test which included cardio, sit-ups, and push-ups. I DON’T like push-ups. Next I was weighed (I didn’t eat all day b/c I knew this was coming) and he did the dreaded “fat test.” The “fat test” is where they grab fat from your arm, leg, and stomach and measure it.

The trainer went to a secret room to calculate my results. I wasn’t that anxious. I knew I had some things I could improve on but I’m not overweight, just out of shape. He came back and told me how the ratings worked. Lowest to highest… poor, fair, good, great, superior. I’m overly confident; I was thinking that I would be rated a “good” or maybe a “fair.” Boy was I wrong, I’m a poor. Looks like I’ve got some work to do. Friday night I’m having Mexican food with friends; I’ll have to push the chip basket away. :-)

And The Winner Is....

Peep Toe Pumps and Pearls. The official winner of the blog name was “Black Ruffles and Pink Roses.” However, I am the president of my blog and I can veto. Just Kidding… I was SOOOO indecisive about the blog names (I’m like this in restaurants, it drives me crazy). I really liked all the names.

My original two favorites were “Black Ruffles and Pink Roses” and “Room Service, Please.” Then I started loving “These Boots are NOT made for Walking.” However, I ended up choosing “Peep Toe Pumps and Pearls.” I’m such a MESS when I have to make a decision. Thanks for all the votes!

My new friend Danielle from Blogs by Danielle created the new design. I absolutely LOVE it. She did such a great job, I highly recommend Danielle if you’re thinking of creating a blog or looking to give your blog a makeover. She is really, really great at ensuring all her clients have their own individual look. Danielle is so fun to work with and she donates a portion of her earnings to charity. How sweet and unselfish! Thanks Danielle for the beautiful blog makeover.