the real mccoys

food for finance: occupy marathon

2012-02-04T13:07:00.002-06:00

(healthy) food for finance is a column where we talk about how fitness and finance correlate with each other. join us on our journey to be both physically and financially fit.

Ever since writing a story on paper about being the 99% or 1% became the "in" thing to do, I wanted to be "in" and do one. The marathon was perfect! Research shows that anywhere from .1% to 2% of the world's population ever completes a full marathon. So I took the average and came up with 1% for the sake of my picture! We ARE the 1%!

Here is where I got that info: Memphis Runners Track Club said...

Soooo....we did a search to see what percent of people run a marathon and this is what we found on more than one site:

"Depending on who you ask, people who have completed a marathon make up anywhere between 0.1% and 2% of the world’s population. I had sort of dismissed that statistic as bunk and folklore until I stumbled upon this Web site, which has all sorts of interesting statistics about marathon finishes in the United States.
There were 382,000 marathon finishes in 2005. Guesstimating the U.S. population at 295 million in that year, it works out to about .13% (and you have to take into account that many of the people who finished were not first-time marathoners). These numbers are incredibly rough, but at the very least they don’t completely dispel the 0.1% statistic most often quoted by anyone who has ever run a marathon."

I never wanted to do a full marathon. Kyle signed up back in April to do the St. Jude full marathon in December of 2011. I created a monster! Kyle went from running a 45 minute 5k in 2007 to running a full marathon in 2011. I am so proud of him!

Before the big race.

I told Kyle I did not want to do it. So to make sense, I trained with him. Say what? Why in the world would I do that? I figured I could at least train and if I changed my mind, I could then sign up last minute. I wanted to see how it felt to run more than 13.1 miles (I've done a ton of half marathons) before I signed up for the full 26.2.

Before the race when life was good.

So, I ran 14 miles...it wasn't too bad. Then I ran a 16 mile run with him. I still felt good. Ok, ok, I'll sign up. OH NO-I went to sign up and it was capped out!?! Here I am, running 16 miles for nothing. I was not happy.

About to start.

So I waited it out. I just knew that someone would get injured and I could get their bib number. So I waited and waited.

April did the half! Go girl!

Finally, the day before the race, I got a bib number from someone that injured themselves training. A DAY BEFORE! I only had 24 hours to mentally prepare for 26.2 miles. I had lost it!

Our cheerleaders! Jen-Leon-Marianna. Such funny signs! All the runners loved them!

Not only did I have 1 day to mentally prepare for the race, I also did 2 other race no-no's. I ran in new shoes and new shorts! I honestly think I left my brain somewhere that week. The good news is that my new shoes were awesome and I did not get a single blister. My shorts were great too! I don't recommend anyone doing what I did!

At mile 10 and feeling great.

At every mile I would reassess myself and see how I was. If I felt bad at the split, I would just do the half. But I decided to complete the full with Kyle.

Here comes Lauren and I at mile 17. I look ok here.

Oh but look at this picture. Not so good!

My friend Marianna lives at mile 17 and she had cheering station for us. I even decided to go up to her house and use the bathroom. I ate something and went on my way. Kyle was a little ahead of me as Lauren and I decided to walk/run because we both were hurting at mile 14. I told Kyle to go on! I also felt VERY safe running with Lauren because she's a doctor! I had all my bases covered!

Mile 17 cheerleaders were the best!

Around mile 18 Lauren and I saw Kyle walking. He joined us. He started to hurt. He knew he needed to slow down and save himself for the next 8 miles. So the 3 of us walked/ran. Mile 19 to mile 26.2 was miserable! I hated it. Then I saw a sign that said "you chose your pain, we didn't" and it was true. If I could only get through 8 more miles, I'd be done. But the kids that have cancer can't say that. They did not choose to have pain. That is the only thing that got me through it because I was hurting. We started out at 11 minute mile pace and ended up doing a 13 minute mile pace because of the walking. But that does not matter. WE DID IT!

YAY! We are the 1%. Our official time was 5 hours and 48 minutes. Our goal was to finish.

I told Kyle that I will never do another marathon again. One and done. 1st and last. I think I know how it feels to be old and it's not pretty! But you never know what the future holds. I might eat my words. Congrats to us! Thanks to all our cheerleaders, including my in-laws!

I compared the pain I felt afterwards to the flu. I ached all over. I did not feel good lying down or standing up. I hurt either way. But the pain finally subsided and Kyle and I even went to our friend Randi's Rum Ball fest that very night. It is doable! No pain, no gain right?!

delta tour, basketball, football OH MY!

2012-01-22T21:01:00.002-06:00

My last post was about Thanksgiving and how I wanted Kyle to take me on a tour of his family land while we were in the area. So here it is "the to be continued" Thanksgiving trip.

Welcome to Thornton, Mississippi. Population: I don't know! I was all ready to see a town square. There is not one. I guess that is why it is called " touring farm land!"

This is where my mother-in-law grew up. It used to be a cotton farm. Now they lease it out to corn farmers.

This is the tire swing in the back of Kyle's Mimi's old house.

And that was it. Kyle said, I told you we'd be done touring in about 10 minutes. I had a good time and it was nice to see some family history!

Then we went north to Greenwood, MS. Home of where the movie The Help was filmed.

Finally, a town square! It is a such cute downtown area. I'm sure there is farm land there too. Kyle showed me Mimi's "city home!" They spend so much time in the city, they needed a place to sleep! We had lunch at The Crystal Grill. It was one of Pappy's (Kyle's grandfather) favorites.

After walking the streets of downtown Greenwood, we drove east to Starkville to complete our Mississippi tour.

Another game of the century was about to happen. That's right! The battle of the McCoys happened again. Read about the 1st battle here. Round TWO! Mississippi State vs UT-Martin basketball game!

I had to take a picture when the game was tied. It counts even though the game just started right?

The boys in action.
I tried to count the UTM fans. I counted all 6 of them. I think those 6 fans were parents of the players. But I sure did stick out like a sore thumb when UTM would make a basket and I stood up to cheer. I'm a true fan!

To bad UT-Martin lost.

The very next day was the Egg Bowl. Ole Miss vs MSU.

Leah and Josh-the newlyweds.

a game of football at the tailgate.

the hash tag. #hailstate

Mississippi State was the 1st college to put a hash tag in the end zone for people to tweet during the game. MSU made a social medial breakthrough!

It rained, then it stopped.

Then it rained. But it was not a cold rain. So I was able to hang...until the end of the 1st quarter when my SIL Leah wanted to leave and go to BWW to watch the game in dry air.

Leah saving us a parking spot at BWW.

Mississippi State ended up winning the Egg bowl 31-3. They've won 3 years in a row and that has not happened since the 40s I think?! Needless to say, I was with a happy family.

What a great weekend!

thankful for family and...applebee's?

2012-01-06T21:30:00.000-06:00

It was our year to do McCoy thanksgiving at the deer camp in the deep delta of Mississippi. We can't make both so we switch each year.

MIL and Annlea (Kyle's cousins baby)

The spread was amazing.

Mimi (Kyle's very funny grandmother) and Aunt Eloise (Kyle's great aunt)

4 generations

Last spring was full of tornadoes. One passed by the deer camp.

Only a city girl would take this picture.

After thanksgiving, we went to Jackson, MS to spend the night with Kyle's cousin since Mimi is now moved to a retirement home in Meridian. I wanted to take a tour of his family land in the Delta where Mimi lived and my MIL grew up. Our drive to Jackson was about 1 hr and 15 mins and about 15 mins from Jackson I had the best idea. I said "Kyle, why did we not stay at a Bed & Breakfast in Vicksburg or Greenwood? Then we wouldn't have to drive all the back tomorrow and you know I want to stay at a B & B in the Delta." Kyle said "Angie that was a great idea....1 day ago." I was not on top of my game. A little too late.

Then...we needed to eat dinner and wait for his cousin to get back from her in-laws. I just knew there would be at least 5 options for me to choose from. My pet peeve is eating at chain restaurants. So we drove around for about 15 mins and there was nothing open. I kept dwelling on my B & B idea.

eating good in the neighborhood

The chain of chain restaurants was the only place open. APPLEBEE'S! Really? Seriously? That place reminds me of the movie Talladega nights. So we made the most of it. We sat at the bar and had some salads. And I had a great time. It felt like I was at someones home. They were putting up the tree. Very nice people on a thanksgiving night. If you are ever feeling down about missing out on a great idea, go to Applebee's. It will make you have warm fuzzies.

By the time we were done eating, Kyle's cousin was home. Perfect timing. We hung out with her family and I tried to talk Kyle into going shopping at midnight while I slept (HA). I really wanted a Dyson and black Friday had great deals. He didn't go for my idea (got shot down twice that day) so we utilized cyber Monday and now we are proud owners!

Next post will be my delta tour!

thankful for friends

2012-01-06T15:02:00.000-06:00

Maybe my new years resolution needs to be to stay on top of blogging!

Back to November...I love the fact that my friends do a "friends thanksgiving." Some of them are my friends from college that are not from Memphis but ended up here. Some are work friends, bible study friends, Memphis friends...friends of all kinds. I am thankful that we take time to do this. Some of them have family far away but it is nice to know that they have a family right here in Memphis when they can't be near their loved ones.

Betsy-Emily-Amanda-me

April-Cindy

So...April's boyfriend Nathan pulled Kyle aside and told him he was going to propose to April on Thanksgiving day in front of her family. Kyle DID NOT tell me! I got a text from April on Thanksgiving night. I can't believe that boy didn't tell me. Don't married people share everything? Even secrets? Congrats April and Nathan! Too bad Kyle didn't think I could keep a secret for 4 days. I guess I understand why he didn't!

Mariana-Fergie-Jen-Shelly

deserts

Cindy loves to make crazy faces. Can you pick her out?

The secret keeper and me

Maybe this is why he didn't tell me. I met up with April the next day with a couple of friends to have lunch with our sorority sister who is expecting. Maybe he didn't want me to look like I knew something. He knows I keep good secrets!

me-Betsy-April-Shelly-Jennifer-Holly (and her baby bump)

I am very blessed to have such a wonderful Memphis friend family.

enchanted forest

2012-01-06T13:48:00.000-06:00

I am a member of TWIGS. We raise money for Le Bonheur Children's Hosptial. Every year, TWIGS hosts the Enchanted Forest at the Pink Palace. My department always decorates a tree.

Rachel-Amanda-me

Our tree-we got 2nd place in the Le Bonheur category.

In years past, we hosted a preview party where people bought tickets and viewed the forest before it opened. We decided against it this year and just had a reception for the donors. I was the bartender. And by bartender I mean I gave out sodas, beer, and wine. But I liked calling myself the bartender!

Thanks to all who came to the forest and supported Le Bonheur!

food for finance: million mile joe

2012-01-03T21:59:00.000-06:00

(healthy) food for finance is a column where we talk about how fitness and finance correlate with each other. join us on our journey to be both physically and financially fit.

Have you heard of the the guy who had 1 million miles on his Honda? Do you know how many zeros that is? 1,000,000!! I don't think he did it because he is a Dave Ramsey follower. I think he likes cars and wanted to see how far it would go. Mute the music on my page (bottom right) and watch his story.

Now watch this one. It is the parade Honda had for him when he hit 1,000,000 miles!

Kyle and I are no where near 1 million miles on our cars...not even if you add them together. We both have 2002 SUVs which means our cars turn 10 years old this year. I have 146,000 miles and Kyle has 192,000 miles on his. Joe has given us hope!

Here is our car plan: As you know, we are on the Dave Ramsey plan. We have no debt but our house. We are about 7 weeks away from having our 6 month emergency fund completely funded (baby step 3). Before starting baby steps 4, 5 & 6, we'll need to save for a car. So we will pause the plan and save for a car. Basically, do what we are doing now-just saving away.

Why do we plan to pay cash for a car? Because we don't want to have debt. Instead of us paying interest on a car payment, we'll pay our self a car payment and gain interest. Since we have no debt but our house, we can save for a car in no time! How awesome will it feel to buy a car with CASH!?!

Will we buy a new car? No, it is not in the budget. Cars lose 70% of its value within the 1st 4 years (even with the 0% financing that is so so tempting). Our "new" car will at least be 4 years old. Click here to see the full story of why we are doing this. Kyle and I are having fun with getting out of debt! It is very empowering. I am thankful for a husband that shares the same goals as me. I'll be sure to update you when we get our "new" car. Until then, we'll celebrate that our cars are hitting the 10 year mark. Who knows, maybe we'll be million mile McCoys!

all work and no play

2012-01-02T21:35:00.002-06:00

The week before Thanksgiving I went to Birmingham, AL with some work people for an early intervention conference. I really enjoy going to conferences. It's easy to feel burnout at work so a conference is the cure to feel refreshed with new ideas!

Barbara Dooley was the keynote speaker. She is the wife of long time George football coach Vince Dooley. Her son Derek Dooley coaches UT football. I blogged earlier about Kyle's experience on the field at the UT-Martin vs Mississippi State football game. I called him the Derek Dooley of MSU. Derek always wears orange pants and Kyle had his maroon pants on during his VIP game experience. In saying all this, I wanted to tell Barbara that I am married to a football fanatic and I feel her pain. But I refrained! She was a great speaker. I could listen to her all day.

We are never silly!

The girls from work: Kerry-Ulanda-me-Jen-Camille

I even got to see one of my old interns from back in my child life days! Now back to work...

pinterest party

2011-12-31T22:52:00.001-06:00

Now I've made two things on pinterest. My friend Shelly hosted a pinterest party. BYOC-bring your own crafts! We met on a Saturday in November and made the ideas we saw on pinterst. I met Jen at Hobby Lobby beforehand and bought the stuff to make my wreath.

Mariana and her burlap wreath in the making.

Shelly made 2 wreaths! She's super crafty!

Mariana also decorated hair clips and Jen made a winter wreath.

Final products! We need to do it again.

While I was crafting all day, Kyle went to Starkville yet again to go to a football game. He was a VIP AGAIN! He got VIP passes for the Bulldog bash. He got to see the Avett Brothers and Jake Owen from the VIP booth. So I guess he can get VIP passes without me. I thought I was the one who "knew" people. Guess not!

food for finance: resolutions-boomer style

2011-12-31T16:44:00.000-06:00

(healthy) food for finance is a column where we talk about how fitness and finance correlate with each other. join us on our journey to be both physically and financially fit.

BOOTCAMP FOR BOOMER

Of course I think I have the cutest dogs in the world! They truly are ~~man's~~ woman's best friend. Boomer has always been festively plump. He's just big boned. Min Pins are supposed to weigh anywhere from 8-12 pounds. My Boomer usually weighs in around the 19 pound range. Like I said, he is big boned.

Boomer in his winter sweater. Min Pins are cold blooded and need to keep warm.

I took him for his yearly exam and he'd gained 2.5 pounds. Percentage wise, that is a lot for Boom. I was really worried because we don't feed him table food and we had not changed anything. His treats consist of carrots. The vet mentioned it could be his thyroid so I had that checked and it was not that. She then talked about prescription dog food. I said we'd start that once he finished his other light dog food.

Boomer waiting for the vet.

About 3 weeks later, I had to take Boomer in for an infection and he'd gained another 1.5 pounds! I was mortified! How could this happen under my watch? Especially when Kyle and I are healthy people!! I talked to my vet about my concerns and she said "the good news is that you are not in denial about his weight." It was hilarious! She went on to say "some dog owners don't recognize their dog's weight problems." I felt like she was saying "I'm glad you know your dog is fat...that is the 1st step to recovery!" She gave me a good pep talk about how to get my dog to lose weight. Like I didn't know HOW to do that. I wanted to say "lady, do you know WHO you're talking to here? I am the queen of helping people lose weight. Have you met my husband?" Then I realized, my dog is fat and I have done nothing to help him. No wonder she gave me weight loss education.

We bought the expensive dog food and started Boomer on his new life style change. He gets 1/4 c of food in the morning and 1/4 c of food at night with about 7 green beans. The vet said most dogs are over fed because the recommendations are based on dogs who are active. Most dogs lay on the couch all day and rarely exercise. In turn, they eat more food and the dog food companies make more money. So, if your dog is not walking 2 miles a day, feed them less than what the dog food bag says. It will save you money and your dog some pounds. Better yet, walk them every day!

Update: Kyle took Boomer in a week later for his check up for the infection and he'd lost 1.2 pounds! YAY!

We take him in for monthly weigh-ins. He is FOR REAL on a plan. We don't play!

Moral of this story: We learned that WE control what our dogs eat, how much exercise they get, etc. Take care of your furry kids. Don't be like us! When we got married, Boomer lost 3 pounds. We became complacent. We love our dogs and want them around for a long time! Boomer started his resolution a couple of months early. Happy New Year!

THE game of the century

2011-12-27T13:45:00.000-06:00

The moment finally came! THE game of the century happened on November 5, 2011. I am not talking about the LSU vs Alabama game (Champ game round one played at the same time). I am talking about the University of Tennessee at Marin Skyhawks vs the Mississippi State University Bulldogs.

Why was this game such a big deal to me? I married into a family that their life revolves around MSU sporting events. Kyle was brain washed to love MSU and go to school there so he did! His grandfather, mother, father, sister all went to MSU. I went to school at UT-Martin. BIG DEAL! Our schools met for a showdown! OHH YEAHHHH!!!

So in October of 2010, it was announced that MSU would play UT-Martin in football. I was a little excited to say the least. Ok-Ok, I was more than excited. I started emailing all my friends so that they could plan to come 13 months in advance! This was the 1st time these 2 teams had met.

Not all of my college friends could make it down to the game because one of our non UT-Martin friends was getting married. But some did come. I was sad to miss her wedding but was very excited about THE game I'd been looking forward to all year!

Friday night we loaded up the Tahoe and went down to Starkville. My in-laws have a game house and were very sweet to let us stay there since they could not make the game.

Wait a minute...Mariana is buying MSU swag. Trader! She did not go to UTM or MSU but decided to be a MSU fan. I forgave her.

Kyle and Mariana making tailgate food.

me-Fergie-Kristy-Mariana

I was a little disappointed that Fergie totally jumped ship and was a MSU fan. She got her undergrad and masters at UTM. A true trader! Thanks Kristy for being a true Skyhawk fan!

I've always wanted to say this: A house divided!

Our master griller Kyle. He was in a house full of women for 2 days. He gets the prize for the most patient man!

Oh wait-now I see it. Another UTM graduate is being a trader. Kristy has on a bulldog sticker?

AND she has a cowbell?! Am I the only one here that is loyal to my Alma Mater?

Shame shame girls....Kyle took them to get cowbells. Breaks my heart. How could Kyle do this to me? The fallen angels.

Kajuanda! We work together. Since she graduated from MSU-I won't make fun of her shirt.

Look what we have here. 6 UTM ADPIs!!!

Kristy is a guidance counselor at a school in Shelby County and 3 of her graduates are in school at UTM. And they are ADPIs! We had to pose for a sorority shot. I almost didn't let Fergie in the picture since she is a trader!

We found the most school spirited student. "Pom pon" man.

Mariana and I waiting for the DogWalk.

Up until now, this day was a big deal for me and a fun day for Kyle to see me so excited. But the day kept on getting better. You see, Shelly (in the picture below) is loyal UTM fan. It just so happens that her dad is the athletic director for UTM. Shelly called Kyle and offered him an all access pass for the game.

True Skyhawk fan Shelly and me!

All access pass?! My husband was the MOST excited person I'd ever seen. All access means he could get on the field during the game. He wanted to be in the stadium 60 minutes before the game started so he could just stand there in awe! He was so funny. He told me he wanted to jump up and down like a 5 year old but had to contain himself. I got to go on the field with him for about 5 minutes and I am so glad I did! I got some great photo shots.

Perfect Halloween picture: I pretended to be Erin Andrews and since Kyle had on maroon pants, I called him coach Kyle Kooley (knock off of Derek Dooley's orange pants). Look at the player on the right warming up.

Coach Kyle on the field getting the team ready for the BIG game!

He looks like he belongs there.

The real coach Dan Mullen. Kyle took my camera and went crazy with the pictures.

What a treat. He is on the field and the game is the UTM game!

I finally met up with the girls to watch some football.

GO SKYHAWKS! I am sure those girls are thrilled to be cheering at a SEC game. A bit different than the Skyhawk field back home. I know I would've been super excited since I am an old UTM pom pon girl myself!

Kyle spent the whole 1st quarter on the field. He high-fived one of the running backs after a touch down. He ran up and down the field. He was at the goal line when the guys ran out. He took full advantage of his VIP pass!

Where's Kyle? He is on the left (4th person) in his maroon pants. The picture came from the MSU football facebook page. Proof Kyle was a big-wig for a day!

Kyle called me after the 1st quarter and told me I could get in the sky box with him to see the Danes (Shelly's family). On the way up to the sky box, he told me this was the 2nd most favorite day of his life. I said "2nd to marrying me right?" He said "of course!" Then I said "you would've never had this day if you had never met me!" He then said "yes, that is why it is the 2nd most favorite day of my life!" HA!

VIP'ing with the Danes!

Ah, the life of a VIP is hard...

The Dane sisters!

I knew the whole time that the game would be a blow out. But it is all the school spirit that makes me happy. Kyle could not thank Mr.Dane enough for letting him come and hang out with the big "dogs"!! He still talks about what a great time he had and how he probably will never get a chance to do that again.

This is what I told Kyle: "I told you I was excited about the UTM vs MSU game. I KNOW people and get things done!!" (Like I knew this would happen!! HAHA). But hey, he'll remember THE game of the century for the rest of his life! You're welcome Kyle!!

girls night out & basketball champ

2011-12-27T11:35:00.000-06:00

To end my October festivities, Betsy invited us to the Junior League Of Memphis Merry Marketplace girls night out. I was so proud-I bought a few Christmas gifts. It did feel a bit weird seeing Christmas stuff out in October.

Shelly-Emily-Amanda-me-Steph-Betsy

That very weekend, Kyle went home to play in a high school alumni basketball tournament that he helped organize. He was in the oldest group. The team he was on graduated from 1999 to 2002. Guess who won? Kyle's team! He beat the boys that just graduated. I asked him what he won. He said pride. I recently just found out that Kyle was a pretty good basketball player back in the day. He was MVP of his district his senior year. I told him if I would've known that when I met him, maybe I would've married him sooner =)

famous runners

2011-12-26T22:08:00.001-06:00

Kyle trained for the full marathon. I decided to train with him in case I decided to be crazy and run it too. In October, the Memphis Runners hosted the 2nd 10 miler of the Road Race Series. Since Kyle and I have been running races, we always see those crazy runners who finish the race, then keep on running. Why would they do that?

Me: Kyle, they just ran 10 miles WITH hills and now they are running more. Are they crazy?

Kyle: I want to be them one day.

If you can't beat them, join them!

Since we were training for a full marathon, we needed to run 14 miles the day of the 10 mile race. So after the 10 mile run, we joined the crazies and ran 4 extra miles! YAY! It was so much fun to have people looking at us like we lost our minds! We were "those" people!!! And if you've ever been to Shelby Forest, then you know we were extra crazy for running the hills. But hey, we had to get our 14 mile run in.

To reward ourselves and to make sure we did not pass out for lack of food, we ate brunch (if you want to call eating a hamburger at 10am brunch) at the General Store.

It was good! The people were very friendly.

For all you foodies, they have a steak nite on Fridays and we plan to visit soon!

I should also point out that the above picture was taken during our "extra miles." Oh it gets better. The very next week I had a friend tell me I was on the home page of the Memphis Runners Track Club website. Say what?? As of today (12/26/11) we are still on the slide show. We are the 7th picture that pops up. We were the only picture but we got moved because of updated ones but still made the cut! HA! I am easily amused by things. Can you tell? I need to start charging for my running photos. I was also on the St. Jude Marathon home page (a very tiny me) and on posters! Who knew I'd be so famous?! Again, easily amused! Autographs will be signed upon request! On a serious note, I would've never imagined Kyle would be training for a FULL marathon when we got married. You need to read his weight loss journey. It is an amazing story. And now he is training for fulls and on a running website! You go Kyle! I'm so proud of you.

all the single ladies

2011-12-24T21:46:00.000-06:00

In October, a bunch of my friends went to Nashville to celebrate Lisa's last few months as a single lady! We painted the town red!

Of course I was the one who had to make a potty break on the way.

But what a fun gas station!!

They sold boats! I pick this one!

Kristy, me, and Shelly thinks someone needs to buy this for our lake trips!

We finally got to Franklin and ate lunch at a cute little deli in the downtown area.

I really like downtown Franklin. It is so very...suburbian meets singer meets hipster meets yuppie all in rolled in one.

After visiting a shoe store, we tasted a little wine at Arrington Vineyards.

Can you see the hot air balloon on the left? That is something I want to do one day (hint hint Kyle!)

Mariana and me hitching a ride on the golf cart.

Cindy lou who!

It was a beautiful fall day. They just had a wedding as we saw the bride walking around.

Cindy, Stephanie, Kristy, me.

Right when we were leaving, they started playing music. It was so packed. I told Kyle we have to go back, bring a picnic, and enjoy the scenery.

Next up: presents at the hotel.

How cute, the bridesmaids got the movie "Bridesmaids" for a gift!

Time to paint the town!!

We ate dinner downtown but I did not like what I had so I won't tell where we went. Look how happy Lisa is!

Amanda! My fellow child life specialist friend!

About to not enjoy my meal.

I was SO happy my old flatmate Lauren showed up! I miss her!

We did some dancing and let me just say, there are some strange cats that hang out in Nashville.

See below.

He looks scary! I really wanted to see someone ride the bull but it never happened.

Since we're an older crew, we didn't stay out late. So I guess we didn't paint the town...we just did a little touch up job. More like we painted the trim. I am so happy for Lisa that she found someone who wants to share their life with her! She is a very special person and marriage is great! I highly recommend it-but only with the right person! Congrats Lisa! Can't wait to see who the next one is!

canton flea market

2011-12-13T19:27:00.000-06:00

THE flea market of all flea markets is the Canton Flea Market! It is held the 2nd Thursday in October and May in Canton Mississippi. In October I trucked it south to check it out. On Wednesday I stayed with Kyle's cousin Meredith. We got up bright and early on Thursday to check out the goods.

This is just one streets the market engulfs. And it looks small on here but it is so big! I should not have even posted this because it makes it look so small.

I had the best time trying out the teas.

Next time I will bring Kyle and he can be my runner. Some of the women shopped with carts. But that really got on my nerves because it is so crowed, then all the sudden, I got hammered by a lady in her big cart. If you go... bring a runner, sunglasses, and shopping bags. No cart please. Flea market foul!

My mother-in-law told me to eat a chicken on a stick. I didn't. I regret it. Next time I will!

I was in the middle of reading The Help when I went to the flea market so all these things popped in my head. I'm pretty corny and tried to imagine what it would be like in 1962 when we parked in the big backyard of an old southern home.

This is where I pictured Skeeter living for all you Help fans.

We parked behind this house.

After the market, I visited Mimi and Aunt Eloise then drove back home only to have a rock hit my windshield and crack it. BOO!

I highly recommend going to the Canton Flea Market. And this is coming from a girl and really doesn't enjoy shopping so you know it must be good!

ribs and running

2011-11-29T10:05:00.000-06:00

In October, Kyle's BBQ team had their 1st cook off at the Arlington BBQ festival! They've been practicing all summer and the time came to show off their smoking skills.

Greg, the team leader!

Compared to the other grills/smokers, the Bluff City Bulldogs had a smaller set up. As their slogan said "it's not the size of your grill, but the taste of your meat." Boys, boys...you're so clever! Now get your mind out of the gutter.

Steph-Jen-me-Jessica

We showed up later on Friday to try the food. YUM! Jessica entered in the dessert contest. She made pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese icing!!

The boys eating

The boys also entered in the seafood contest. Salmon.

I love the smell of a man gilling! It is one of my favorites! Kyle had been smoking ribs and a boston butt all day (since 7am).

The layout

The girls after eating some food!!

The atmosphere was fun. The air was full of smells that reminded me of the Memphis in May BBQ contest. We went for a walk and happened upon a band jamming out.

Twin Soul was playing 80s music. GREAT people watching event! We rocked out to Def Lepord!

Kyle stayed the night in a camper while I went home. I take that back. Kyle stayed up with Greg to smoke a boston butt and I went to rest up for the Le Bonheur 5k pumpkin run.

Our divsion team: Takin' It To the Streets!

I woke up bright and early on Saturday to burn off some calories and run for a good cause. It was my 2nd best time, just a little over 28 minutes. We had a great turn out!

After the run, I headed back out to the BBQ contest.

Ahhhh yeah. The ribs looked amazing.

Looking good guys. So proud of you!

The long walk to the judges table. All the hard work is about be up to someone's taste buds!

the judge's table.

the team: Chris, Greg, Kyle, Clay
the results: good news, they did not get last place!

dessert: 8 out of 13

seafood: 5 out of 8

ribs (patio porkers-rookies): 15 out of 18

The guys did great and most of all, they had the besttime. Can't wait for the next one!

Since Kyle only slept 1 hour on Friday night, he was not rested for the Road Race 10 miler on Sunday morning. So I ran in his place with Lauren! It was a beautiful run through Shelby Forest. It was early, but fun! A great way to start the day!

fall showers

2011-11-09T22:12:00.001-06:00

Our last night in September was spent at the Levitt Shell. We love going to the shell.

To recap: free show, outdoors, great music, fall time=awesome date night!

We tried real hard to get the band in the picture.

The Alternate Routes played that night. The famous member of the band is the battered yellow toolbox that one of the band member plays. First time I've heard that before and it sounded great.

Finally October is here. One of favorite months. It is the month I got engaged! Speaking of being engaged, my friend Lisa did and I went to one of her showers.

She's in the middle. So excited for her. I made my very first pinterest craft for her gift!

After the shower, I went to my parents house where I walked into this...

Kyle was grilling some burgers on the famous keg grill. If you grew up with me, then you know all about the grill! It has fed many of my friends. Mom tells me I had a habit of inviting people over all the time to eat! I did! It was fun.

i'm a PINster

2011-11-07T21:36:00.002-06:00

...not to be confused with a gangster!

For those of you who don't know what pinterest is, it is crack for those of us who have a hard time being creative. Well, that is what it is for me. There is something for everyone on pinterst. It is a world full of endless ideas!

I've been pinning for a while. Yes, it can be addicting. But I have managed make some things.

I made this wedding invitation ornament for my friend as a wedding gift. I can tell you this. I would not have come up with this cute, easy to make, frugal idea on my on. It was a hit at the shower! Now that I'm a PINster, I am the crafty, artsy girl I always wanted to be!

food for finance: run like a mother

2011-11-01T20:05:00.001-06:00

(healthy) food for finance is a column where we talk about how fitness and finance correlate with each other. join us on our journey to be both physically and financially fit.

Amber Miller runs a marathon while almost 39 weeks pregnant

I stole this title from a book I'm reading. However, did you hear about the 27 year old lady who completed the Chicago marathon while pregnant..38 weeks and 5 days pregnant??! Then went to the hospital to give birth to a healthy baby girl! Well, this was her 2nd time to complete a marathon while pregnant. She ran one in May while 17 weeks. So really she ran 2 marathons while pregnant with her baby girl. The sweetest thing I read was that her husband ran/walked it with her, every step of the way! Of course she was a runner before (8 marathons under her belt) and was in shape while she trained and ran the race. She finished 3 hours slower than her personal record but that is understandable! Here is the t.v. clip.

Kyle is training for the St. Jude marathon so I decided to train with him even though I did not sign up. I have no desire to run one. I know that sounds really strange since I'm training with him. It gets lonely running for over 3 hours by yourself. But we're only up to 16 miles. If I do the math, I'd still have 10.2 miles left. And that is still a long way to go. I told him I'd see how I felt about signing up after I ran his 20 mile run with him. Then I looked it up today and the marathon he is running is capped out. So if I decide to do it, and you know someone who signed up and doesn't want to run, let me know!

I need to reflect. Who would've thought Kyle would be training for a marathon when just 3 1/2 short years ago he was 60 lbs heavier and swore he'd never run a half marathon! Never say never.

I really have NO idea how the pregnant lady completed the marathon!! 2 times!!! She gets the cool award in my book. What a way to go into labor and not get induced.

kaught in the kitchen

2011-10-30T21:00:00.001-06:00

Kyle and I agree on a clean kitchen. When I say clean, I mean no dishes can be left in the sink. We take the extra 3 seconds and put the dish in the dishwasher. Simple. We are by no means neat freaks. Our baker's rack gets dusty, our table collects all the junk mail, etc. I am on a mission to find a solution for that! Ideas anyone? We were doing great at the beginning of the year. We had check list of chores to do each day so we would not have to spend all weekend cleaning. Well, that lasted until May when the sheet ran out. Oops.

So we're trying to get back on track! Kyle made us a new check list to last until the end of the year. Kyle started it off right and deep cleaned the fridge. He loves doing that. And I love that he loves to do it too! This is why he is my toilet paper husband! Let the cleaning begin!

september in starkville

2011-10-30T20:34:00.001-06:00

I felt like I didn't see Kyle much in September. With his part time job 2 nights a week and me being a football widow at times, we have to make the most out of our time together. Oh it gets better. He went to Dallas for 3 days (Sept 21-23). So on Tuesday night he had trivia (part-time job), early Wednesday morning he flew to Dallas, Friday at 11pm he got back. Then early Saturday we left for Starville for some football or as I call it tailgating and eating lots of food. I'm tired again from typing that.

This was my 1st home game of the season. Louisiana Tech played Mississippi State and they barley won...in over time.

Ryan and Kyle (and coach Dan in the middle). College roommates.

We stayed the night in Starkville and ate breakfast at City Bagel. It is a quaint spot in Starville and they serve some mean bagels. Yummy! Then we drove home and cooked out with my parents. Finally, I got to see my hubby all weekend!

the september saga

2011-10-28T23:37:00.001-05:00

For some reason, September was such a busy month for us! Kyle went down to Starkville for the Mississippi State vs Louisiana State football game on Thursday (the weekend of Sept 16). Of course I have no pictures from the game! He took off on Friday since it was a Thursday night game. On Friday, he went to his hometown to his high school homecoming football game to see some old friends.

I stayed in town because I had big plans!

On Friday, I parked my jeep at work and I saw this piece of sod at a parking meter.

I was really confused. Why were they sodding the concrete? That makes no sense. Do these men not know that you need to have dirt to grow grass.

Oh, it was Park(ing) Day! Who knew?! Basically it is a day where parking meters are turned into temporary parks. It was fun to watch the parks construct from my window all morning.

Jen and I walked around and saw some of the parks. Look--a bison in the street! You know Shelby Farms had to have a parking spot!

I decided to go camping at mud island park!

Not sure what this was but they took old tires and made them into see-saws. All my UT-Martin ADPi's...this reminds me of teeter-totter!

The Memphis Roller Derby was right under my window. We didn't get to look at all the parks but next year I hope to spend more time at them. And not get caught off guard by men laying sod at a meter.

Then, Jen and I went to Harbor town for mani/pedis for my belated birthday present! Very relaxing! Thanks Jen!

Saturday was the annual Women run/walk 5k hosted by the Memphis Runners Track Club. It is a 10 week program for beginner walkers to advanced runners. I did the advance class with Danielle, my director at work. Also, my manager Sheila completed the walk along with our other manager Jill.

Camille-Sheila-Danielle-Jill-me

Danielle had a PR (personal record) and won 2nd in her age group for the runners. Jill won 2nd in her age group for the walkers! Sheila completed her 1st 5k. Good job girls!!

April and I before the race!

This is such an encouraging program to be a part of. I highly recommend you do this if you live in Memphis! It is held the same time every year.

Cindy-Krista-Amanda-me

Then I joined some of my bible study girls and hung out at the Cooper Young Festival. Don't you love our cool sun glasses thanks to Comcast?!

I had such a fun, busy weekend. I think my favorite part was the 5k. All the women that completed the 5k reached a goal. Whether it was to finish or to beat their previous time. I love to see people do more than they think they can do. There were women of all shapes and sizes and all different paces. We supported each other to keep it up and get healthy! We did it!

football widow

2011-10-23T21:55:00.000-05:00

The 2nd weekend in September Kyle got last minute tickets to see Mississippi State play at Auburn. Kyle and his friend Jeff drove to Rosewell (outside Altanta) to stay with Tony (a family friend). And of course, the boys did not get any pictures together. How can I blog about the guys trip? With no pictures?! Kyle-next time you must do better!!

He did get a picture. He wanted me to see what great seats they had.

Question-what was your favorite memory of your trip?

Kyle-"the war eagle smashed into the sky box. I think he got confused and saw his reflection and BAM! It is an Auburn tradition to have the eagle fly around the stadium before the game. He is ok, but I really felt bad for the poor guy."

Kyle-"I also enjoyed my breakfast I had at the Mancuso Bed and Breakfast. (we call Tony's house that!) It was so good-real bacon and an omelet biscuit."

I call myself a football widow. But it is really not that bad. I really enjoy going to the games, mostly to eat at the tailgates. The food is amazing! I could have a husband who loves to hunt and I surely would not be going with Kyle to do that. There is no food at the deer stand and no talking. I would not survive! So I am thankful for his love of football and that it is such a family event. We get to see his family AND eat. What more could I ask for? I am glad I enjoy his past time!

I had great weekend myself-my parents and I went to the Drive-In! Brings back memories of when I was a kid! Then I ran a 10k. Fun times!

georgia girls

2011-10-11T20:34:00.001-05:00

My office mate, April, invited Jen and I down to her parents new lake house in Georgia Labor Day weekend. We had a great girls trip!

Day 1: we relaxed and relaxed.

Day 2: We relaxed and layed out. Later that night, we had a great meal!

Jen is an amazing cook and April's parents have THE perfect kitchen! Jen was in heaven.

While Jen cooked, I hung out in the claw bath tub! (yes I have my clothes on for the photo op!)

I did make the salad! It was yum! We had chicken and potatoes too! And don't forget Jen's strawberry crunch dessert!

Every morning, Jen and I had a coffee drink. I need one of these in my house. I really need one that makes pumpkin spice lattes year round!

Jen and I went on a hike. We found the lake and some other critters!

On Sunday, we went to visit April's family. Their house was featured in Southern Living. I loved their lake house!

For dinner, April took us to a place so we could try Georgia's BBQ. And I give them props, it was yum!

I kind of felt bad for living it up in the theatre room while the opening weekend of college football was going on. Kyle would've been in heaven in this movie room!

At least I took advantage of it! April's mom called us the divas! I could get used to this.

How cute is April's nephew's room?! ARRRR matey!

All in all, we had a great girl's trip! Thanks to April's family for letting us visit and thanks to April for letting us tag along! I hope to come back soon!!!

maybe it was memphis

2011-10-01T12:20:00.002-05:00

Football has begun. Well, a month ago it did. So I'm a month behind. Who's keeping tabs? Kyle and I went to the Memphis State (I'm old school and won't call it the University of Memphis) vs Mississippi State game at the Liberty Bowl. It was a Thursday night and after work, we joined my cousin Brett's tailgate. Maybe it's just in Memphis, but I got some really interesting pictures!

I hate I did not get a side view of this El Camino.

This was my 2nd favorite picture: a tiger peeing (blue pee) on a bulldog and the very loud cowbell.

We met up with Jen and Leon. Jen and I found Susan (on the right) and crashed her tailgate. She works with us.

My favorite picture. These guys love their coach. Mullets for Mullen. I had to snag them for a picture. However, I did not see them at the last Mississippi State home game I went to.

And finally...me and my football obsessed husband! He asked why I was wearing blue. I wore a teal, blue shirt, a Mississippi State bracelet, and a Mississippi State sticker. I was a confused fan. I cheered for both teams. Let's face it, we all know how bad Memphis is. They needed some fans!

toilet paper husband

2011-09-28T22:00:00.003-05:00

I was at a work training day today and I had an "ah ha" moment. I work with children with special needs and their families. The trainer was going over family supports and the subject of duties of a husband came up. We were talking about family morning routines. Basically, our mock family had 4 children. 3 of which were either teens or tweens. Then there was the younger child that was under 2 years. We were talking about how crazy it is in the morning with getting everyone ready for school, breakfast, preparing lunches, carpool, and all the other things that happens when you have 4 kids. Our trainer then asked the mock mom "does your husband help or does he have certain responsibilities?"

During our debriefing, we went over that question and he called it the toilet paper person. Who is the person in the house that realizes that there is no more TP? Do they realize it when there is one sheet left? When there are 2 rolls left? Who is that person? In my family, that person is Kyle!

It is not that I had an "ah ha" moment. I had an "I need to brag on my husband" moment. First I need to thank my in-laws for raising an amazing man. They taught him well. I realize more and more each day how blessed I am. For example, I'll be on my way home and call Kyle to ask him if he can start a load of laundry. He says "I already did." Then he'll call me and say "what do you want for dinner?" Or, like yesterday, I knew I would not see him until 9pm due to his part-time job and wanted to ask how his day went. He proceeds to tell me he made me a salad and it is in the fridge. It is those little things that make a big difference! We are a team. He does his part without complaining. And without me asking. He says "this is our home and we both play a part....I want to do mine." I don't want you to think that we are peachy all the time. We are married, of course, and have our different way of thinking. But those are so few. And I think it is because I know that Kyle looks out for me and my needs and vise-versa.

Thanks Kyle for being my toilet paper husband. For the record, he beats me to the punch!!!

FYI: I feel like men get a bad rap for not helping out their wives with house chores! This is for all you awesome husbands out there! We appreciate you!

thirty-two

2011-09-27T17:31:00.001-05:00

I am now 32. I'm ok with it. Don't I have to be?! I'm a spring chicken...in my early 30s.

I wanted to be pool side for my b-day. So Kyle and I headed to Tunica for the heat wave party. Sounds pretty party-like aye? Wrong! It was pretty low key. They had a DJ playing some tunes, we got some sun, watched people play volleyball. I kinda felt like I was at an all inclusive resort for a while. They had the lawn chairs that were made out of beds in the cabanas, a wait staff, BUT then I came back down to reality when there was no sandy white beaches. Then the party people came out....

...we got there early, around noon. We left around 4 and that is when the heat wave started to get heated! HA! My low key party was too good to be true. I had a great time people watching. As we were leaving, the world's sexiest DJ arrived.

Time to eat. We went over to Paula Dean's and met our friends Jen and Leon where I had 4 plates full of food. Jen was in shock. She'd never seen me in action. It is a rare occasion, but you if see me and Kyle in Tunica, you can bet we are there to eat! It is an event. We're there for about 3 hours. I am not kidding either. We get full then we go home. We are wild I tell you! Then we eat healthy for about 4 months and do it all over again. Why would I waste my time on slots when I could be eating?!

team 2

2011-09-25T14:17:00.001-05:00

I work with a bunch of great ladies. Some of us started working around the same time. I personally think we all work very well together.

Team 2 at a training.

I am now a part of two teams and the good thing about being a part of team 4 is that I get to travel once a month to see them. And by travel I mean drive about 40 miles away but it is still fun to go on a mini-road trip to someones house to eat and work! People who work where I do rarely leave. They suck you in and it is hard to get away. Especially now that we have a very swanky downtown office!

let's go cabining

2011-09-25T14:04:00.001-05:00

Some of our friends went to Pickwick back in August. This time we decided to just go to the pool. So I guess we went to "the pool" not Pickwick.We didn't worry about renting a boat. We had the best time hanging out and of course, eating!

I didn't get a lot of photos but the pool was about a quater of a mile away. Shelly and Betsy rode in the back to the pool. They are brave souls.

We all ended up taking a nap on the lounge chairs at the pool. Kyle really enjoyed his!

Jen and Leon came and Jen made this delish potato salad! Kristy was excited to have help in the kitchen this time.

Kyle grilled his famous "Kyle bugers." Maybe he'll put the recipe on here one day.

We had a great time relaxing, playing games, sunning, and spending time together doing nothing. I have some fun friends! Who needs a boat when we are this much fun!!

new arrival

2011-09-22T22:44:00.002-05:00

It's not what you think. But I got your attention! We went to see Mimi in August. And we got to meet Annlea. Matt (Kyle's cousin) and Laura had their 1st baby! Well, we met her at Leah's wedding but we got to spend quality time with her this go round.

Isn't she cute?! Kyle and her have the same hair-do!

Somehow Mimi looks mad in this picture. Annlea loves her great-grandmother.

And she loves her great-great aunt! I tried to hold her and she didn't love me so much. Or at least she had a hard way of showing it! She is super cute and has the best hair of a 7-weeker I've seen.

So I've talked a lot about Mimi and her wine. It never fails. We got to Mimi's and she had Sutter Home wine for me and her, and a Bud Light for Kyle. And I can't forget about the chips & dip.

I have really enjoyed having her around! She is a very funny lady.

We had a great time, yet again, at Mimi's. My in-laws came up and we all went to eat at the Cock of the Walk on the reservoir. Ugh, it was hard to "walk" after that meal.

food for finance: i promise i cook

2011-09-21T21:40:00.001-05:00

(healthy) food for finance is a column where we talk about how fitness and finance correlate with each other. join us on our journey to be both physically and financially fit.

Somehow, I've been known as the girl that doesn't cook. Ok, Ok...so "cooking" a salad does not count. Just because I make simple dishes doesn't mean I can't cook! Kyle enjoys it more than me. We definitely have role reversal in our household. He is the meal planner. He does a lot of the cooking. And don't get him started on grocery shopping. He loves it! But I will have you know that we are a TEAM! I cut....he cooks!

One night I cooked a whole meal by myself. Of course Kyle had to grab the camera.

It is very easy to make and very healthy!

The final product. It was a weight watchers recipe: Turkey Sausage and Peppers. However, I use the turkey sausage with nothing hot in it.

Mostly we eat at home. It is a great thing to do for many reasons.

1. We get to spend time together.

2. We know what we are putting in our food so we know it is healthy.

3. It is so much cheaper than eating out.

4. We have leftovers to bring lunch to work the next day.

Below is one of my favorite recipes: mini shepherds pie.

We modified the recipe to make it heathier. We used turkey meat, light cressent rolls, reduced fat cheese, etc.

Look at me wearing an apron. This girl can cook!

Bon appetit!!

mda:re-boot

2011-09-18T16:16:00.003-05:00

I started volunteering as a counselor for the Muscular Dystrophy Association summer camp back when I was 16. Let's see, that was the summer of 1996. WHOA! My cousin Lyle has a non-progressive type of muscular dystrophy called central core disease. There are over 40 different neuro muscular diseases...MD is just an umbrella term.

So, Lyle is an only child and so am I. We were born 2 days apart. So we just say we are siblings. Ever since I can remember, he'd talk about how much fun he'd have at camp. He loved it. And as soon as I turned 16, it was time for me to join in the MDA summer camp family. So I did. It was a week of meeting long lasting friends and helping kids to have as much fun as possible!

MDA has made a lot of changes in the last few years. Our summer camp at Brandon Springs was moved, volunteers were not asked back, and even Jerry Lewis was not allowed to host the tel-a-thon this year.

The only thing that doesn't change is change itself. Even if we think it is bad.

When the going gets tough....the tough has a camp REUNION!!! That's exactly what we did the 1st weekend in August. About 25 of us showed up and it was a blast! We went up on a Friday and came back on Sunday.

Betty brought old camp pictures...good memories!

Companion dog doing one of its tricks. It was amazing.

Lunch time. The food wasn't too bad.

Old friends and lots of memories were shared.

My cousin/brother Lyle. Every time I am around Lyle and Kyle, I have hard time!!! "Hey come here Lyle, I mean Kyle." See...it is hard!!

Joe Lee and his famous "tea pot" song and dance.

Camp is not camp without singing the YMCA at every meal. Here I am dancing with Dustin, one of my 1st campers....my has he grown!!!

I was so excited to show ~~Lyle~~ Kyle where I spent a week of my summers of over 10 years. (see, I'm doing it again!!!!)

Shawn, Kyle and I went on a tour of camp and saw some wildlife. Later, Kyle and I saw a skunk!! YIKES!

Pool time!

A camp tradition: singing "friends in low places."

we sang....

...and sang some more!

time for Kyle to be fish bait. just kidding!

Kevin and Kyle ready to catch some dinner.

J.R., you must cook it first!

Shawn has mad camera skills.

Joe Lee and Dustin caught a fish by talking to it...who knew!?

As always, Betty's candy stash. Some things never change!

we played apples to apples and I WON! we had a 16 person game going too.

And finally, Mrs. Norma....the lady that made camp happen for so many years. We love you!

It was so much fun to be back at camp, if only it was for the weekend. Hopefully we can do a yearly reunion. I grew up at camp and I am so thankful to have the experience I did helping others and making friendships!

happy birthday mom!

2011-09-10T17:16:00.002-05:00

Since my mom heard that we took my mother-in-law to Como Steakhouse, she decided she wanted to go there for her birthday. That means that I had Como 2 times within 6 days. I'm not complaining!

I had the same thing I did the week prior. Mom and dad loved it. It's worth the drive!

Happy Birthday Mom!

food for finance: tj and his dj

2011-09-10T13:49:00.003-05:00

(healthy) food for finance is a column where we talk about how fitness and finance correlate with each other. join us on our journey to be both physically and financially fit.

It is so strange how things work out. How God acts in His mysterious ways. We're coming up on a year that we've really been tackling our financial plan to become completely debt-free. For the last few years, Kyle and I applied for part-time jobs. Nothing panned out. Nobody even called us in for an interview. We thought if we had part-time jobs, we could apply more money to our debt snowball. Right when we completed baby step 2, a part time job landed in Kyle's lap. How crazy is it that this happened after we were debt-free except the house?!

Meet your trivia jockey and disc jockey!

That's right! Kyle now hosts a live trivia show 2 nights a week. He's been doing this since last February. Basically, his old manager at his "day job" was moving and asked Kyle if he wanted to take over his shows (or maybe Kyle asked him) and voila!! Kyle works for a company called Challenge Entertainment where he gets all the questions for the shows.

Here is how it works in case you've never been to a live trivia show. Kyle reads a question, then plays a song while the team comes up with an answer. (This is where I come in. Every week I make the music playlists for the night.) You have to have your answer in before the song is over. He then reads the answer. Whoever has the most points at the end of the night wins! It is free to play and the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners all get gift cards to the restaurant. Win-Win.

Our friends have come out a couple of times to play. Team name: Shut the Front Door.

I come to the shows some...depends on the week. This part-time job has helped us with baby step 3 or whatever unexpected emergency that comes up. And what a cool part time job! Much better than delivering pizzas or bagging groceries. Kyle really enjoys it and he has some serious teams that come out every week. They are hard core trivia players. He's met some pretty cool folks as well. It is something he enjoys doing week after week. Come on out if you're in the area! This job is another reason why it wasn't that hard for us to cut our cable. We're so busy now-a-days, especially with trivia. Any free time we have goes towards running. Did I mention Kyle is training for the St. Jude MARATHON?! Who has time for t.v? Well, maybe Kyle does on the weekends. It is football season after all.

food coma

2011-08-29T21:38:00.006-05:00

Kyle's mom came to visit in July. When she comes, you better be rested. She is a go-getter! Kyle gets some of his energy from her! Friday night we went and saw Huey Lewis & the News at the Botanic Garden. I was not looking forward to the heat, but a shower came through and cooled it down a bit.

I asked a guy at the swag booth to take our picture. Then the guy said "I think I know you. Did you go to Skyview?" Yup, a guy in Kindergarten remembered me! My parents have a picture of him and I at Kindergarten graduation. Honestly, I didn't recognize him but I know I still have a baby face so I am not that surprised that he remembered me...I look the same!

We found a great place on the lawn and unpacked our picnic. We had a great time. Great music and great food. I wished Huey would've played longer because he did not get all of his songs in!

We got up the next morning and went to the farmers market. Then we picked up lunch at Frank's Deli. I took them to my new fancy downtown office for a tour and to eat our take-out.

The best club in town is at Frank's. It.Is.Amazing.

Action shot of Kyle enjoying his lunch.

We picked up some guacamole from Las Delicias. They are always at the farmers market. They truly have the best guac in town!

Next, we took a break at home then headed down to Tunica to to hit up the outlet malls. Time to eat again so we ended up at Como Steak house.

Como Steakhouse is the best steak in the South. It is about 45 minutes south of Memphis in Como, MS.

They grill their steaks on this open indoor grill. To the left of the grill is a freezer where you can see all the cuts of meat.

Kyle got the 22 oz Ribeye. His mom got the fillet.

And I got the shish kabob....and my potato loaded! I had to get a dogie bag! Good stuff. I high recommend taking a trip there. They have other food besides steak. Do it! Your tummy will thank you!

To top off the weekend, my mother-in-law cooked a meal for us the next night. Stewed squash, peas, onions and cucumbers soaked in vinegar, homemade corn bread (made in my Meme's iron skillet) covered with tomato gravy.

Now you see when my mother-in-laws comes to town, I need a week to recoop! A week to get over my food coma and rest from all the sight seeing. We covered 5 counties on Saturday alone. I want some of her energy! And I hope I have that much energy when I'm in my 50s! Can't wait until she comes back!

ckc: cardiac kids camp

2011-08-21T17:51:00.002-05:00

I work with a great group of ladies. They loaned me out for the week again so I could go work at Cardiac Kids Camp last month. I went last year and had a blast.

Here is Dr. Goldberg's awesome drawing of the heart that he does every year. He is one of the heart surgeons at Le Bonheur.

The saying goes "if all your friends jumped from a bridge would you?" I sure would! I jumped out of this tree. Can you see the ladder at the bottom of the tree? It is tiny compared to the tall 40 foot tree I climbed. Then look high....there is a platform that you sit on to get your harness changed and adjusted. The hippie guy that helped me at the top was my best friend. I clung to him like no other!

Then you jump. I thought the hardest part would be for me to climb the tree. Oh no. It was the jumping part. I told hippie guy to count to 3 or I'd never go. 1 2 3...

These pictures don't even do it justice. After you free fall for about 5 seconds, you swing back and forth. It was the scariest thing I've done. The kids talked me into it. I was like "well, I'll go if we have time after all of you go." Then they all went. DARN! I had to go. But I did it! Peer pressure.

I have tons of pics from camp but I can't post them due to HIPPA. Camp is a great time for cardiac kids to get together and share their fears and make friendships with others who have the same challenges. It is my favorite week of the summer and I am so glad I got to go back this year. We did so many fun things. I loved making new friendships. Jumping out of a tree was just a tiny part of the fun!

food for finance: budgets and beyond

2011-08-16T22:50:00.002-05:00

(healthy) food for finance is a column where we talk about how fitness and finance correlate with each other. join us on our journey to be both physically and financially fit.

"He who fails to plan, plans to fail" -a proverb (and a quote from the Robbie McWilliam book for all my work friends!)

I had my 1st garage sale!!! I went to my friend Krista's house and had a grand time.

Here is just some of the ~~trash~~ treasures that I thought I could sell.

WOW we could fit 2 SUVs full of stuff. And I still had more I could've sold but it was last minute. So we dropped off our stuff then Kyle and I had a dinner date at Golden India.

Since the whole world knows that Kyle and I are in the middle of doing Dave Ramsey's plan, I feel the need to talk about our budget! A common question I get, "so can you go out to eat?" or "Will Dave Ramsey let you eat?" and you know where this is going. Keep the jokes coming!

All a budget is.....is you telling your money what to do. Rather than the opposite. Just like I choose what kind of food I want to eat. I can choose to eat healthy food OR I can choose to eat unhealthy food. If I pick eating unhealthy food all the time, my health would suffer. If I choose not to have a budget, my finances will suffer. So I choose to have a budget!!!

Oh the dreaded B word!!!! I never had one until Kyle and I were married! People think being on a budget is like tying yourself to your house and never leaving. I've always been a frugal person to an extent. My Aunt Connie says I get that from my Daddy Bob (my grandfather). I like to buy things on sale, I HATE owing people money, and so on. When Kyle and I sat down and added up our monthly income and did the budget, I discovered something!!! We have more money than I thought....IF we stuck to our budget. Kyle used to eat out for lunch a lot. So if he and I both brought our lunch to work, we could save "X" amount. Brilliant! Then I started to car pool with a friend from work. Wow, more money we are saving. Then we decided on a set amount for groceries. When it's gone, it's gone. No more impulse buying for me on the Kroger mark down aisle! You know you've done it too. This girl has to eat! Don't mess with my food! I might eat pretty healthy, but I do EAT!

Basically, anything we spend goes on the budget. I, however, hate doing the budget. That is one reason Kyle and I are great for each other. He loves it! I just review it about every 2 weeks. But it is an open conservation between the both of us, all the time. So when birthdays come, we have to tell each other how much we are spending or give each other a limit. Keeps us accountable so one of us doesn't commit financial infidelity (which is very common now-a-days.)

We have an entertainment part of the budget. It is a budget MUST! We'd be crazy if we didn't have fun! To make it extend even further, we like to find "half off" things to do (or free). That is how we ended up at Golden India. My mom gave me a coupon book for Christmas with a lot restaurants, things to do, etc. Anyone that knows me, knows I would much rather eat at a hole in the wall place than a chain place. So the coupon book my mom gave me was perfect! They have mostly local eateries with usually "buy one get one free" coupons.

Now... back to Golden India. I had Indian food when I spent a summer in England and it was YUM! Then Kyle 1st had it at an Indian reception we went to for the Shah wedding. It was time for us to try it again! And for half off!

Kyle asked for medium heat. We know how Indian food is. Medium to him equals spicy in Indian-land! He was sweating just eating the medium.

I don't remember what I got but it was GOOD! I told the waiter I wanted mine "negative mild." In Angie language that means NOT A HINT OF SPICY!! There were 4 Indian guys that were sitting 2 tables behind us. They ordered "very spicy" and when they brought out the food, we all coughed! It was that strong. Even the smell from the steam got to Kyle and I. Then I hear one of the guys say "yeah, that might be too spicy for me." Even the Indian guy couldn't take the heat. Affirmation that we made the right spice choice!

The next day was the garage sale. And it was in the July heat. I made a total of.............

....180-something dollars!!! This was all I had left! My trash was someone else's treasure! Success! You ask where my money went? To baby step 3 of course!

i like big butts

2011-08-02T21:00:00.003-05:00

Kyle and 3 of his friends are starting up a BBQ team. Forth of July weekend was really "experimental weekend" and I was one of the taste testers! Their first competition is in October so there is a lot of cooking to be had!

There was also a lot of time to kill waiting on the food so the boys played washers.

Greg is a pro.

The set up.

They are entering in the ribs contest. Don't they look great?

The rib huddle!

Each of the boys did different seasonings.

Here was the fun part. They had each of the ribs on separate plates with numbers on them. We did not know who cooked what. We scored the ribs and the sauces. I was in hog heaven. Pun intended!

Greg explaining the judging process!

It was intense...

...and a very hard job!

Kyle enjoying his hard work.

I really liked the BBQ team name "We like big butts" however, I think they are going with another name. It is still up in the air. Last weekend we did another trial run and they actually did smoke a butt. I ate way too much and had to lay down. I was in a BBQ induced coma. But I came out if it and even had dessert! Special thanks to Katie and Greg for hosting and to Katie for taking the pictures above! I can't wait for more taste testings!

food for finance: half baby step 3

2011-07-20T22:42:00.008-05:00

(healthy) food for finance is a column where we talk about how fitness and finance correlate with each other. join us on our journey to be both physically and financially fit.

We are half way there! We are at the half marathon point of baby step 3. What does that mean? We have 3 months of expenses saved in case of an emergency. Our goal is to have savings for 6 months: the full marathon! This has been the hardest part for me thus far in our financial journey. We keep building up cash and it just sits there. It is lounging around in a sand chair looking at me at the ~~beach~~ bank saying "hey....spend ME....spend ME!" We really have to be disciplined to not go off and do just that. What if I lost my job? What if Kyle lost his job? What if one of us got sick and couldn't work? After our short term disability ended, our long term disability would kick in. Then we'd also have our 6 month emergency fund. I am feeling pretty prepared right now!

So I need to ask myself what constitutes as an emergency?
1. loss of job-YES (I covered that)
2. air conditioning goes out in my jeep-YES (true story)
3. Kyle gets elective lasik eye surgery-NO
4. emergency appendectomy-YES
5. icemaker goes out in my fridge and it is ugly anyway so I need to get another one-NO (true story, we have ice trays now)
6. compressor goes out in my fridge so we need a new one-YES
7. go on a cruise-NO (but we did to celebrate being DEBT FREE but the house-that was our prize for meeting one of our goals)
8. Kyle upgrading his seats at Mississippi State football games-NO
9. getting a patio for our backyard so our dogs will have shade-NO
10. getting a new roof because it is 20 years old and leaking water-YES

It is not that I have this huge urge to spend 3 months of our expendable income that we have saved. It is just that Baby step 2 was so easy for me. I loved seeing our statements when we'd pay a huge payment towards our debt. ( I know that sounds crazy-who loves to pay bills? But when you're pounding that bill hard with lots of money, it is a whole new feeling) It was like losing weight. It'd get smaller and smaller and smaller until we were debt free excluding the house! It was a great feeling. A big weight was lifted. Now we have the opposite. I am seeing a number grow and grow and grow. And when we top our 6 months of expenses goal, we'll put that money in an account that we won't touch....only for emergencies. I guess it is just hard for me to fathom that something bad might happen to us. We could be doing so much more with that money....but we know life WILL happen and we want to have our armour on when it does.

So we're chugging along with the process. We've trained well and we're at a good, steady pace. I can't wait to look back on this post and re-live this feeling and know that we could do it. That we did make a good decision to become financially fit! All the sacrifices will pay off in the long marathon run. One baby step at a time!

leah lack

2011-07-19T21:30:00.003-05:00

My sister-in-law (Kyle's sister) has the cutest name now. I think it flows well....Leah Lack. She got married the last weekend in June.

The bridal party at the bridal brunch at Harveys. YUM!

And here they are people.....Aunt Eloise and Mimi! The famous ladies of the south!

Leah is all smiles at the rehearsal. That was only time it rained. Thank goodness because Leah got married outside at a place called the Burnt Oak Lodge. It was a perfect place for Leah and Josh's personality.

We were both in the wedding and got to walk down the aisle again! TOGETHER! I told Kyle to look at me and say the vows to himself during the ceremony so we could renew them. HA! Just kidding! We did dance as we exited the aisle! I wish we had that on video. We were a hit!

After rehearing our walk, we went to the rehearsal dinner at the Veranda, another fine place to eat!

Wedding day! I was super excited Kyle and I were both in the wedding. I don't think it is to common that people are in their sister-in-law's wedding. Usually it is just the other way around. Since I'm an only child, this will probably be the only family wedding I'm in. Oh no, I'm getting sappy?! Actually, Kyle was so giddy when he found out I was in the wedding. It was so cute! I love him.

The beautiful bride staying cool. It was hot outside!

Reception time. The band was great and we danced the night away.

The twins-Brittany and Morgan. We wanted a picture on the jungle gym!

Rolling on the river.

I drove the get-away-car but this was not it. They rode in my mother-in-law's car so it was a clean escape. Come on now.....we had to do something. We found Leah's car at the hotel and did a little decorating so when the newlyweds got up the next morning, they'd have a fun surprise!

More pictures to come...I don't even have one of the newlyweds! I'll get on that when the pictures come in!

cry me a spring river

2011-06-30T22:01:00.003-05:00

At the beginning of June, I went on a canoe day trip with some of my friends. We went to spring river in Arkansas and I can say that it was a very memorable trip. Kyle didn't get to go. I think he was a little happy because that meant that he got to watch the regional baseball game that Mississippi State was in!

April and I on our way to the drop off point. We ended up being canoe partners.

Cindy's birthday is in January and she wanted to go canoeing for her celebration..so we did....5 months later!

Back to my canoe partner. I somehow ended up being the back canoer. Well, that did not go so well when April said "this is going to be a long 10 miles" in a not-so-happy tone. We proceeded to veer towards a tree. So I suggested we swap and it was the best decision for our friendship! We ended up being great partners!

Do you see this yacht? I mean 3 rafts roped together? There was a guy with a big speaker, mic, laptop, amp, and stage where he was being the river DJ. I liked it minus the unedited music. These people are regulars!

Lunch time!

The girls-Sarah, April, Shelly, Julia, Lisa, Steph, Cindy, and me. I would like to add that I was the only one who wore a life jacket. I was also made fun of!

This does not look like a comfy spot to eat!

So glad we swapped spots...if not, these smiles would've been frowns!

Our boys were some great rock-skippers! This was the last of our happy pictures....and happy times.

We got back in our canoes and headed onward. Then some clouds rolled in. I thought nothing of it. Then Shelly said it looked like it was getting bad. Then the clouds got darker. So we decided we'd pull over. But one of our friends tumped (that word is for Sarah) over so we pulled over on an island to wait on them. Once they got to the island the bottom fell out. We thought it'd pass after 20 minutes. It started hailing. We had no shelter. The lightning was so bad. The thunder was so loud. We were freezing. So we huddled with about 10 other strangers and sang songs to pass the time. Then 45 minutes passed with no relief. Across the river was a house and a gazebo where these people were playing music on a sound system. How could they party at a time like this? Finally after an hour I had enough! I huddled with some guys under their raft and called (glad April had her phone in a water proof bag) our canoe rental place, Many Islands. Ironically, we were trapped on an island! The line was busy! My idea was to have them come rescue us! No luck. The lightening was too bad to cross the river and the current was too strong to swim. When Ray looked worried, I knew we were in bad shape.

The boys had the bright idea to just go on...REALLY? It had been an hour and 15 minutes since the storm started. I was not comfortable leaving but I didn't want to be left alone on the island. So April and I got in our metal canoe in the lightening. It gets better. 2 girls who had an inter tube hopped in our canoe....our 2 man canoe. Oh why not! It wasn't raining as bad. Sure, you'll be safer in our metal canoe! So off we went. We were in the canoe for about 3 minutes when we saw dead man's curve. April and I were very proud of the fact we had not flipped. We saw the rapid, we thought we had it...then BAM! Our 2 extra people did us in. We think one of them broke their arm. It was horrible. I am surprised I only had 1 scratch. Who is making fun of my life jacket now? We finally got to land and it ended up being a canoe drop off point, but not ours. So the 2 girls got medical attention and left. April and I got back in our canoe and finally it started to clear up. The lightening was still going strong but it was getting further away.

Finally, 30 minutes down the river, we found our Many Islands drop off point. Thank the good Lord we were safe and the canoe ride was over! It really did rain on our parade. I am not real sure I'll be canoeing in the near furture. I'm going to have to forget this horrible event before I get back out on the river!!

food for finance: in the air tonight

2011-06-27T21:02:00.005-05:00

(healthy) food for finance is a column where we talk about how fitness and finance correlate with each other. join us on our journey to be both physically and financially fit.

At this very moment, Kyle and I are in my jeep with the air conditioning on high! This is a BIG DEAL! Last summer, my air went out. It was June and it was already in the 90s everyday. We took it in and they gave us an estimate of $1500 to fix it. We were still working through baby step 2 and had just one more debt to pay off. So we decided to wait out the summer with no air. We thought.....Oh that won't be too bad. The summer before last was a mild one.

WRONG! Last summer was the second hottest on record. If we would've only known....
It was miserable! Kyle and I took turns driving my jeep. We carpooled a lot with work friends. I feel like we lost weight by sweating at red lights. We began to notice a lot of people didn't have air. I'd see someone driving by me on the interstate going 70mph with their windows rolled down and I'd give them the *I know how you feel* nod. And it was so loud riding down the interstate with the windows down. And all the car exhaust!! Then August came. Even worse. We hit 100 plus for 3 weeks straight. I was never so glad to see the season change.

Finally, a year later, the time came. Once it hit 90s for 1 week straight, it was time to get A/C. Since we were debt free except the house, getting the A/C fixed was not a stressful event. It was only an inconvenience because we had money saved for events like this one. We did have the cash last summer since we'd completed baby step 1, but we wanted to wait (see 1st paragraph-we were temporarily insane!) It ended up being less than expected, $999.60 and it was well worth it! Kyle thanks the inventor of the air conditioner everyday. He hopes their offspring are millionaires.

So tomorrow when you're driving down the street when it is 97 degrees and you see someone in a car with their natural A/C blowing, feel very sorry for them! Then give thanks that you did not grow up in the 1950s when there was no such thing as A/C in cars. I feel like I have a brand new car but I have a 2002 Jeep Liberty. We've been through a lot together and I hope she (Dolly) lasts me many more years!

Ah....the cool breeze blowing through my hair never felt so good!

MAYhem

2011-06-17T16:57:00.006-05:00

We've had a lot of McCoy quality family time in May. We spent 2 weekends in Starkville. (Kyle's happy place). Kyle's sister is getting married in June so there has been a lot of showers, dress hunting, the usual wedding stuff.

Our first trip to Starkville was for Jeff's wedding, a friend Kyle grew up with. Kyle was a groomsman so he was super excited that the rehearsal dinner was at the M club, a place overlooking the football stadium for the athletic alums.

Inside the M Club

Jeff married Rebekah, from Strakville, so all the festivities were held there.

My handsome husband at the reception. And you know it was on campus too.

best.grooms.cake.ever.

The newlyweds! Jeff and Rebekah!

Rebekah's son Bran and, as of last week, he is offically Jeff's son too! He's a great breakdancer!

The very next weekend was Leah's (my sister-in-law) bachelorette party in Nashville.

Kyle had a fun weekend too. He went to BBQ fest with our friends, Jen and Leon, and to a crawfish boil the next day.

Back to the party...we had a good time. All the bridesmaids came which included Leah's cousin and soon to be sister-in-law. We had a great time meeting some locals and touring the town. Nashville is always a fun place to go for a weekend!

Memorial day weekend we were back in Starkville for Leah and Josh's engagement party hosted by Mr. Simmons. You ask who he is? He is 87. He used to own the CPA firm Leah works for and he sold it but still works there part time.

Kyle and I at the party.

sibling love

the girls

Our 1st family photo with the engaged couple.

Maybe you're wondering how an 87 year old man still works, drives, hosts parties, and builds retaining walls. So I asked him. I asked Mr. Simmons what his secert is to living a "young" healthy life. He told me he used to work out 3 times a week and drink gin and tonic. He also said he didn't get married until he was 40. He's been married 47 years to his wife who is 82. She said all of our names as we were were leaving their house. How come I can't remember where I put my keys?

We stayed the rest of the weekend in Starkville to hang out with Kyle's parents. We got up Monday morning and headed to my parents to cookout with them. Lots of good memories were made!

my world is a flood

2011-06-12T21:52:00.003-05:00

....slowly I become one with the mud.-Jars of Clay.

That song reminds of high school track practice. Today it reminds me of the Memphis floods in May. The muddy Mississippi decided to crest at 47.85 feet just shy of reaching the all time record of the 1937 flood of 48.7 feet.

With all the media here, you'd think the whole city was going under! Just under 10 % of the area was flooded and most of that was uninhabited areas. This is why I don't believe half of what the news says. I need an eyewitness (that I know personally) telling me if it's true or not! We sure were on the news a lot. GEEZ! So here is a recap of the events back in May.

The parking lot in Harbor Town.

The parking lot flooded in Harbor Town.

You can't see the walking path.

Sand trucks covering Island Drive on Mud Island just in case the river crested over the road (it didn't).

My co-worker and I took a stroll on our lunch break to see the new tourist attraction.

This is Beale Street where it meets Riverside Dr.

Media time: Everyone was here from Al Roker to Diane Sawyer. They were here to report less than 10% of the city being under water and most uninhabited! Granted there were some homes that were flooded. But come on now!!

There was a man selling water. This was a true attraction!

Media frenzy.

Riverside Drive was apparently closed.

More of Riverside.

The CNN guy was reporting live...

.....so I had to grab that moment!

This is a great statue of a person trying to be rescued

Ironic it was under water for about a week.

They had to move BBQ fest to Tiger Lane (where U of Memphis football tailgating is held) but all the other Memphis in May events were downtown.

I loved the t-shirts!!!! SOS-Save our Swine!

There were so many good things happening in Memphis the week of the floods. The Memphis Grizzles were in the NBA playoffs and President Obama came to speak at Booker T Washington high school graduation. But you'd never know that if you watched the news!!! Don't believe everything you hear!

food for finance: schock vs weiner

2011-06-07T21:35:00.001-05:00

(healthy) food for finance is a column where we talk about how fitness and finance correlate with each other. join us on our journey to be both physically and financially fit.

However you feel about the new health care bill, lets face it....it is going to go up in price. And why? Because we as Americans are letting it! I honestly have no idea what Congressmen Aaron Schock stands for except that he is the the youngest congressman (age 29) and he was on the cover of Men's Health.

I saw this clip from the Today Show and I was so excited! Aaron Schock is challenging Americans to be fit for life. He talks about how you have to make a change for yourself. It does not have to be a big change all at once. Start by going for a walk 3 days a week for 15 minutes. Choose to drink water instead of a coke. Have fruit instead of chips for lunch. And the list goes on.

Don't confuse Aaron Schock's chest pictures with congressman Anthony Weiner. Aaron did his photo shoot to encourage Americans to live a healthier lifestyle. The big fight in Washington is "who is going to pay for health care?" We are! According to the CDC, Americans spent $147 billion dollars in 2008 on medical care costs relating to obesity.

Not having enough time is the excuse I hear a lot when people talk about loosing weight. I don't have time. I can't. Yadda, yadda, yadda. When Kyle and I cut our cable, we realized how much t.v. we were watching. It took us doing that to figure out we could be doing so much more with our time. We have our cable back now but we don't watch it near as much as we used to.

In Michelle Obama's Let's Move website, it says "Eight to 18-year old adolescents spend an average of 7.5 hours a day using entertainment media, including, TV, computers, video games, cell phones and movies, and only one-third of high school students get the recommended levels of physical activity." We all need to step it up and encourage each other! Challenge each other to do something you normally wouldn't do. Go for a bike ride. Go on a hike. Walk the dogs. Take the kids to the park. Play hide and seek. Since it is so hot out there, find a pool and swim (this is me hinting to my pool friends to invite me over!)

My awesome husband did his part by lowering his LDL and HDL. Since he's lost 60 pounds and kept if off, he's helping to bring that $147 billion down just a little. Who knows what kind medical problems he'd have if he didn't take control of his life.

My job is even on board. We get so many points for getting our annual check-ups, exercising, being smoke-free, etc. This year I got the most points and my health insurance did not go up. Instead I get $15 off a pay period for being in good health. Such a great incentive to be healthy.

Thanks Congressman Schock for taking one for the team and baring it all for such a good cause!

food for finance: oh ship

2011-05-29T13:15:00.007-05:00

(healthy) food for finance is a column where we talk about how fitness and finance correlate with each other. join us on our journey to be both physically and financially fit.

I know what you're thinking. Why would Kyle and Angie go on vacation when all they talk about is getting out of debt? Because we earned it! Was it in the budget? OF COURSE! When we decided to really tackle the remainder of our debt, it only took 5 months of hard work. And to think I was going to pay on my student loan for 15 more years. Not this girl! We were focused and we had a goal in mind. That goal involved the sand and sun! We are still in baby step 3, building our emergency fund, but together we thought it was time for a real vacation! One that was not work related. One that lasted for a week! One that we could pay and not have to worry about our debt (except our house) when we came home! It was a time to celebrate being debt free! And our vacation just so happen to be our anniversary week!

We decided to go on a 7 day cruise in April. Kyle had never been on a cruise and I had been on 2. So off we went. We left Friday to go to Mimi's house in Jackson, MS. As always she had wine, chips, and dip ready for us upon our arrival. We left around 8am from Mimi's and headed south to New Orleans. We directly boarded the ship around noon and ate lunch. Ahhhhh, vacation!

We heard that the average person gains anywhere from 1 to 2 pounds a day while on a cruise...1 to 2 pounds A DAY! YIKES! We found the massive work-out room and weighed in. We wanted to be mindful of our weight.

My sweet husband got us a room by the spa and work-out room. We worked out everyday but one. We did not want to be a statistic!

Here is the view from New Orleans from the deck.

Look at the muddy Mississippi river! GROSS! I was ready to be in the middle of no where with blue water!

We started cruising around 5. This is a picture of the our view rolling on the river. And look, we had a balcony in our room!!! I had a view of the wall on my 2 previous cruises. Kyle said he wanted to do it right for our celebration cruise. So we did! I can never go back to a regular room. I'm spoiled.

After dinner, I was so wiped out. I think I was asleep by 10.

Day 2 at sea: I read in a blog to leave the shades open for the sunrise wake-up view...

It was early, but it was worth it. And the strange thing was, we couldn't figure out how to call for a wake up call. There was no alarm clock in the room and our phones didn't work. God took care of us!

We spent the day in the the sun reading, relaxing, and....

...going down the slide!!! I got a great action shot of Kyle.

Kyle is definitely a cruise fan. They added the jumbo tv to the deck (on the left).

A signature item, the animal towels. So cute.

Note the blue water in the background.

We had to watch the sunset since we saw the sunrise.

After dinner we went to the comedy club with our new friends. At dinner, they pair you up with people. Ours were a very nice couple from Boston.

Day 3 at port: Key West, FL.

Kyle is day dreaming he is on this island.....oh wait. HE IS!

If I could only go to an island that looked like this. Wait...I am THERE!

Watch out Key West!

I loved the trees in Key West.
After breakfast we disembarked and went exploring. We didn't do any excursions on our cruise. We thought we'd just wing it.

We found President Harry Truman's little White House where he spent his winters.

Harry's sand sculpture.

I heard roosters and chickens run wild in the streets of Key West. They do.

The famous mile zero.

Next up we went on a tour of Ernest Hemingway's home.

Kyle contemplating becoming a writer.

We had the best tour guide. He had a long beard, dark skin from being in the sun, one earring in his ear, and white shorts. A retired hipster who was an amazing story teller. A good option for a retirement job.

I am gathering up blog ideas from Hemmingway's bedroom.

Hemmingway's home is known for the 6 toed cats. There were around 44 there roaming around.

He is also known for having many wives. Long story short, this fountain used to be a urinal. Ernest and his ex-wife did crazy things to each other to get back at one another. I made sure no one was looking when I had Kyle pose for the above picture!

I was looking for the perfect spot to take our "third" anniversary picture. Low and behold, the Hemmingway house also does weddings! Perfect picture for our special day! We are 3 years old. I keep telling Kyle that I want to push pause or rewind....it is going by too fast. I've loved the past 3 years being married to him.

A lighthouse picture for my dad.

Another famous spot. The southern most point in the continental U.S. There was even a line to take this picture.

southern most beach

After walking and touring, we were hungry. I was told to go to Sloppy Joe's Bar. It started back in 1933 and Ernest himself was a frequent visitor when it was a saloon.

I guess it still is a saloon because there was a horse peaking his head through the swinging doors. I kept telling everyone it was our anniversary. Then come to find out, Key West is the number 2 destination spot to get married. How very egocentric of me to think we'd get special treatment on our special day! I thought that since it was a Monday, it'd be different. Then I saw a bride walk in the door....on a Monday at 3pm! I

guess everyone was celebrating their anniversary.

We gave Key West 2 thumbs up! Time to board our ship and head onward.

Bye Key West! We'll miss you and your southern most points!

Since I was telling everyone it was our anniversary, we got a piece of cake at dinner. Yet again, it was every one's anniversary! There were even 2 weddings on the ship.

Day 4: Freeport, Bahamas
We were already ported when we woke up. We ported in an industrial area. So you couldn't just get off the ship and walk around. We were tired from the day before so we decided to relax and enjoy the ship with less people.

We laid out, played mini-golf, worked out, and enjoyed the ship. We heard later that the people who opted out of the excursions took a taxi for $5 and went to town and to the beach. We don't regret our day of relaxing!

One thing Kyle looked forward to was our Fun Times daily newsletter. He kept it in his pocket at all times to make sure we wouldn't miss anything. In the picture Kyle is drinking his cup of Joe from the deck, reading the Fun Times! Carvinal runs a tight ship! We were well informed.

Our Boston friends. After dinner, we watched the magic show.

Day 5: Nassau, Bahamas

Yet again we didn't have a plan for the day (very unlike me). We heard that the Atlantis was a fun place to go. We had no clue for what we were about to encounter. We disembarked the ship and took a local ferry over to Paradise Island. It was about a 12 minute ferry ride with a surprise tour guide that told us all about the island. Apparently, the Atlantis is a 144 acre disney world type place with everything you can imagine. Kyle and I were not prepared for the awesomeness!

We walked into the hotel and ended up at the casino where the minimum bet on black jack was $500. Talk about some high rollers! Out of place much?!!! We said to each other "where in the world are we?!" This place went on and on and on. There were tons of high end stores such as Versace, Gucci, etc. Picture Kyle walking around in his swimming trunks and me in my braided pig tales. We totally fit in. We were just on our way to the beach...yeah that's it!

And the beach is that we found. We followed some people to the pool area then we realized the Atlantis hotel guests had on wrist bands. Being the rebels we are, Kyle put his hand in pocket and I had my hand in my bag! We just acted like we belonged!

It was absolutely breath taking! There were sea turtles hanging out in the water ways. Later we found out they had a 1 hour lazy river ride through the resort. ONE HOUR! That just tells you how big this place was. They had a slide you can ride down that you go in the middle of an aquarium with dolphins!!

We noticed everyone had "special towels" that were for members only! So we inched our way to the beach area. I kept telling Kyle "act like this place is normal....and act like we own it!" HA! So we walked down the private beach. Not long after walking we saw the Carnival cruise towels! We did it! We found the public beach right beside the most amazing resort ever. Then my camera went dead. We laid out for about an hour or so then took the ferry back to downtown Nassau. We walked around then boarded the ship.

Here is an aerial view of the Atlantis. This picture does not even show how big that place was. It was a nice surprise for us! The casinos and some the hotel were open to the public. If you ever go to the Bahamas, I highly recommend the Atlantis!

Our nightly routine was to get sushi and watch the sunset from our balcony.

Another wonderful sunset!
After dinner we went to a Mexican party on the deck and enjoyed the nice cool breeze under the stars.

Day 6: at sea
We slept in, worked out, and caught some rays. I took Kyle to tea time at 3! Then we went back to to pool and slid down the slide some more with the youngsters!

Dinner was formal as it was the captain's ball. Surprisingly, the food got better with each passing day.

After dinner, we went to get a martini. We heard Zoran made the best ones.

He did! I got the tiramisu-tini! It was the best dessert! Afterwards we went to another comedy show and we left because the guy was so bad. So we went to the disco to dance off some calories.

Day 7: at sea
Same story....just relaxing!

I saved our towel animals and our steward left us a note that said it was about time for them to go home.

We could tell we were getting closer to New Orleans with all the oil rigs. And the dirty water.

Our last sunset. From here on out....balcony or bust!

Look! Angie I see land!

My sushi man. He knew what I wanted every night.

Our wonderful waiters. We loved Jovie (on the right.)

Kyle and Mike (from Boston). They wore their shirts and didn't plan it! Later that night, Kyle and I watched the talent show. We took full advantage of our time on the ship.

We docked early the next day and finally got off the ship around 11am. Our friends Jen and Leon met us in New Orleans for the day. After checking in our hotel, we went sight-seeing.

The best pralines were at Southern Candy Makers.

Here is a view from hotel! Hotwire did us well!

Kyle and I on Bourbon St.

St. Louis Cathedral. We also could see this as were were leaving from the ship.

We saw a lot of wedding parties. Here they are marching down Bourbon St. I also learned that funerals do the same.

Jen and I at dinner after a long day of touring.

The boys-Leon and Kyle.

We went to Cafe Begniet to hear Steamboat Willie. It has special meaning to Kyle and I. When we went to New Orleans back in 2007, we stumbled across him and I feel in love with his traditional jazz. He played A Kiss to Build a Dream On and because of that moment, that was our first dance at our wedding!

Steamboat Willie asked for suggestions and Kyle shouted out A Kiss to Build a Dream On and he played it! Another moment in to go in the record books.

We left the next morning to head home (after a tiny detour). We stopped in Jackson to have lunch with Mimi and Aunt Eloise. Overall, we only gained a couple of pounds a piece! We'll definitely keep a piece of ship in our hearts, not our waistline. We had the best time and it was hard to come back to reality. One thing I really appreciate about our marriage is how much we agree on money. We are such a good team. There is power in numbers! We motivate each other. We have a long ways to go to pay off our house. But I know with each other, we're going to be very happy when that day comes. So until then, we'll celebrate the little victories and keep on rolling with the punches.

the first and finest

2011-05-17T21:24:00.008-05:00

The 2nd weekend in April, I went to UT-Martin. I went because it was my sorority's 50th anniversary on campus. Alpha Delta Pi is nationally know as the 1st secret society in the world for college women. I honestly can't believe I was in a sorority. I never really thought about joining one. I didn't know much about it either. When I moved in my dorm my freshman year, everyone would ask if I was going to "rush" or as it is called now "going through recruitment." My roommate decided to do it at the last minute, so I did too. I met some of my best friends through ADPi. It was the best decision I made!

Betsy, me, Fergie and Tiffany Friday night at Cadillac's.

It was the same weekend as Chi O's 50th so it was nice to see some familiar faces!

We stayed at the Brasher's parents home and on Saturday and we took our very own campus tour.

Look at all this new and exciting stuff in Martin. These girls are very happy about the coffee shop that just so happened to be CLOSED!

If you knew me in college, you knew I was an avid Chick-Fil-a fan. I still am!!! But if this would've been here while I was at Martin, I would've gained the freshman 50! This has been here a while. I am still stunned that Martin has this! I had to drive 1 hour to my nearest Chick-Fil-a back in the day.

Next we met up with some more ADPi's. We toured the Student Rec Center. Of course the school gets this way after I leave! Shelley, an ADPi alumn gave us our very own tour. She is the aquatics director.

Kendall and I are buff. She came all the way from San Antonio.

This treadmill is the bomb. You can plug in your iPod and watch movies and record your trainings. They even have a Jacob's latter like on the Biggest Loser.

Glad to be together again!

Diamonds! I practiced my sorority pose all week in case I forgot how to do it!

Then we saw this alum golf cart pull up.

So we took it for a spin. Just kidding!

We met some more ADPi's for lunch at the Mexican place.

We were supposed to go to a luncheon but it was $40. We felt that was kind of high for Martin and we did spend $60 for our dinner and Gala that was later that night. Some of us emailed and decided it would be better to pick one to go to. However, some people didn't get the memo! The picture above are the ones that skipped the luncheon minus three girls that came by afterwards and hopped in the pic. I am sad that I missed it. 25 of our charter members were there. I even missed the president of UT speak. But I loved seeing my girls!

Carol! She is so skinny to have an 8 month old.

Somehow I am distantly related to Nick Dunagan, past chancellor of UT-Martin. Maybe my great-grandfather and his grandfather were brothers? Or cousins? My Meme knew when she was alive and she told me how but I've since forgotten. Either way, it is nice to have family in high places! HA! I saw him a lot in college since I was involved and we became friends!

This was the favorite thing I did all day! I knew I'd make it big one day! Well, my name at least! Congrats Nick Dunagan! Glad to be related!

Next we drove to Paris, Tn to have our formal night. It ended up being our 50th celebration/the actives' black diamond (formal)/founders day party.

Stewy and I ready for the party!

We rented a cabin for the night. We had a great view.

The.Golden.Lion.

It is a big deal in ADPi land. It is a national ADPi award that only few ADPi's get. It is based on a lot of factors: grades, college involvement, etc. It is a 6 year step latter of awards a chapter must get and maintain. It means you are the best of the best ADPi chapters. And we got it for the 1st time my senior year! BIG DEAL!

When we got to the formal, I realized that short dresses are the thing these days. I am so out of the loop. My age is showing. However, I had on a short dress!

Betsy, Kristy and Kim

Cindy!

I had an Alpha class (pledge class) of over 30 girls. This is who showed up for the 50th. UNACCEPTABLE sisters! The 55th party better have more representing!

We decided these Paris cops had the best job.

There were tons of people! I gave Kyle a pass and let him stay at home because I'm sweet like that!

The actives came to Paris on a bus. The bus left at 11 and we (the alums) had the party all to ourselves! The DJ played some "old school" music! We had the best time!

I am so thankful for Alpha Delta Pi. Greeks get a bad stereotype. But for me, I learned so much about long lasting friendships. I learned that I can be in a choir (if only to lip sync)! I learned that I can step! I found that I have a serious travel bug. I learned how to become a better leader. I discovered I could do a lot more than I thought I could. ADPi helped shape me into who I am today. Being an ADPi was one of the best decisions I made in college. With that, I'll get a little cheesy and leave you with our creed.

I Believe in Alpha Delta Pi. I Believe that my sorority is more than a ritual or a symbol; that it is a way of life. I Believe that the principles established by our founders in 1851 are enduring attributes, exemplifying the highest ideals of Christian womanhood. I Believe that our motto, "We Live for Each Other", expresses the true spirit of fraternity; and that by living this motto my life will be enriched by true friendships and by unselfish service to mankind. I Believe that the privilege of membership in Alpha Delta Pi brings the responsibility to do my best in whatever I undertake, always remembering that leadership requires confidence tempered with humility and courage blended with tolerance. I Believe that I must strive to become a well balanced person by following the dictates of the four points symbolized by our diamond shaped badge: first, strengthening my own character and personality; second, watching my attitudes toward my fellow beings; third, recognizing the value of high educational standards; fourth, developing faith and loyalty. I Believe that these four guide-posts, guarded by the stars and friendly hands clasped in the Adelphean bonds of fellowship will lead me to achieve a rich and useful life.

food for finance: sewing back the cable cord that was cut!

2011-05-01T21:39:00.008-05:00

(healthy) food for finance is a column where we talk about how fitness and finance correlate with each other. join us on our journey to be both physically and financially fit.

I know you are dying to know if we turned our satellite (I'll just refer to it as cable) back on. I mentioned before that we cut off our cable last October. And by cut off I mean we suspended it until April. We wanted to pay off our debt really fast so we thought we would delay some pleasures so that we could enjoy them later debt free! Cutting the cable was one thing we thought would help the process.

We got the letter in the mail in mid-April that stated "your services will resume May 1." YIKES! We really miss having DVR and cable but honestly, we have no time to watch tv now. We've been so busy. Kyle now has a part time job and tv is not something that we watch a lot of. Well, I take that back. We do watch some tv but they are all on local stations. We even have a music tv station called the Cool TV that plays.....guess what...MUSIC videos and not stupid reality shows!! So we've been content with our HD FREE tv! We talked about turning it back on in September.

Kyle made the call last week and told them we would like to cancel. They said ok. About 3 hours later, he got a phone call from a guy from the company. He said "Mr. McCoy, you've been a great customer for a while now and we don't want to lose you. What if we give you a credit and you can get 2 months free?" Kyle said "no, we really can't afford it at the moment." (we want to quickly build our emergency fund so that is very true). He then put Kyle on hold for 10 minutes then came back with another offer. "Mr. McCoy, what about a credit that will give you 3 months free?" Since we really were not married to our cable (that is something we learned in our financial peace university class), we really did not care that we had cable. Kyle said "no, we really do not want it at this time, it is not worth it." Then the cable guy said "hold up one more minute Mr. McCoy." He came back and made this offer: "What if we give you a credit for 6 months and in HD?" Kyle said he just laughed inside because he REALLY did not want it and the guy would not get that in his head. BUT this offer was TOO good to pass up! Kyle asked him if that meant we would sign a contract and he said no. He then asked if we could cancel after 6 months and he said yes. UNBELIEVABLE!

So we now have satellite! I asked Kyle "so did you get us free DVR?" He said "Angie, I couldn't push it!" HA!! After this experience, I know now that everything is negotiable! Since we had no ties to cable, we ended up with a much better deal than if we would've been emotionally attached to it. We were willing to let it go but it was our cable provider that was not able to let us go! Their hope is that we'll be ready to 'get back together' when the 6 free months of cable is up. We'll see when October comes!

Happy cable watching to you and yours!
Quote from Kyle "AHHHH....how I've missed you ESPN!"

meet me in st. louis

2011-04-30T15:54:00.009-05:00

Lisa wanted the girls to join her at her parents ranch outside St. Louis to celebrate her birthday. We arrived after midnight to the Burle Ranch, which happened to be April fools! Mr. Dan Burle is a big jokerster. He had a sign that said the ranch was closed until Monday. That stinker!! We went right to bed. However, I woke up to Lisa in my bed as her air mattress deflated in the night!

After a big breakfast Mrs. Bernie made, we headed to Hermann, Missouri to some wineries. Mr. Dan rented a black Yukon so that we all could ride together.

Me, Cindy, Shelly, Betsy, Steph, & Lisa ready for a day full of adventure!

It took about 1.5 hours to get to Hermann.

Look at this nasty copperhead we saw on the way out! SCARY! The neighbor said he shot the snake.

We finally arrived to the 1st winery. Did you know there are over 100 wineries in Missouri alone?

Stone Hill Winery is nestled up on a hill in the town overlooking the Missouri River. It has been around since the 1800s. We took a tour and learned all about the process on how wine is made.

Wine fermenting.

The Burle ranch also had loggers come out to take some of the white oak trees that are used for this purpose...or I like to think one day one of his trees will be in here!

We did a little tasting.

I am trying to see what one I want to try. A lot of choices!

Where is Lisa? Oh yeah, she is taking the picture!

We had a grand time.

Our 2nd winery. Shelly and I are twins!

Since it was Lisa's birthday weekend, we got her a cupcake headband. Perfect for her.

Our final stop was Adam Puchta Winery, the oldest family owned winery in Missouri.

I like the wines in Missouri because they mostly come from a German background. And German wine is sweet! We had the best time here.

We arrived back at the ranch and checked on all the horses! I'm not sure how many there are?? Over 15 I know!

Meet Casey. She was hanging out in the stall since her friend was very pregnant. I also learned that horses are pregnant for 11 months! And she was BIG!

They also have cattle. MOOve over Cindy!

For our Friday night meal, we had a wonderful lasagna.

For dessert we had birthday cake followed up with Mr. Dan playing the accordion! We then hung out under the stars listening to Mr. Dan's very funny jokes.

Saturday morning we had another wonderful breakfast then Cindy and I got a tour of the 180 acre ranch!

The tour ride!

We then packed up and drove to St. Louis to watch the Card's baseball game.

Our view of the Mississippi from our hotel suite.

We stopped for a photo-op while on our way to the game.

Too bad the Cards lost. However, we had great weather and a great time. The Burle's went back to the ranch while we stayed the night in St. Louis.

Steph!

Lisa the birthday girl!

We ate dinner at the Drunken Fish, a sushi place! YUM! We ended the night hanging out at Laclede's Landing where Steph had a very hard time walking since she had on very high hills. Sunday we came home and I had a horrible time as the driver. It was very windy. Driving in up to 50 mph wind gusts is very stressful for 4 hours straight. Luckily, I got us home safely! I highly suggest you read Mr. Dan's blog titled, six southern belles visit the ranch. He has a very imaginative twist to the visit and it is a fun read!

how do you like your coffee?

2011-03-27T19:29:00.003-06:00

Last weekend, we headed to Jackson, MS for Kyle's grandmothers (Mimi) 87th and Great-aunt Eloise's (81st) birthday party. I've talked before about his Mimi. I could write so much about her. Mimi and Aunt Eloise live in a duplex with a wall separating them.

Oh where do I begin with the Mimi stories? We arrived Friday night to Sutter Home wine and chips & dip. This is a staple at Mimi's place ever since I've known her. We've gotten her wine for 2 years for a Christmas present. What do you get an 87 year old?! So we're eating chips & dip, having a good time talking and Mimi made a face, like she just smelled a skunk. Kyle said "Mimi, why the gross face?" She said "I don't like the way wine tastes, I just like the way it makes me feel." We about passed out! She is a hoot! I tell you, she still has her sense of humor!

Saturday morning, Kyle and I got up for a run. She had us cereal and coffee. We sat down for breakfast. She did not have creamer so Kyle and I dumped sugar in our coffee. I did not put as much as Kyle did in mine. Kyle took a sip and made a face like he just smelled a skunk. Then Kyle said "Angie, try this, it's horrible." So I took a sip and I said "Kyle, this tastes like salt!" So I put my finger in the sugar bowl only to confirm that she had salt in there. Mimi claimed she had no idea how the salt got in the sugar bowl!

Saturday night was the gathering. We went to Kyle's cousins house (Matt and his wife Laura). I loved the way it was decorated! I need her up here to help me! And Laura is expecting a baby in June. The nursery is SO CUTE!

Mimi's grandkiddos plus grandchildren-in-law (did I just make that word up?)

Meredith, Laura, Matt, me, Kyle, Leah

The Southern Belles ready for the fun! Mimi and Aunt Eloise

Mimi told me that I needed to write my stories down because when I'm 87, it will help me remember them. THAT is what my Meme told me too! So I did. I have a travel journal that I started back in 2001. Now I have this blog and it has taken over as my online journal. Old people are so smart and wise. I could sit for hours and talk to them, take advice from them. So I am. Thanks to both of my Meme's/Mimi's, I hope I'll remember all these times so I can share my youngsters!

food for finance: it really happened

2011-03-27T17:24:00.002-06:00

(healthy) food for finance is a column where we talk about how fitness and finance correlate with each other. join us on our journey to be both physically and financially fit.

"Wealth consists not in having great possessions but in having few wants." Epicurus

Last month, I talked about how we completed baby step 2. Currently, the only debt we have is our home. We had fun checking off our debts from our debt snowball. FUN? How is it fun to pay bills? When you see it on paper, you see results! Like weighing in, we were losing debt! We made cuts. We were putting all of our extra money towards our debt. It was exciting to see where we were headed and how much freedom we'll have once we are totally debt free! Finally, we only had one debt left....the dreaded student loan. We were super weird and paid the remaining balance off in 5 months! It did not hit me until I got this letter in the mail a couple of weeks ago.

WHOA!

All of our hard work paid off! It did not hit me until I saw it on paper because we rolled right along with the plan and started baby step 3. Ah, such a relief! We told our financial peace class about our success and since then, others have completed baby steps. It is nice to go through this process with others so I can say "oh yeah, I know exactly how you feel!"

the madness of march

2011-03-18T21:41:00.002-06:00

Kyle is STILL celebrating his birthday! His parents gave him a ticket to the SEC men's basketball tournament in Atlanta. Well, his parents got the tickets for them and his mom did not want to go. So she gave her ticket to Kyle for his birthday. A perfect gift for him.

Note-I am blogging about a trip I didn't even go on! This is crazy to me. Anyway, last Thursday Kyle flew to Atlanta and met his dad and his dad's college roommate Tony. They stayed with Tony as he lives in Roswell (outside of Atlanta.) or as we like to call it "the Mancuso bed and breakfast." They watched basketball for 4 days straight. Since we have no cable, this was a perfect way for Kyle to watch all the games! HA!

When Kyle goes on guy trips, he never takes any pictures (very normal for guys to do.) He did take my our camera to St. Louis 2 years ago and the only pictures that were taken was of the baseball field. NOT ONE PICTURE of the guys! Come on boys! You have to capture the memories! Well, Kyle forgot our camera. So I told him to take a picture with his camera phone of the 3 of them. I didn't think he'd really do it.

HE DID!
I got a text while in church on Sunday and this picture was in my inbox! I was proud of him! This was taken right before the SEC championship game.

I feel like a reporter for a paper. Kyle and I are in the car now so I am going to ask him about his trip.

(Angie) Q: "Tell me about your trip?"

(Kyle) A: "I watched a lot of basketball, which I enjoyed. We had great weather. Ate some great food. The best deal of the weekend was when I bought a $6 cup and got free refills all weekend."

(Angie) Q: "How did you get around Atlanta?"

(Kyle) A: "The MARTA. I wish Memphis had a system like that to get around."

(Angie) Q: "What was the best part about your trip?"

(Kyle) A: "I got to hang out with my dad and Tony and spend the day with my dad on his birthday. Oh and watch a lot of basketball."

(Angie) Q: "How many games did you see?"

(Kyle) A: "11 and it was a lot of fun. I would go every year if I could."

So there is Kyle's trip via Angie reporting.

food for finance: cutting the cable cord

2011-03-15T20:53:00.005-06:00

(healthy) food for finance is a column where we talk about how fitness and finance correlate with each other. join us on our journey to be both physically and financially fit.

"Money talks, but all it ever says is good-bye" -American Proverb

If you know my husband, you know he is an avid sports fan. By sports fan I mean a huge Mississippi State fan. His grandfather attended MSU. His parents met and attended at MSU. He attended MSU. His sister went there and many more of his family graduated from State. It is in his blood. In turn, I joined a cult! My in-laws have season tickets to the big 3 sporting events: football, basketball, and baseball. Kyle grew up playing sports. It is a part of his life. So what happens if he can't make a game? He watches it on TV. Sometimes the games are on local stations but sometimes they're not. Kyle even watches his rival school, Ole Miss, play. Why, you ask? Because he likes to see them lose. He would watch all games if he could. Not just MSU games. Don't get me wrong, Kyle does other things than watch ESPN! He is married you know! He does a good job at balancing it out.

However, Kyle did the unthinkable. He cut the ~~umbilical~~ cable cord. WHAT?! WHY?! HOW?! We talked about it for a year before it happened. We had DirecTV in our bedroom and the living room. In March of 2010 we cut off the cable in our bedroom. That saved us $8 a month and we got the "free tv" converter box. We didn't really watch TV in our room so that was easy. We were still paying over $80 a month for cable just in our living room (we had a HD/DVR box.) Kyle called and got it lowered to $60 a month for 6 months. Well, that ended in August. Then he called to cancel and they gave him 2 months free. So we rode that out until October.

Kyle finally said he was ready to cut if off. He said up until now, he felt like he deserved cable. Then he said what he deserved was to pay off our debts. Now I'm not saying that if you have debts and cable that I think you're horrible for enjoying cable. I am saying that Kyle realized that we could take that $88 we were spending towards cable and attack our debt snow ball faster. We've decided to live under our means to get ahead. We cut a lot of things that I will talk about later. We still have fun. Especially now since we're debt free but the house!

So, since October of 2010, we have had no cable. And we're making it just fine. We even got us a HD antenna. Whoo Hoo! I laugh at Kyle because he didn't cut off the cable. He had it suspended for 6 months. In April we are supposed to tell them if we want it back on or not. Wonder want we'll do!?!

We did splurge and get Netflix. We honestly don't watch that much TV anymore. I do miss it but we are so busy and we get so much more done! It is amazing how much time was spent watching TV. I really miss my DVR! This is just a temp thing until we complete baby step 3.

We are taking financial peace university at our church. The teacher asked the class what can you do to cut your bills and we told our cable story. All the men in the class looked at us like we were crazy! Who would ever do that?! We did! We are so on board with this plan it is not even funny! I feel like I'm training for a marathon and we are only about 10 miles in. I like to think of it this way; If you're trying to lose weight, you want to exercise and eat better. This will help you to lose calories and weight. I am a chocolate peanut butter fan. I love the Reese's cups that come out during Easter time. I'm so bad that I will buy them up, freeze them, and eat them all year. Well, I'm giving up my Reese's so that I can lose some pounds. We've got this!

breakfast bunko birthday bash

2011-03-05T16:59:00.001-06:00

Kyle is now 29. I keep waiting for him to catch up with me! Come on Kyle! We celebrated Kyle's birthday for 2 weeks. The weekend of this birthday, we went to Starkville so Kyle could see the opening weekend of Bulldog baseball and to a basketball game. I went with my sister-in-law and mother-in-law wedding dress shopping. Yup, Kyle's sister is engaged! Woo Hoo! Kyle's parents took us out to eat for his birthday at Restaurant Tyler. I had the Vardaman sweet potato gnocchi and OH MY GOODNESS it was good! I have no idea what the others had as I was too focused on my gnocchi.

Last weekend, we had yet another party. Well, my friends do a pot luck dinner club once a month and play games. Kyle and Ray have the same birthday. Kristy decided she'd host the February dinner and cook all the food as well (so I guess it was not a pot luck)!

The boys wanted to do breakfast for dinner aka brenner. At our January pot luck, we talked about bunko and a lot of us had never played, including Kyle and Ray. Since they are good sports, the were all for it! Thus, breakfast bunko birthday bash was born. This might have to be a yearly theme!

from left to right: biscuits, cream cheese sausage dish, egg and sausage dish, chocolate gravy.

If you are not friends with Kristy Krotzer, then you need to be. She is an amazing cook! And she is funny too!

Monkey bread served as the birhday cake.

She went overboard!

Since we were eating brenner, we wore our PJs! Kyle was very excited about it all.

After we ate, it was time to play bunko. Out of the 8 of us that attended, only 3 knew how to play. It was my 1st time to play too! Kyle always wondered about the game his mom played while he was growing up. Now he knows!

Kristy got BIG bunko!

It was a pretty easy game to learn. No wonder women play it. Shelly said it best...we (as women) talk a lot and bunko is easy for us to talk and play a game.

Ray looks scared, and he should've been! Bunko is a loud game, espically with the group we were with!

Thanks Kristy for hosting AND cooking all the food! Can't wait till next month!

Last but not least was Kyle's annual birthday meal with my parents. Kyle requests the same meal from my mom. And of course, she cooks it for him every year.

Fried chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, fried okra, cream corn, and peas.

Kyle had been waiting for this meal all week!

The okra was extra special. It was what we grew from our garden last year. We realized that okra is super easy to grow.

Kyle says this is the best red velvet cake in the universe. He means it. Every year he looks forward to it.
We ran a lot the week we ingested the heart attack on a plate. And we should probably run more too! I asked Kyle how many calories were in our meals. Not a good question to ask! Good thing we do this in moderation!

wtf-what the folk?

2011-02-20T14:46:00.077-06:00

What is folk music? I will quote from the Folk Alliance International (FAI) website. "That is always the most popular question presented to our organization and membership. FAI defines 'folk' as anything rooted in tradition, indigenous to one's culture. Our organization is made up of all types such as songwriters, story tellers, bluegrass, blues, soul, world music, spoken word, zydeco, and much...much more."

My friend Cindy Cogbill is director for the Folk Alliance International conference. The main office for the Folk Alliance is in the South Main Arts district in Memphis. Cindy and I went to high school together and reconnected again at church where we both did children's theatre. Anyway, the conference is held at a hotel in downtown Memphis. It is a conference like no other!

The conference is a private event. Because I know people in high places (Cindy!), I've been able to go as her guest so I feel pretty cool knowing her! There were people playing music everywhere.

Here is a view from the balcony of some musicians jamming out. When I say music is everywhere, I mean EVERYWHERE! Let me explain. There are main shows in the ballroom. Then there are showcases on the 17th, 18th, and 19th floors of the hotel. It reminds me of college when everyone would pack in someones room and listen to someone play the guitar. It is 3 floors of dorm room parties! So much talent in one hotel. There are even people playing in the stairwells.

Since this is a network event, there are tons of artists with their flyers out. These tables were everywhere. And so was the RedBull man! I think the first year I attended the conference, I drank 5 in one night. Now I know that was not very smart of me! I was up late and very wired!

More music!
It ranges from county to blues. I cannot play nor can I sing (I was kicked out of a choir in college...long story!) so I love to be around people that can. I'm a great listener, I do that well! I really do appreciate music!

Last Wednesday, the Folk Alliance opened up one night to the public. I so excited because 2 of my favorite artists were playing.

First up was Paul Thorn. I've seen him before and he is so funny. He has a great stage presence! My friends and I were on the 2nd row. Sirus/XM was there streaming live on the Village (a folk music station). Then we found out they were filming for a PBS special! Watch for me on TV soon! I'll be the girl with a shirt that says "I'm a ski nut." HAHA!

The last show we saw was Over the Rhine. I've seen them before too! They play really cool instruments that I have no clue what they are but sound amazing! The lead singer has an amazing voice. I was very tired for work the next day but it was worth it.

I didn't get to go back as Kyle and I went out of town for his birthday weekend. The best part about the FA conference is the 17-19th floors. Kyle did come with me a couple of years ago and enjoyed himself. He is like me, no voice but loves to listen! Our kids have no hope!

Here is a video I found on YouTube that kind of shows the craziness of the 17-19th floors. (you'll have to pause my music playing on my page to listen to the video) I guess you just had to be there! If you're a music lover, this is the place for you!

a hallmark holiday

2011-02-18T20:07:00.001-06:00

I honestly don't care for Valentine's Day. Why do we need a day to tell someone we love them? Shouldn't we be doing that year round? My friend at work said it best. Valentine's is a day for Hallmark to make money.

Well, Hallmark is not making any money off us! Kyle and I have a Valentine's tradition.

1. We don't buy each other presents. I'd rather have a bigger Christmas or birthday present! HA! Plus Kyle's birthday is 6 days after Valentine's.

2. We don't buy each other cards. We hand make them! I think that was my idea since we don't do presents. Can you guess whose card is whose below?

Mine is on the left, Kyle's card is on the right. Kyle has grown in the area of card making. My first Valentine's card from him was hearts glued on white typing paper and the words 'I love you' written with a black sharpie! The next year he got the idea to ask help from my teacher friends. Now he has progressed to buying decorated heart paper and types it! All week I kept on telling him how great my card was (I was bluffing) and he told me how bad his was (he was bluffing!) We both made each other "debt-free" themed cards! His was better. It was about 5 pages telling the stages of our journey we've been on to become debt free. He had all of our debts we paid off listed. Then he printed off our mortgage and calculated how long it would take us to be completely debt free. All my card said was "happy debt free Valentine's Day!" He did like my coin heart! I love this tradition we do. This means so much more to me than a card from Hallmark!

3. We don't go out to eat. Instead of fighting the crowds, Kyle makes me a homemade pesto pizza! This started when I brought back pesto sauce from Cinque Terre, Italy. I went there with my girlfriends when Kyle and I first started dating and had the best pesto pizza ever! He used the pesto to recreate my pizza on our first Valentine's. This year we tried to make homemade whole wheat dough. Glad we had a back up crust!

It is about to go in the oven. It consisted of pesto, turkey sausage, red (purple) onions, red peppers, mozzarella and feta cheese, and a sprinkle of my mom's marinara sauce.

It was so good! You better believe I ate more than Kyle did!

I was in charge of dessert. I made a "puddin pie." No pun intended. It was the only thing in the house. Grahm cracker crust, instant sugar free jello and fat free whip cream. Took me 5 mintues to make.

Kyle also gets me a Reese's heart!

I like spending my Valentine's night in my PJs! We'll go out to eat next week!

food for finance: we did it!

2011-02-09T21:56:00.016-06:00

(healthy) food for finance is a column where we talk about how fitness and finance correlate with each other. join us on our journey to be both physically and financially fit.

Why would I tell the world wide web about our family finances? Because WE'RE DEBT FREE but our house. We were projected to hit this goal in April. In the words of my mother, we "ciphered" and squeezed every penny we could find and paid off ~~my student loan~~ our final debt last Friday!! God is good! Ironically, we had tickets to see Dave Ramsey live in Nashville on Saturday. What a great way to start off our debt free weekend. Here is how it all went down.

We headed to Nashville and made a pit stop in Thompson Station to see Carol and meet baby Norah.

She's already 5 months old! Carol and I were sorority sisters in college. I miss seeing her but it makes it special when I do spend time with her.

Since we were south of Nashville, I had an idea. We had to pass through Brentwood to get to my old roommate Lauren's house. What's in Brentwood you ask? Dave Ramsey's radio show! When people become debt free, they call in the show and yell "we're debt free!" It is called debt free Friday. Some people even drive to the show and scream from the lobby. Since it was Friday and we were debt free, guess what we did?

No, we didn't call the show nor go in the lobby! It was 5:15 when we arrived. The show was over but people were still in the lobby. Instead, we jumped up and down in front of the sign! We made a promise to each other that when we paid off our house, we'd come back and do this right! We'll be in the lobby yelling!

I have a sweet husband! He accepts me and my crazy 'picture taking' ideas! We noticed something about the parking lot. There were a lot of 'beaters' there. Definition of a beater: an old, reliable car that will get you from point A to point B. Dave will tell you sell your car (if you have a very large car note) and buy a beater. Kyle thinks that half the parking lot were beaters. Duck tape on the windows and all!

After jumping for joy, we made it to east Nashville to hang out with Lauren! She cooked us a healthy, yummy dinner. This was a huge deal as she never really cooked when we were roomies.

She then took us around east Nashville to some fun places. Where we met some fun people...

...fun people with mullets! He told us he's only had it for 2 days. I thought he lost a bet. You can't see his cut off flannel sleeves in this picture. We found out he was born in Memphis. Always a fun time with Lauren!

I woke up bright and early the next morning! If you would've told me 5 years ago that I'd be excited to sit through a money conference, then I would've laughed in your face.

We needed a hearty brunch so we went to the Pancake Pantry with our friends Scott and Brandy who were also attending the show. It was well worth the 30 minute wait in the cold for this! Brandy got the chocolate chip pancakes.

I got the sweet potato pancakes. The guys got an omelet and 3 butter milk pancakes. It was so good! I'm supposed to be talking about healthy food right? However, I'm all about balance! You must reward yourself! Go there if you're ever in Nashville!

The pre-game started at 12 noon. The band was staff from Dave's team.

They sang a song about Dave. A song about how Dave fans say "well Dave says.." and how non-fans say "I don't care what Dave says!"

I had the best time sitting beside Brandy. I've heard the Dave jokes and stories but she had not! She laughed the whole time!

We did not plan to be debt free by the time we saw Dave. We wanted to go to the show to help us in our sprint.10,000 people all in one room together helped confirm what we did was correct! Dave Ramsey poked fun at how people think 'Dave followers' are in a cult! ha! There were some Nashville celebs in the audience. A band member of Kings of Leon was there as well! What is "in the water" we are drinking! Some people think Kyle and I have lost it!

Surgeries were preformed at the show.

It was a plasetomy! Definition: the shredding of ones credit cards. I laughed!

I think they should melt the shredded cards and make some art work.

Kyle and I had a great time. We ate at Outback on the way home. We had to be home for church the next morning since we're taking Financial Peace . It was a long 24 hour trip! But well worth it! Kyle and I sat down last September and decided to attack ~~my student loan~~ our final debt in our debt snowball. Because we were serious about this, we got real nerdy and made goals to put on the fridge. We went beyond paying off all debt but the house! We plan to pay off the house!

Keep in mind we've been working at this since we got married, a little over 2 years. It felt great to cross off # 1. I can't thank God enough for placing a great man in my life that encourages me in so many ways! I'm proud to be a member of TEAM MCCOY! Now on to Baby Step 3.

the *real* mccoys

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enchanted forest

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THE game of the century

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all the single ladies

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i'm a PINster

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kaught in the kitchen

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georgia girls

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thirty-two

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new arrival

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mda:re-boot

happy birthday mom!

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food coma

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i like big butts

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leah lack

cry me a spring river

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MAYhem

my world is a flood

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the first and finest

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meet me in st. louis

how do you like your coffee?

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wtf-what the folk?

a hallmark holiday

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