A Man With a Microphone Comeplete WIth Tract Singers

You know I love me some good Mexican food. Los Cucos used to fit into our schedule and the plus point being, close to home. Ever since they have added man and microphone complete with tract singers, I've not been all that interested in going there. Well, at least not going there on Thursday nights because that was the appointed time for lounge singer man. He is somewhat good, but his singing rules out any chance of normal decibel conversation. Miss a beat or two and your loud conversation hits the silence of rests or end of song and then don't think about hiding because everyone knows you just yelled. Only thing, every body is yelling so in the silence of rests and endings one can pick up all manner of conversation that would usually be done in normal conversational tone. We should have known tonight when the majority of people at Los Cucos were sitting outside on the patio, they weren't just there because it is a beautiful late Houston afternoon. NO, they were escaping man and microphone complete with tract singers.


Now my friend and I had lots of catching up and lots of new material to go over. Discussing life especially when we both had elder parent issues is meant to remain in the boothal conversation. When we came in Los Cucos, I thought they had the TVs turned up loud but that is when we saw man with microphone complete with tract singers. We debated on trading places and eating outside with the cool wind instead of inside with the cool sounds of, man...well you know who. Man even sang a Bee Gee's song that was so out of his vocal range. He had no falsetto. That's when I wished Jason was in the house and could show the man what falsetto is all about. I tried to pray and bless our meal with; "I've been to the desert on a horse with no name, it was good to be out of the rain..." was blasting in the background. He sang some Beatles classics and a few other mildly popular songs from the 70's. Once we both looked over because all we could hear were the instruments and background singers. We thought he had left everything playing while taking a break. No, he was singing but he couldn't be heard over all the musical sounds coming from his fancy smancy music machine. Man with microphone complete with tract singers never took a break the whole hour and a half we were there. Some encouraged him with scattered applause but they soon ceased because it was becoming apparent, he wasn't going to stop singing. Los Cucos has him set up in the far corner, near the bar. He has his karaoke machine right there next to him. I almost sent him a margarita to stop the noise but I figured it would be like the applause and it would feed his need to continue singing without a break.


My friend and I were able to continue with conversation and catch up, but I kind of have a sore throat from my elevated voice level.

Wor, Huh, What is it Good For? Of Course the Answer is Lunch

If it's Thursday, it must be Bible study day in Katy. I've kind of made it a habit of going late just to be able to make it in time for core group discussion. The leadership standing in the lobby must wonder, she is always late and today she didn't even stay for lecture time. What is up? Well, I had lunch plans. I absolutely love the discussion time and this is surprising because discussion time is usually something I really don't enjoy. Our group has a great and fun leader and our group has really gelled. Even though Peggy wasn't there today, we still went down rabbit trails.


So I went to the Orient Cafe across the street to load up on some Chinese soup goodness, Wor Won ton Soup. I got three orders, two for lunch and one for Roy to have for dinner tonight. We are talking huge portions but being well trained by Erin D, I only ate half of my soup. I took this deliciousness over to have lunch with Dena and we ate in her office, at her table, and underneath a horse. Her office is right under the Mustang horse on her building. Wish I could have taken a picture of it or something. Dena has heard me rave about this soup and it was just about dang time she tried it. You know we did it up quite nice for a girl from Baytown and a girl born in Illinois. Dena brought bright red bowls from home and Mustang furnished some fancy goblets for our Coke and Diet Coke. Dessert, fresh raspberries. I don't think the soup disappointed...it was good! It is kind of a soup day here in Houston, sunny, very windy and cooler temps than normal.


Yesterday I had lunch with Erin Hollister at The Nord. We had a wonderful time and realized it had been a year since we had last dined together. The evening we ran into she and her husband at Sweet Tomatoes doesn't count even though our booths were back to back.


I am an EBay virgin no longer. I don't count the times that Jason had me watching an item and bidding on it while he was in meetings or something. Erin D had mentioned a bracelet that Brighton makes. It is an ID type and it says Celebrate Small Victories. Of course it is no where to be found or so I thought. I had searched for it online but to no avail. I was telling Debbie about it during our Monday work out and at the end, like she always does, she prayed. This time though, she specifically mentioned the bracelet and would the Lord provide one. Monday night I was searching again and one came up on EBay. Heck, I just bought the thing without all that bidding junk. So it is supposed to be on the way. I want the bracelet to remind me that when I make a good choice, like no emotional eating, I can celebrate that small victory. I did celebrate yesterday because I have lost 106 pounds. Only 34 more to go. I am celebrating the huge victory of God being so gracious as to answering that very small prayer. Praise Him!


So tonight I will have what is left of my Wor Won ton soup and my left over steak from the Nord. Sounds like some good eating to me.

Ah, 667...No Bunko...No Bibllical Number...Just a Post

Roy is home from France. He got home around 12:30 am Sunday. I was so excited to see him. I had missed him something awful! He brought home great gifts, well besides the gift of his presence. We both had really good intentions of going to church Sunday morning but we had to do the two or more church at Sweet Tomatoes later on that morning. We had a great breakfast and God had a word for us right there in the midst of all that chaos and eggs. No chaos at our table but lots of families with little ones there.

Out of the nearly 500 pictures that Roy took, I think this one is one of my favorites. I helped him download pictures last night. Now he needs to go through them and label. Hey, I learned my lesson from not labeling my Israel photos. Roy is still processing his trip but God spoke to his heart, but not the way Roy thought he would. So for Roy there is much pondering.

This is my 667 post. Number 666 hasn't been published and probably won't be. I was trying to stay away Saturday night and I wrote out a rambling post on moments in life that we have let define us. It is interesting that an unfortunate event when I was in the second grade has held too much power over my thought process and how I have defined myself through the years. Up until about five years ago, just thinking about the incident and the repercussions from it would make me so angry. I've made peace with it and just like He has promised, it is a peace that passes all understanding that is guarding my heart.

I'm so thankful for all the bright sunshine today. It is good for my soul. Had a great workout with Debbie this afternoon and I am celebrating losing another pound. Slow and steady.... I have to say I did have a momentary indiscretion and had more than one biscuit yesterday morning. Sometimes you just have to do that. Happy to report I am back on the wagon of good food choices today.

While Roy was gone I booked Buddy into the Cat Bed and Breakfast and Roy and I are booked for a much needed and looked forward to stay at The Biltmore in Asheville. Looking forward to the get away and now they have a spa...ahhhh.... We are also going to go horseback riding. I had a horse when I was younger but it has been a looonnnngggg time since I have ridden a horse. Too bad Kiddie Land isn't on Main anymore. I could go ride those ponies around the ring to get my "seat" back.

Spring Break with Nancy Mon

It is a beautiful spring day on the last day of winter here in H-town. Tomorrow a winter cold front is coming through on the first day of spring. Only in Houston. I've had Mustang Sally out quite a bit this week which in this type of weather makes errands all types of fun. Although with the coming of spring comes the wonderfully and oh so loverly yellow oak tree pollen that coats everything in its path. I'm considering standing outside for a while and hopefully yellow pollen will strategically land on my roots and I will look blonder. It's just that if I was around anyone allergic to this dustin' of pollen, they made sneeze their heads off. Our Camry is thickly coated yellow. Sally seems to brush off the pollen a little easier. I thought about taking the cars to be washed but it is futile. They will look yellow by the morning.


Monday evening was Cowgirl Bunko at CourtneyS. We had delicious chili and tamales. And blackberry cobbler which I only took about 2 tablespoons of a serving. It was delicious. Once again Linda S volunteered to pick me up and we had a blast coming and going to bunko. Our trip was adventure free this time, but there is always the hope of next time. Since I had been rodeo shopping at Reliant Arena and since Bunko was rescheduled, I was able to wear my cowgirl shirt that I had bought. Now there is a lot of talk about Mutton Bustin' and I even happen to know a Mutton Bustin' champion and buckle wearing winner, but the term mutton bustin', soon became button bustin' in our vernacular. Dena and I love CR Ranch and we always go see what the ladies have when we go rodeo shopping. The shirts are rather fitted and I bought mine thinking it would be next year before being able to wear it. To my surprise, it fit but I wasn't too sure how secure the bustin buttons would hold being a tad tighter in the "Betty" arena. I'm happy to report the buttons held all night. No ones eye was put out with a flying star shaped button during a wild wrestling in grabbing part of a bunko.


The week has been a quiet one. Buddy got to have the spa experience for cats on Tuesday, a mani pedi and a bath. They said she was well behaved. Some cats have to be anesthetized just to get a bath. They are so wild and unruly. Buddy was a tad cool towards me once she got home but warmed up and was sitting in my lap in no time. She waited to show her displeasure until bedtime. I was falling asleep and she attached my head. my lightning quick reflexes of yore returned to me briefly that night and I grabbed her before she could get away and hide under the bed. Buddy was quickly banished from the bedroom and I enjoyed a full night's rest with her eviction from my presence.


Today my BFF, Goodwill, got 9 bags of clothing from the closet and dresser. Nothing fits, everything is too big. Nice problem. So I really did spring cleaning and have been loading the trunk of the Camry all week with clothes. An article this week explained the spirituality of de-cluttering ones life. The article isn't even from a Christian source but from one of the websites that emails encouragement to those of us in the throes of weight loss. This de-cluttering has been a process since Christmas. Without me realizing it in the arduous process, God's been showing me through all this sorting, giving and throwing away the work He is doing inwardly in me. Maybe He has been showing me all this and I'm just now taking the time to pay attention.


Wednesday found me at The Nord for triple point purchases. I was so intimidated to shop on the second floor. Where does one begin? How would I know which brands run small and which are true to size? I asked for help and a wonderful clerk, Rhoda helped me. For all you Bad Seed fans out there, I still had Rhoda....bahahaha.... Watch the movie. Anyway, she was most helpful and we found most things on the sale rack. This morning I went back to The Nord and took back clothes that I had bought just a couple of months ago that are now way too big. A nice trade off financially. And score parking bonus, I parked in my favorite parking space both trips.


Wednesday night Dena and I experienced a Red Sea like miracle. She picked me up after work to go to dinner but first she needed to pick up some new glasses at Eye Master, the one in Highland Village. Since parking is always a crap shoot around there, we decided we would takes our chances in crossing Westheimer to get over to Escalante's. If you live in Houston you know what Westheimer looks like at rush hour. God parted the traffic going and coming back. The only cars we saw were from a distance. Guess who we ran into...not on the street but in Escalante's? Roger and Mary Ann B! As we were leaving, we went over to interrupt their date night. It was great seeing them except that Mary Ann totally snubbed me. Not really! She and Dena had some prayer talk items to discuss.


Had dinner at Buffalo Grille last night. My food journal will not be the same-o, same-o this week.


Today on the last day of winter, I had my first pedicure of the spring. I went to the spa at Lifetime to have it done. I just wasn't in the mood for a "Beautiful Nail" type experience today. Since my toes aren't showing in the winter, I don't get regular pedicures like I do the rest of the year. I didn't want to hear all that foreign talking with laughter and begin to feel insecure because of course I KNOW they are laughing about the poor and sorry condition of my feet and nails. Yes, I have read So Long Insecurity by Beth, but she didn't really cover this subject by name. Thus, my choice of Lifetime where they only have 2 chairs for pedicures. One thing that surprised me, she used a Jr blade on my feet. I haven't had that done in years. Of course I was texting Lisa P...she's using the blade. This is in reference to one of the funniest stories I have ever heard. Ask Lisa to tell you and be ready to laugh until you cry. Since it is the first pedicure of the season, the choice of color had to be bright pink. My feet are finally fit for flip flops.


Well, I better go see what I can rustle up for dinner. Then I'm finishing up some projects. Roy will be shocked when he returns home to see some of these long term projects finished and put up.

And The Winner Is......

I just took Buddy to the groomers for her mani/pedi and bath. She was not a happy camper.

Anyway, I just did the drawing for the Four Gift Cards.

And the winner is

Ria et Claude!


I know Ria, she is in choir, she is a tall friend, she is from France and if I was really France-y I would write something in French. But she has seen my attempts before. Anyway, congratulations Ria and I will be giving you your gift cards in person on Sunday.


Thank you everyone for commenting and playing. When I reach my final goal of losing about 40 more pounds, I will do another give a way. They are so much fun!

My Spring is Sprung

I'm not springing forward very well. Reset the clocks on Saturday night but I guess my brain didn't get the message because I slept Sunday morning like a sinner till half past nine. So I decided to reverse the day. Went to the gym in the morning and went to church for sleepy heads last night. It was a nice change. Got to see friends that I normally don't see anymore on Sundays because we are on different Sunday tracks.


Last night I even went to bed earlier trying to combat losing an hour. Didn't work, I slept till 9:00. So officially, I think my spring has sprung.

Don't forget that today is the last day to leave a comment here for the gift card give a way.

Foam Rollers-Feel So Good!

What an absolutely beautiful day! I've been running errands this morning in Mustang Sally. Oh yes, it is a top down day. Doo dah, doo dah.... I don't know why but I thought that needed to be added. I also made a stop at Lifetime to do some strength work. Afterwards I did some stretching on the Pro Roller or as I have learned to call it the foam roller. That's what Debbie B, trainer to the starts and to me, told me it is called. I love this foam roller thing and all the stretching you can do with it. I think the official title of the regimen is myo fascias...oh who am I kidding, I don't remember the name of what it is called, but when I see one of those rollers, I am singing, baby come to me. Let me put myself on you... After working out the knots and muscles I feel a lot taller than I am. The first time I used one of the rollers, I was looking for a ciggie in the University Room to share with foam roller. Oh yea, it was good.


Since I was feeling sooooo goooood, little shout out to the Teen Girl Squad, I went to Anthropolgy afterwards. Found some smaller plates that match our everyday stuff. They say putting your food on a smaller plate help portion control. What the heck, for $3.95 a plate, I am willing to give it a try. Also found a really neat travel journal that I just put some personal touches to and will give it to Roy when he leaves on his mission trip. Also wrote him a couple of notes on some really cool airmail paper. Even Buddy wrote a note or two with a little help from me. I don't think Buddy will be missing Roy as much as I will.


Yesterday, after Bible study, I headed over to the land of sugar via 99. I was able to make a quick stop at Super Target and after my haircut, a stop at Whole Foods. Whole Foods was out of the chicken sausage that Roy and I are loving for Saturday morning breakfast.


I find myself in a good dilemma. None of my dressy clothes fit anymore, too big. So, what to wear to a wedding tomorrow? I hope I find something. Good thing we don't have to be all dressy for church anymore.


Well, I am off to pick up Roy from his haircut and then go to Fit Foods to pick up a few meals. We've been alternating between My Fit Foods and Tru Meals. Both are very good and very healthy.

'If you haven't done so, go to the post about losing 100 lbs and make a comment. That way you'll be eligible for the drawing on Monday for the $100 in gift cards.

Conversations, Rodeo, The Lord, The Nord, The Mouse, The Master

*** Blogger is not letting me move my pictures. These sheep have nothing to do with Thursday but everything to do with Friday at the Rodeo. Thanks.*****

Wow, what an incredibly exciting weekend! How incredibly tired on Monday morning. Actually, the fun began on Thursday evening. My friend Beth was in town and we were able to grab some dinner and some much needed catch up time. Beth and I have known each other since elementary school and have been good friends since high school. We have walked through many seasons together and when we get to see one another it's as if time and distance have never existed in our friendship. We pick up where we leave off and our conversations which lean to the deep side and our laughter which leans to the silly side, make up for the time with Beth in Gig Harbor and me in Houston. Our depth and silliness has changed very little over the past 38 years, only the topics and stages of life. We still act like we are 17 years old when we get together, but evermore we are reminded that we are in our 50's, see topics and stages of life conversation. The few hours we got to spend together were wonderful.

Friday morning Dena and I headed over to the ro-de-oooooo for some shopping, oh and some agricultural education. Who am I kidding, we watched 5 and 6 year olds do some mutton' bustin' while we ate lunch. Of course I took pictures of the sheep. But that is about as close to anything agricultural for us on Friday. We were all about supporting the economy on Friday. We returned to our favorite vendor, CR Ranch @B4044. She has all types of neat shirts, pajamas, etc... I fell in love with her stuff last year and wasn't disappointed this year. We did our rodeo transportation much differently this year. We did not park on site and then wait for the kindness of a golf cart to get us back to the trams, we parked at Reed Road and took the bus. Much nicer and better run experience. After seeing just about everything that has to do with vendors, we decided there was still time in the day for a trip to Nord Rack and an early dinner at Grand Lux. I have to tell you, it has been a long while since I have done so much back to back to back activities. I was a very tired cowgirl upon returning home in the evening.

Saturday, we met my parents for lunch. Afterwards. Roy and I ran errands to finish up getting everything he needed for his mission trip. When we got home, I crashed for a nap. Seems like nap taking has taken a back seat in life these days and has been relegated to Sunday. Think my body was still trying to recover.

Of course Sunday morning, church. Since Roy had a luncheon to attend, I had lunch with a friend at The Nord. Such a nice transition into Sunday afternoon. The added thrill to my experience was shopping and buying some Bermuda shorts and capris in Point of View. My first purchase for me on the second floor of the Nord.

Last but not least, Thursday morning was the seminar with Derric Johnson, 15 Things I Learned From the Mouse That Can Be Used For the Master. Awesome and time well spent. So many things he said have been in the forefront of my mind this weekend. Peggy and I attended this on Thursday morning at First Baptist. Think I will save my thoughts on this for another post.

Don't forget to register for the give a way! Comment on March 2 post. If you don't happen to live in Houston, you can still register. I can do different gift cards for stores in your area. Oh, I have since lost another pound. Wow! It is hard for me to get my brain around... Hopefully the pound loss is not from a shrinking brain!

Have a Happy Monday! It's raining here in Houston, but don't let rainy days and Mondays get you down. Bahahha.....A little soft, adult contempo humor.

He Must Increase and I Must Decrease-Yep Lost 100 Pounds! Let's Have a Huge Give a Way!

We overslept this morning. It is not something that happens very often during the work week. Once Roy was out the door, I settled back in thinking that I'd sleep another 30 minutes or so. Silly rabbit, I overslept another 2 hours. The day just wasn't starting out as I had envisioned. So going with the plans blown theme, I threw caution to the wind and decided to weigh this morning instead of my usual Wednesday morning routine. Bleary eyed and weary I pushed the user 1 button on the scale and once it had ran through the inputted info of age and height, I stepped on the scale... There, just like the Magic 8 ball, a number appeared that I have only seen in magazines and a long time ago when I was much younger. Oh my! That dratted pound had finally left the building. I decided to do a re-do just to make sure. I have no clue how or why this happened, but when I stepped on the scale to reconfirm the number so I could truly celebrate, the number 370 came up. What the heck? No way, what? I have never weighed that much. Calmly, I stepped off the scale and did another re-do and the original number came up. It was time to celebrate. I woke up Buddy, our cat, who didn't seem at all in a celebratory mood and only reacted by covering her face with her paws.


After emailing Roy and a few friends, I announced the news on Facebook. It crossed my mind this morning as I left the house to run errands and go workout, it would be so much fun to have someone to do the day with, celebrating the 100 as a main and pivotal milestone. I forgot I could have invited the Lord in on the day. So when I stopped at the dry cleaners He reminded me how Roy had to drop off and pick up the clothes because the two steep stairs without a railing conquered me every time. He and I then celebrated as I took to those stairs like they were nothing, all the while balancing the cleaning to be put into the trunk. Thanks God! Then at Target, where once again I was hypnotized to buy more than what I originally had gone in the store for, I shopped and didn't drop. There was a day and it wasn't too long ago, that I couldn't have done what I did today. Thanks Lord for that great reminder. This seems silly but I had to park some distance away from Lifetime today to go workout. Very funny we all want close parking to go exercise. Parked the good distance away and again the Lord reminded me of those difficult days when I literally staggered to the car after working out and nearly passed out several times in attempting that long walk back.


It was while riding the recumbent bike today, listening to Erwin McManus talk about God cares about the little things in life, that it dawned on me how wonderfully Jesus has cared for me since this heart and virus journey began in September 2008. Erwin's talk is based on Jesus turning the water into wine, a small detail of life that affected maybe 30-60 people on the planet at the time. He taught that we aren't willing to trust the Lord with the little things because we want Him in on the big things and it seems easier to trust Him on the big things. Only, His time had not come when His mom asked Him to intervene in a situation that wasn't going to mean anything than to those who were there. Erwin kept saying, Jesus was invited into the situation and He was given room to do things, the little things because He was invited to do so. Clinging to life while Hurricane Ike devoured Houston and the Gulf Coast, I remember asking Jesus to intervene, to help and provide wisdom, knowledge and what I needed on this sometimes daunting journey. I had no clue what I was in for and losing weight had always been such a tough thing for me. In reality, today March 2, 2010, how is the world affected or changed because I lost a 100 pounds and know the certainty that 40-50 more is the goal the doctors have for me? Not much. Wars didn't cease, the earth goes right on rotating on its axis...but in this room, in my heart and life, there is joy overflowing that 100 pounds lost brings just like the good wine brought joy overflowing to the wedding celebration. Give Jesus room in the little things. He brings so much more to life and the party when we invite Him to intervene. That podcast today on the bike was such a special gift from the Lord Jesus. I have much to be thankful for and over.


So, now that you have plodded through all the above words, comes the most welcome news of a give a way. I cannot think of a better way to celebrate on Monablog but to give a $100 in gift cards away...to one winner. So combining my loss to Houston's gain of a Nordstrom Rack, I am giving away gift cards from the Nord, Grand Lux, Old Navy and Barnes and Noble that will total $100.00. Once you find a parking place in the lot, you'll have gift cards to visit the main stores, have lunch and can make a whole afternoon of it. All you have to do is leave a comment on my blog. This rolls over to Facebook but don't comment on the Facebook notes, you need to come here nancysmonablog.blogspot.com and leave the comment. The drawing for the gift cards will be on March 15th.