NYC - DAY 1

Traveling to NYC was a breeze.

 Well, except for a couple of unpleasantries.

#1 Big Man or as I like to call him..........Large Larry.

He sat half on top of me from the flight from Shreveport to Dallas.  And, if that weren't bad enough, he fell asleep before the plane even took off and kept having weird body convulsions throughout the entire flight.  Was he having nightmares? Perhaps.  Will that experience give me nightmares from now on? Absofreakinlutely.

Do you like a good visual?  I do.  So, I give you..........LARGE LARRY!

#2 Old Lady or as I like to call her.........Singing Sally.

She was in the row behind me and two seconds after we took off from Shreveport, she gasped and put her hand to her chest and exclaimed, "IT'S SO GORGEOUS!" I was thinking, "Shreveport? I-220? What in the cornbread hell is this lady so amazed about?" Apparently though, whatever had her so enthralled was pretty powerful. Powerful enough for her to start singing........"OOOOOOOOHHHHHH BEEEAAUUUUTTIFFFUUUULLLL FOR SPACIOUS SKIES, FOR AMBER WAVES OF GRAAAAAIN...."  Yes, that's right folks, she started belting out America the Beautiful.....on the plane.....in the seat directly behind me.  

Do you like a good visual? I do. So, I give you.......SINGING SALLY!

Honestly, I have nothing to complain about.  Travels went abnormally well. Every flight was on time and I met up with the lovely, Toya Tucker, as planned at the Dallas airport and our flight to NYC actually landed early. We grabbed our luggage, which arrived safely as well, hopped in a cab and made it to Jerry's quickly (no traffic issues) where he had some delicious Spanish food waiting for us for dinner.  After stuffing ourselves full of chicken, rice and plantains, we headed to Times Square so Toya could get her first real glimpse of NYC!  

More adventures await today!  

Concussion & Candy

My sister called me today and told me she had to take my nephew, Tyler, to the doctor because he fell at school and hit his head and had been complaining that his head wouldn't stop hurting.  The doctor ran some tests and determined that Tyler had a slight concussion and would be fine.  He recommended that Tyler and his hard head take it easy for a week or so.

So, taking it easy for Tyler quickly led him to full-blown boredom.  

He started texting me and it went like this:

(Tyler=white; Aunt Dianna=green)

FYI: at this point I was dialing the number for the gift shop in Atlanta (Texas that is!) to order him a balloon and a basket of candy and snacks to be delivered to him.  However, I didn't want him to think that I was going to do it so I told him I didn't have any money. Hilarity ensues.

A few minutes later I got a phone call from a very happy boy with a concussion and a basket full of candy!

Trading Cupcakes for Carrots, Y'all!

On my journey to health and fitness, I have discovered these friends:

Fresh Spinach Leaves

Spinach leaves make me very happy.  They make me happiest when they are made into a salad with almonds or walnuts, craisins and a little fat free raspberry vinaigrette salad dressing. However, they make me happy in a wrap or omelet too!

Almonds

I loves me some almonds.  I like them in anything and everything.

Eggs

Can I get an AMEN for the egg?  I love a boiled egg for a snack and I love 1 egg and 2 egg whites for a little scrambled egg deliciousness.  If I'm feeling real adventurous, I'll scramble those muggs and throw them on a couple of pieces of wheat bread with a little fat free mayo for a fancy schmancy egg sandwich. 

Sweet Potatoes

I never knew I could be in love like this. My dear, sweet, sweet potato, I adore you and now that we've built this wonderful relationship, I can never abandon you.  

Green Beans

Before my friend, Jacqui, taught me how to properly make green beans (sauteing those babies!) I wasn't much of a fan.  Now? I can't get enough!

Whole Wheat Bagel Thins

My best friend, Cassie, introduced me to bagel thins this summer while I was visiting her.  She made me the most delicious breakfast sandwich with them and it was instant love but unfortunately it didn't last long.  I forgot about them until recently when I was reunited with these wonderful little creations on aisle 10 at Brookshires.  

Fat Free Vanilla Yogurt

Less is more. Just simple vanilla does the trick.  No need for a fruity flavor.  Vanilla rocks! Throw in some nuts or fresh fruit and I damn near pass out from the fabulousness of it all.

Sobe Life Water

Hi, my name is Dianna and I'm addicted to Sobe Life Water.  That's all.

High Quality H2O

Although it makes me visit the bathroom somewhere close to a trillion times a day, I loves it and prefer it most of the time over anything else. 

There you have it!  

Don't let this deceive you though, I still have old "friends" that I'm trying to break up with.  I'll introduce you to those bastards soon. 

Happy Friday!

Randomness.

#1  Adele's new album, 21, is freaking fracking amazing.  For reals, I cannot stop listening to it. I'm obsessed and when you listen to it, you'll understand why.  If you haven't bought it, do it NOW!  You can thank me later.

#2  Sadly, Carnival Season is coming to an end but thankfully not before I had the chance to celebrate with friends and family and eat copious amounts of king cake (for breakfast even) and catch ridiculous amounts of crap at the Krewe of Highland parade.  I'm going to miss Mardi Gras when I move. 

#3  Speaking of moving, check out the bottom of the page.  I've added a count down clock to my big move to Chicago, which I couldn't be more excited about.  Only a couple more days and I'll be in double digits.  Yipeeeeee!!

101 days and a countin'!

#4  Queen Sophia Lynn Phelps has bounced back quite nicely from her near death experience. She's also ready to move to Chicago.  Shhhhhh......I haven't broken the news yet that it's going to be coooooooooold.  Anyone know where I can buy some doggie Uggs and a parka?  The poor little thing is going to freeeeeze.

This is Sophie running inside after going outside for roughly 2 seconds when it snowed a whopping 2 inches this winter. I'm afraid she doesn't have a prayer in Chicago! :)

#5  I'm headed to NYC for spring break in a couple of weeks and my very fabulous friend, Toya, is coming too!  Good times are sure to be had.  Can't. Wait.

#6  I've dropped 10 lbs. Holla!!

#7  My nephews are borderline grown men. My Austin will be an official teenager in June. The big 13.  That sweet Tyler is right behind him, becoming a ripe 11 years old at the beginning of August. Good news is, they are still hilarious, charming and I'm not gonna lie, pretty stinkin' cute! :)  Being an Aunt is just as great now as it was when I first looked at their sweet little newborn faces.

#8  It's been 8 months since I've seen my BFF, Cassie. Sadness.

I miss you, Be Fri!

#9  My students have been responding VERY WELL to the anger management groups that I've started.  They continue to amaze me with their willingness to share their own experiences, their insightfulness and their resiliency.  Oh, I love my babies.

That's all for now.  Happy Monday!!!!