Rodeo Parade

Yesterday morning we headed to downtown Houston to watch the Rodeo Parade! It's a kickoff for the rodeo here that will last about a month. They have a rodeo every night of the week and then a different person/group perform a concert afterwards. People like Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts, Alan Jackson, Black Eyed Peas, Justin Bieber, and many more come! Joe and I haven't decided which concert we want to go to. My first choice is Keith Urban but he comes on a Tuesday and we wouldn't get to see much of the rodeo because we wouldn't get there until at least 7:30 because of work. So, we'll see who we end up going to see. Anyways, Serena, Dave, and Maggie met us down there and we watched it together. Maggie looked so cute in her little denim dress with leggings, pigtails, and pink sunglasses. She had her little lawn chair and sat right on the front row mesmerized. First of all, I have never been to a parade in the month of February before! That's just unheard of in Utah. Second of all, I have never seen some of the things in any parade I had been to before this one! The battery in the camera was dying but I did take a few pictures. I wish I could have taken more. You can look for yourself to see if you notice anything different. Some pictures are normal things you might see though.

At the beginning of the parade they had none other than the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band! Joe stood with pride as they passed.=)

Later followed the Core Cadets from A&M on horseback

Mexican Cowboys

Mexican Cowgirls

Black Cowboys

Black Cheerleaders

Pooper Scoopers

This high school band had some funk in their march!=) These were the march leaders.

A couple things reminded me of my brother Joseph. This was one because look at how little that kid is and he's riding that huge horse! Joseph would do something like that with his kid=)

The donkeys were the second thing that reminded me of him!=) That's the nickname I gave him a while ago, so whenever I see one I think of him!=)

Joe and Maggie! So CuTe!

Joe and me! I sported my cowboy hat and Joe wore his boots!

Surfside Beach

This past Saturday morning when Joe and I were headed to the gym the weather was absolutely amazing! It was sunny and felt really warm outside and we didn't have any plans for the day so we decided after the gym we would go to the beach! Of course, when we left the gym it had gotten a little bit chillier and there were some clouds in the sky. We decided it was only a 45 minute minute drive so we didn't have much to lose. It ended up being about 60 degrees when we got to the beach and it was cloudy, but we still had a lot of fun! We played catch with the football, Joe did donuts with his truck on the beach, and we drove through the town looking at the beach houses.

These are some "normal" beach houses for Surfside.............

and this is a beach house MANSION!! I couldn't believe my eyes! It was absolutely gorgeous!

Here's one that looked like it had been destroyed by the hurricane.

and here's another where the shoreline had moved over time and the house was in the water now! Joe said when that happens you just lose everything. That would be so awful!

The water was FREEZING but there were still some surfers out! It was so fun to watch!

Jazz Game

We went to the Toyota Center last night to watch the Jazz and the Rockets play! Of course I was going to represent and wear my Korver Jersey! There were a lot of haters! As we were walking around the arena to get to our section, this big group of "SUPER FANS" wearing masks and totally decked out in red, came up and surrounded Joe and I and were booing the jersey. When we got to our seats there were some other guys that were kind of playfully teasing me, saying "look at that ugly Jersey" and other stuff. I felt like I was the ONLY Jazz fan in the whole arena, but I didn't care! I felt proud to wear my Jersey! When the players came out it made me feel right at home! I have missed watching the games. I couldn't help but thing of little Zsa and how much she loved the Jazz. Joe was rooting for the Rockets and was wearing his red shirt. So, in this sport we are torn=) Before the game started this guy right in front of us turned around and was looking at me. I thought he was just another hater, but he whispered something to his girlfriend and she turned around and said "Hey! I'm a jazz fan too!" and sure enough she was wearing a Jazz shirt! We instantly bonded and the three of us cheered the Jazz on together the entire game! It was the best game! We instantly pulled ahead, but they came back and we were neck n' neck for most of the game! The arena cleared out about a minute or two before the game was over because their precious Rockets just couldn't keep up!=) I was SOOOO happy that they won! I wanted to run over to the super fans and say "WHAT NOW????" I refrained for the most part! On the way out someone yelled "The Jazz suck" and I whipped around and yelled "WHO WON?!" Joe quickly grabbed my arm and was dragging me out! He said he didn't want to have to fight someone because of me!=) ha ha ha ha! He said I was walking out proudly wearing that Jersey! I just couldn't help but smile and be proud! My Jazz didn't let me down! I had a blast! Thanks for the tickets babe!

This was before the game when they were just shooting and warming up.

Look at how they cleared right out!=)

Final Score!

My fellow Jazz fans!=)

Valentines Weekend Cont.

Here's the rest of what we did for Valentine's Day Weekend!.........

On Saturday morning we went to Costco to get a few things. Let me give you a little background for this first picture........Joe has these flipflops that he ALWAYS wears that I hate! I know it's petty, but I would just prefer that he wears shoes...... especially now when it's cold. I can understand flip flops in the summer. I just feel like they make him look sloppy. Anyways, so on Saturday before we left he had his flip flops on and I begged him to please wear shoes. I finally got him to change his shoes and when I came out to the living room I found that he had replaced the flips flops I hate, but he had added something else to his outfit!=)

I just laughed and didn't say anything about him taking it off. Look at the little smirk on his face. He will do anything he can to get under my skin sometimes! The funny part is I would rather he wear this hat than his flip flops! I may be a weirdo, but I can't help it! He told me he's gonna start making me wear high heels everywhere we go to get back at me!=) ha ha! Needless to say, when we pulled in to Costco he switched this hat for another one he had in his truck and I didn't have to walk around with Captain Joe Joe=)

We have tried to cut back on the number of times we eat out a week. We have been doing pretty well with only eating out once a week. It gives us a chance to get out and it gives Joe something to look forward to all week. This week he chose to go to Joe's Crabshack. He got a pot and I got salmon. I just had to get a picture of him with his man bib on=) After dinner we came home and watched the NBA Slam Dunk contest.

On Saturday night Joe surprised me with flowers, fabulous chocolates, and a sweet card with tickets to the Jazz/Rockets game on Tuesday!!!! The red bag is a bag of goodies and a card that I got him. It was my first Valentine's day where the man I was with acknowledged the holiday. It was perfect! I'm so blessed to have found this wonderful man. I never dreamt that someone so wonderful really existed and that I would be able to find him. Looking back, there is NO doubt in my mind that Heavenly Father led us to each other. There was no coincidence with timing, and being at the right place at the right time. I just want Joe to know how much I love and appreciate him. He's a hard worker, yet he doesn't bring his work home with him. He loves adventure and doing new things together. He has a sweet soft side, and he's always reaching over to feel my arm or my face in the middle of the night to make sure I'm there. He won't go to bed until I go with him, and he always includes me in everything. We have fun joking and teasing one another, and he always finds a way to make me laugh. He would do anything for me, and I can feel how much he loves me. I love you so much babe! Thank you for a wonderful weekend!

On Sunday I made a mini Thanksgiving dinner. Cornish game hens, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and peas. YUM!

This is the only picture I took of the pretty flowers Joe got me! So SWEET!! xoxox

Valentines Weekend

Joe and I decided that since Valentines day is officially on Sunday, that we are going to celebrate it all weekend=) After all, it is our first Valentines Day as a married couple and actually our first together! I wanted to surprise Joe and do something fun and romantic, so I had to do it on Friday when he came home from work because he's home Saturday and Sunday. Of course, he came home early (around 4:15) instead of around 6:00 like normal. I just went with it though and made the necessary changes I needed to. Luckily he called and told me he was coming home early! I wanted to have dinner ready and everything but it was too early. When he walked in I heard him giggle and when he found me the first thing he said was "Well, I guess you're gonna be the one cleaning up this mess?" Then he laughed. Not the most romantic thing he could have said but hey, it made me laugh! I had to turn on lights to get decent pictures. It was much more romantic with the lights off, but you get the gist.

It turned out better than the pictures show. It was fun to surprise him. I made dinner and we had a wonderful evening watching the opening ceremony of the Olympics. I made cookies, and even got Joe to help me decorate them. He was so cute, and we had a lot of fun. He was not enthusiastic about me taking a picture of him frosting cookies though=)

I made Dad's Roquefort Pear Salad. Yum!

For dinner I made porkchops with mushroom gravy, brown rice, corn and cabbage. It was pretty tasty!

Tiff gave me this recipe for Sugar cookies and they were fabulous!!!

Here are the finished products! Since cookies aren't exactly healthy, we have to get rid of them so we're going to take them to some neighbors and ward members.

Flag Football

Joe started playing flag football with some guys from work a couple weeks ago. Their games were cancelled last week due to weather, so yesterday they played their first two games! Of course with my luck it was a whopping 43 degrees at 6:30 when their first games started! I took two blankets and my winter coat, but by the end of the two hours my body was numb! There was one other girl there to support her boyfriend, and they left after the first game because she was freezing! I had given her one of my blankets and I think I would have frozen to death if I hadn't gotten it back for the second game. Joe had a lot of fun, and even made a touchdown!!! He's a lineman and he did a good job at keeping the quarterback covered. It was fun for me to watch him, and be there to support him. Here are some pictures from the night.

Joe's in the middle wearing his A&M sweatshirt under his yellow jersey. The first team they played was supposedly the best in the league and Joe's team only lost by 2 points! Not bad!

Here's the huddle! Determining what their next play will be!=)

This is the second team they played. They won this game!! They were stoked! It was so funny to hear them all joking and giving each other a hard time! Joe's there on the back right again, hunched over wearing blue shorts over his sweats!

Birthday Fun!

James and Shelby had their birthdays this past Friday and Saturday. Joe and I decided to go to College Station and spend the day with them on Saturday. We always have fun whenever we visit them, and this time was no exception. They fed us a really great lunch, took us to look at homes in a development called Traditions, and we watched the A&M basketball game against Baylor! We won 78 to 71! James and Joe would jump up and yell when it got intense! Parker (their dog) was asleep on the floor and when they yelled he jumped up so quickly! It was pretty funny! Shelby wasn't feeling well, due to the baby but she was a good sport and let us take her and James to dinner. Since it was her birthday that day she got to pick where we went and she felt like Luby's. It was fun, the meal was good, and we joked about hangin' with the elderly=) After dinner we asked Shelby if she wanted an ice cream cone from McDonalds and she said that it sounded good. The first one we stopped at wasn't making cones because the machine was down, so we drove to a second one. We finally got our cones, and it hit the spot! James had worked out really hard that morning and decided he would pass on the ice cream! What strong will power! We had a fun day, and were glad we got to spend time with them! Here are a couple pictures from the day!

This was one of the homes in Traditions that we tried to look at. James and Shelby had gone a few weeks ago and a bunch of the homes were open to look through. We didn't have such luck today, but we walked around it and looked through the windows. There are some really beautiful HUGE homes there!

James got Shelby a photo session she can use before or after the baby comes! What a sweet idea! She loved it!

We forgot to take a picture at dinner so we had to get one with Shelby and her ice cream cone!=)

New Recipe!

Ok, so I realize I have already posted today but we just got done eating dinner and I have to share this recipe! It was SO good! Im always looking for new recipes and I have found some really great ones online. My dad recommended this site to me and everything I have made from it is really good! It's allrecipes.com. It has the nutrition facts under each recipe. I'll always read those, and sometimes they will deter me from making it. There's a place for each recipe where people can leave reviews and I'll usually read through those and get the tips that others leave and incorporate them. We ate this tonight with steamed broccoli and cauliflower and it was fabulous! It's called Baked Garlic Parmesan Chicken. For the recipe click here. Here are some tips of what I did......... I used fresh garlic, not from a jar, and used about 1 1/2 tablespoons of it. I cut the recipe in half and used it for two breasts. I had a little oil and breadcrumbs leftover because I didn't use a third breast. Others suggested that you heat the olive oil and garlic in the microwave for about a minute. It infuses the flavors. I did that, and it was delicious! I made my own bread crumbs with some whole grain bread, and I used bottled parmesan cheese because we didn't have any fresh parmesan. It was so moist and tasty! The garlic wasn't overpowering and the best part was IT WAS SO EASY to make! So, if any of you are looking for a new chicken recipe......try this one!

Dynamic Fitness

Well, we finally did it! We purchased a gym membership at a new gym near home called Dynamic Fitness! We had been talking about doing it for a while because our fitness room here at the apartment just doesn't have up to date equipment, nor does it have all the machines we need to get the best workout possible. We went in two weeks ago to look around and get a feel for how crowded it was, and what the cost to join was. It was a little more expensive than other gyms but we went during the peak hours and it wasn't very busy, the equipment is all brand new, and it's the closest to home. This gym is owned by two guys who worked for 24 hour fitness for years and wanted to open their own gym. One of the things that I have enjoyed for the past several years has been the fitness classes that I have gone to, and I wanted to make sure that I enjoyed the classes they offered at this gym. So, we decided to do a trial membership and I committed to attend a class that very next morning. It was called body pump, and throughout the entire hour we used hand weights, or a bar. It had been months since I'd done a class like that, and lets just say that over the next few days I felt like I had been hit by a train!=) Joe started playing football that same weekend and had some minor injuries and soreness. You should have seen us just trying to walk up and down the stairs to get to our apartment! We looked like a couple of 90 year olds!=) ha ha! Well, we decided to join the gym and along with that we got a couple free sessions with a personal trainer. They called and set it up for us to come last night at 7. When we first got there they took our weight and measurements and then the trainers took us each seperately to warm up and then to the weight machines. Joe was such a good sport and made me laugh by making faces whenever I'd look at him. He was off with his trainer, and I was with mine but afterwards we talked about some of the things we learned that we weren't aware of before the session. One of the things that was stressed to both of us was that if we're trying to loose weight, one of the most common misconceptions is that we have to do cardio, cardio, cardio. They said that cardio, ALONG with weight resistance is what will help us the most. When we build muscle, it helps our bodies burn more calories and we become stronger and more defined. Marathon runners do so much cardio that they first burn through the muscle, then the fat and other tissues. That's why most of them are so skinny but they also look "softer" because they have burned through their muscle. My trainer said it's ok to run sometimes, but companies have done research and what would help me burn fat faster is to walk on the treadmill at a 2.0 speed and between a 15 & 18 incline for at least 30 minutes. The key to that is NOT TO HOLD ONTO THE TREADMILL at all! She said if you hold on it defeats the purpose of the incline and it's just like walking flat. Joe's trainer told him that it's better to start off your workout doing weights, and then do cardio because during weights your body is able to burn through the muscle and then when you do your cardio you're burning straight fat. We learned that crash diets like atkins dont work because when you introduce carbs back into your diet you will gain back everything you lost. They said it's all about portion control and eating healthy foods but we also shouldn't deprive ourselves of things. Everything in moderation. We have already been trying to make a lifestyle change as far as our eating habits go, but without working out we haven't been able to really see the benefits. I have been making a lot of dishes from The Biggest Loser cookbook, and surprisingly they have been really flavorful and delicious! We're excited to get healthy and lose weight, and with motivation and help from one another we know we can do it! We were both scared for our session with the trainer (after watching The Biggest Loser) but it was SO helpful! We learned very important information and got a good workout. After being with the trainer for an hour Joe felt like he was going to throw up. His trainer told him that he was done with the session but if he could, he'd like Joe to do 30 minutes of cardio. We both got on the treadmill, but only made it about 5 minutes before Joe felt extremely sick. When we got home he laid down on the floor and said he was never eating again=) ha ha ha! Here's a cute picture of him on the floor. We'll keep you updated on how it's going!