Black Friday --First & Last

I'm a little behind which is why I'm not sure doing a blog is a good idea for me. But, here is my story on Thanksgiving.....
My parents, Sean's family & me went down to Austin to do Thanksgiving at Kristen & Kelly's house. It was a little chaotic w/ everyone in the same house but we had a great time. Kristen decided that we as a family needed to go out on Thanksgiving morning to walk/run in on one of the trails. You all should know Kristen is the only workout Nazi in the family. (I hung up my shoes after the triathlon....in my mind that workout last me the rest of the year) Most of us thought it would be a better idea to walk after our big feast--novel idea. We did have a good time though. Kristen had talked me into bringing my bike down to ride some trails. I did & it sat in the car the entire time. Classic.

(us getting ready to go thinking you would see the time-ha)

Lyssa & I had decided we were going to get up early & go to Kohl's for the big sale, among other stores. Kristen said she would go with us but wanted to go to the outlet stores that opened at midnight by her house. So, we decided to take one for the team so all 3 of us could go. We left the house at 11:30pm & I couldn't believe the lines at the stores!! The parking lot was a mad house. They had a band playing Christmas music though so that was nice. We got some good deals but I was a little disappointed. I went with a list of gifts to buy & only bought stuff for my self (stop the laughter ladies --I had good intentions). Classic Kristen, as we went into some of the stores to get gifts for the niece & nephews, she was T minus freakout. The moms w/ the strollers were throwing us both of the edge. Why aren't the kids in bed?!?!?! She said she was going to the front of the line to say she would pay full price if she didn't have to stand in line. The fun was clearly over for her.

So, it's about 2:30am & we decide it's not worth going home or we'll fall asleep. We really just wanted to go to Kohl's more than anything which opened at 4am. Kristen was done so we dropped her off & then went to IHOP (or I- SLOP) & there were quite the characters out that evening. AND...did I really need that meal after I ate like it was the Last Supper? NOPE.

We arrive at Kohl's after being lost by Lola (my GPS in the car). I couldn't believe the lines circling around the building. After we got in, Lyssa & I made a mad dash for the toys since they were 50% off. Lyssa got pretty aggressive --I was so proud! :). Well, we got lots crossed off the list (for others). It was well worth the trip to Kohl's. We stood in line for about 35 min to check out & then headed home (lost again). We arrived home around 6:30am.

I slept for quite a few hours but poor Lyssa was up w/ the kids. Yes, this is a plus for still being single. HA. I had a great time w/ Lyssa. We agreed we would skip the outlets next time & just get up early for Kohl's & maybe some other stores. I can honestly say that was my first all nighter where I was shopping.

Utah Bound --have to get my Amy time

I went up to Utah the weekend after the triathlon to see Amy, Erin, Emily, Lauren, Kari....I love going up to spend time w/ the girls. I was there mainly to see Amy's newest addition, Abram (Abe). What a honey!! So sweet & I can't believe how big Eli & Maeve are getting. 

We did the usual...shopping (mainly me), massages, eating, eating w/ friends and eating (Market Street Brunch is always a must!). I brought a haunted house to make w/ Eli & Maeve, which they seemed to enjoy. I had a blast though going to dinner w/ all the girls one night so I could also see Kari & Lauren's new additions --both boys. What is in the Utah water girls?

Hopefully you all can come this Feb to Dallas for the annual girls weekend? (yeah right!)

I am a Triathlete --ha ha

I know you all are thinking...yeah right. I'm not sure at what point this was a good idea, but my friend, Anne & I decided we should start training for a Sprint Triathlon. We figured if we trained & had a goal we might lose weight. I had to open my big mouth & then it turned to a family event where my sister, Kristen & her boyfriend, Kelly, decided to do it with me. We researched a beginner training schedule & were very disciplined until I injured my back. I believe God was telling me, "this has bad idea written all over it" but, no I kept with it.


Long story short...we orignially signed up for an event in September but Hurricane Ike came that weekend so it was cancelled. Again, a co-worker said this is God's way of saying since you won't use common sense, then I will intervene. HA. Don't think the Ike victims would want to hear that. We signed up for another event in October & at this point I was cussing as it got closer saying let's just get this thing over with!


My goal was to just finish & in one piece. I'm glad I did it. Thought I did better than I thought I would. The swim was my best part, but I will say I didn't enjoy it in a pool. The bike was harder than I thought ---who knew there were hills in Plano. At one point, I was trying to get up a hill in the lowest gears & yelled out to a volunteer on the side, "Am I even moving???". He replied, "barely". My biggest problem with the race was you couldn't use an Ipod and then you couldn't ride next to each other on the bike. I wanted company & was bored.

I finished in 2hrs & min. My sister asked me right after we crossed the finish line together, if I wanted to do another one. Are you kidding me? That's like asking someone after labor if they want to have another kid. HA. Don't think I won't be putting this on a resume. Someone might be impressed by it & think I'm a real die hard athlete. HA! (Ask me how many times I've been to the gym since....once).












Thanks mom, dad, Anne, Jenny & their kids who came to support me.

Canton Bound

If you're ever in the Dallas area the first weekend of the month, you should try to go to Canton, TX. I think it has to be the biggest flea market in the country. It's called "Canton Trade Days" or "First Monday". Any & everything you can think of is there. My sis-in-law, Lyssa had never been & has lived here long enough so, it was time to take her!

We had a great time & bought a lot of stuff --well, I bought more than her (are we shocked?). I got some additional furniture pieces for my family room, clock, holiday decor, arrangements, Christmas gifts, High Chair (at what point was that a good idea?) etc... I should only be allowed to go one time a year because I can do some serious damage.

See the pics with the cart that I brought with us....filled to the brim within our 1st hour. You should've seen the two of us hauling our great purchases to the car, trying to board a trolley with all our crap & then having to drive back to pick up more of our great buys. WOW! Can't wait to go again Sis! I had a blast.

Farewell to Amy B

One of my favorite people ever is Amy Barlow. (Amy, you'll be missed more than you know!! You were the nicest to me when I moved to this area & included me in the groups. I'll never forget your kindness. I've had so much fun with you over the last year. I don't know who I'll go see the late movies with now. HA. Love you to death!! )

You all should know Amy is the one who talked me into doing a blog & insisted that "Becoming Heather" should be the title. She was one who dragged me to that ridiculous movie.

We had a great dinner for Amy & Jeff before they moved to Florida. Great time at Maggiano's.

The Start of Becoming Heather...

Well, the time has come for me to start my blog. I haven't wanted to start this as I knew it would be a lot of work and I thought who wants to read just about me? The best part of reading my friends blogs is seeing the updated pictures of their families. I'm giving in to my friends who think I should do a blog as they think it will be entertainment. Laugh with me though friends...not at me. HA.

The title "Becoming Heather"...what's it all about, you ask? Well, I'm a sucker for romance films and happy endings! Some of my favorite movies have been based on the Jane Austen books...Sense & Sensibility, Pride & Prejudice, etc... Well, a new movie was coming out based on the story of Jane Austen's life called "Becoming Jane" (I'll tell you now, I'm not a reader. I'm a movie goer. If there are cliff notes, I'm on it. So some of you are already thinking, shame on you for not reading these novels.). So, this called for a Girl's Night Out. If you've seen the movie, I'm sure you understand why I hated it. Bottom line, she never got married. Lost the love of her life only to run into him and his family at the end, blah blah blah... As the lights come up, I'm beyond distraught and I shouted to my friends, "why don't they just call it 'Becoming Heather'!". They laughed and it's been the joke since. I know, it was a dramatic moment and one I call "bitter table for 1".

I'm always trying to find myself & figure myself out. I think I've changed a lot over the years through the different places I've lived, life experiences, trips, jobs, friends & family, etc...so, either way, the title fits.