Let the journey begin!!

As you read this....I am walking....and walking....and walking....

Today marks the beginning of the Komen 3-Day and I could not be more excited! Be sure to check out our blog: www.oursolepurpose.blogspot.com for updates! And you can follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/glamandfab

Have a great weekend and if you think about it, say a little prayer for us and a prayer for a cure!

XOXO,
Tiffany

I have COMPLETE lost my mind. (Among other things...)

As a general rule, I am an organized person. I'm a meeting planner. I get paid for the details. This is not to say things are never chaotic...I am a firm believer in organized chaos, but I don't generally leave huge things out. But lately....lately I've had some problems.

It all started with my phone charger. As I told you, we've been here, there and everywhere lately. And when we were on our way home from Dallas a couple of weekends ago I remembered that I left my phone charger at my sister's house. I called her, let her know, and it was a done deal. I'm usually a bit more on the ball but nobody got hurt.

Then there was last weekend...we left my in-laws and we got about 15 minutes down the road and my father-in-law called to tell us that I had left my makeup bag in the bathroom. Where was my head?? I always do a final sweep of the bedroom, closets, bathroom, etc. How did I miss this? Then I remembered that when I went to look in the bathroom, Dave was in there and I forgot to go back through before we left. We had to turn around and meet my FIL to pick up said make-up bag. That was on Sunday.....

On Monday I was getting ready for work and I realized that I was missing one of my bracelets. Let me insert here that I really don't have "good" jewelry except for a few pieces. I have my engagement ring and wedding band (obvi), my pearl earrings and necklace given to me by Dave as a wedding gift, a watch given to me from Dave, a diamond drop necklace given to me by my mom when I got engaged...it's the diamond from her first wedding band (before the big upgrade...she's so spoiled:), and then a Tiffany bracelet given to me by my mom and dad for my 21st birthday. That final item is the item I was missing. I didn't think much of it because we have been traveling so much, I knew it was just in a jewelry bag or makeup bag somewhere. When I got home from work I began to look. And look. And look. Then I began to panic. It was NOWHERE to be found. I literally tore our house apart. I looked in cars, purses, drawers, suitcases, in bathroom cabinets, called my sister to see if I had left it in Dallas....then I totally hit the panic button. I must have left it in Tennessee. I called the hotel but of course no one could help me at 10pm. I hardly slept a wink...my mind racing through where else it could possibly be. Then it hit me. When we went to Tennessee I put all of my jewelry in a grey/transparent jewelry bag and I had it in my purse when we went through security. I remember what I wore with each outfit and when we came home I was wearing my cheap/fake gold jewelry. Leaving me completely open to have possibly left all of my good jewelry in the Hampton Inn in Tennessee. Oh my lanta.

Tuesday at 7:30am I called the general manager and gave him my story. He contacted housekeeping...they scoured the room...no dice. I was honestly so upset. Then....then....I went to get my purse out my "messy" drawer at work where I store my purse each day and when I pulled out my purse look what I saw.....

UNDERNEATH my stationary was the tiny corner of my missing jewelry bag!!!!! Could it be?? YES! Praise the Lord. I am an idiot. It must have fallen out of my purse and somehow gotten lodged under my box of stationary.

I've got my jewelry back...now if I can only get my act together!

Disbelief...

Sometimes (not often enough) I stop long enough take a look around me and reflect, and I find myself shaking my head in disbelief. Today I was driving to work and I just turned off the radio so I could hear myself think and spend a little time in prayer. It was so crazy the things that caught my attention...I am in disbelief that...

It's November and in 3 weeks I'll be putting up Christmas trees!!
It's November and the high today is 85!! Although no complaints from this girl! That is an answered prayer with our walk being this weekend!
After months and months of training our hard work comes to fruition this weekend!
My friends and family have supported me, my mom, my sister and Coleen and we have raised $10,280 for breast cancer research and development!!
My co-worker came in my office talking about how great the Biggest Loser was last night and then informed me that she brought DONUTS. Maybe more ironic than unbelievable...
I'm also in disbelief that Jake is the new bachelor. Really ABC?
And finally...Delilah will be playing Christmas music in T-10 days...and those that know me know it's never too soon. :)

Is There a Doctor In the House?

The Doctor will see you now.

It was the best of times...it was the WURST of times...

Completely nuts...That is what my life is right now! It's one of those things where you can't complain because you're seeing family and friends and doing things you enjoy but then you look up and you haven't slept in your bed in 4 days, you have to buy new underwear because the laundry hasn't been done and you don't remember where the grocery store is. Life really is glamorous and fabulous!

Our beyond ridiculous weekend schedule started to get crazy back in May when we went on an 10/12 run for being out of town on the weekends. We figured why stop there?? The last 3 weeks have been even more crazy because the weekdays have been jam packed. There was Tennessee, then Dallas for a wedding, we got home that Sunday night, I had So You Think You can Dance top 10 on Tuesday, bible study Wednesday, left Thursday morning for a conference in Fort Worth on Thursday and Friday, drove home Friday and grabbed Rookie (on his puppy birthday no less!) and picked up Dave and we headed to New Braunfels for the big Wurstfest weekend...got home last night, tonight is dinner with girlfriends (The Loj, Sarah and Lauren and Harper), tomorrow night is finishing t-shirts night for the WALK(!!), Wednesday is bible study, Thursday is driving to Dallas after work for the walk, Friday, Saturday and Sunday is the WALK!!! PHEW!! Then, guess what.....next weekend I am HOME ALL WEEKEND!!!!! I can't even tell you the amount of joy that fills my heart!!

But during my tour of Texas we managed to fit in some fun! So You Think You Can Dance was AMAZING! I want to be Jeanette when I grow up! I've never seen anything move as fast as her hips! It's like watching my family when you bring a plate of hot cookies out of the oven! Phillip is the bomb.com when he does a solo and Brandon's muscles are bigger in real life than they are on TV. It's virtually unreal. I was brought to tears by the breast cancer dance (again...) and only disappointed that they didn't do Jeanine and Phillips hip hop where they danced with the chain holding them together. I guess you can't win 'em all!

Then there was the 10-day salute to sausage...otherwise known as Wurstfest. My husband grew up in New Braunfels, TX and every year they have a huge German festival in late October/early November in when obscene amounts of sausage, bratwurst and German beer are consumed. I don't really do my part in any of the aforementioned categories but I do do my part in fried pickle, sausage ball and sweet potato fry consumption. You know, stimulating the New Braunfels economy 1,000 calories at a time!

We always have SO much fun because we get to spend time with friends and Dave's family. This year was no different from last year! Besides...anytime I can catch Dave doing the chicken dance on camera I count it as a win!

So although it's been busy, life is good!! And If you ever need a 64 oz. plastic pitcher you know who to call....

Handbags and Wallets and Clutches...OH MY!

If you're happy and you know it clap your hands because I've got a deal for you! Who doesn't absolutely adore the Hobo handbags and accessories?? Really no one. And now through November 1st you can order from my dear friend Sarah for a fraction of the price you would pay in department stores. A fraction to the tune of 30% off!! Simply log on to http://www.hobobags.com , pick your poison, e-mail Sarah at sarahelizabethmyers@gmail.com and sit back and marvel at how resourceful you are! Not to mention ahead of the holiday schedule!

Here are a few of my personal favorites just in case you're in an extra giving mood and want to gift the giver of fabulous deals....

These Lauren Wallets are my fave! I have it in "wine" but don't think I don't love it in this pretty pink "lilac" and their holiday collection...after all, Leopard is a neutral!

Happy discount holiday shopping!

Tempted...

The Pioneer Woman tempted me with her seductive photos, her luring camera angles and her use of cinnamon and ice cream in the same recipe.

It's safe to say she had me at "Hello". It's also safe to say Dave was very pleased with his study break snack.

Shocked Would be an Understatement.

My husband and I agree on most things. College football is not one of them. It's one of the only disappointing points of our marriage as I have often thought about precious children in their cheerleading uniform or football jersey on game day. I have a feeling I'll dress them and then when my head is turned he'll run to the back room and change them into something red and black in an effort to raise my blood pressure. It's our marital cross to bear 'til death do us part. As you all know, I went to Texas A&M and Dave went to Texas Tech. He is a proud Red Raider...it's annoying.

This weekend our alma matres met up over the pigskin and it was honestly no.big.deal. because I knew my Aggies would get slaughtered. How did I know this?? Because we have been slaughtered multiple times this year. Hopefully you've already scrapped Kansas State and Arkansas from your memory, but it was ugly and involved numbers more closely resembling a basketball score than football.

Insert a wedding...we had a wedding to go to in Dallas for one of my sorority sisters and there would be a plethora of Aggies in attendance. We were all laying low because we knew our impending fate, so to my knowledge not much trash talking had been done in the days prior to Saturday's match-up. Kickoff was at 6pm...the bride was walking down the aisle at 6pm....in Texas this is what some might call a "conflict of interests" but you only get married once people!!!

As we walked out of the wedding and were heading to the reception the amount of iphones syncing to the AT&T servers was incredible. If any of you had trouble making a call around 6:35pm blame the Caverlee-Wood wedding party. You can imagine the shock (Aggies)/horror (Dave) when we heard the Aggies were up 14-7! WHOOP! And so it began....it was an evening of cheering, "Whooping", bragging, disbelief with a room full of Aggies and one little ticked off Red Raider amongst the crowd.

My Aggies prevailed 52-30 and I won't even begin to brag because....well, if you're shocked you won then you don't have much to brag about! But it was exciting. And fun. And for just a moment I might have been happy to see Dave pout. :)

Photo Credit: A/P Photo

It's all fun and games until someone has to clean the bathroom...

Chores....ugh. Growing up we would joke that that's why my mom had kids...so we could do the cleaning. Now I KNOW that's why they had kids! Dave and I have a fairly decent system...I cook, he does the dishes. I make the bed because I'm anal about it being done right and the pillows being in the right spot, he....well, he sleeps in the bed.

In all seriousness, we divvy up the shores for the most part. But when it comes to the bathroom we both run for the hills. I HATE cleaning our bathtub and the shower. I hate cleaning toilets and the bathroom floor. Grant it my hair falls out in droves because I have a stinkin' crazy head of hair, but I don't want to be the one to clean the floor! And the bathtub...don't even get me started. It's a really deep jacuzzi tub so I can hardly bend over and scrub it without falling in. Now vacuuming, dusting, cleaning mirrors...that's something I can get behind. So I'm hereby declaring Dave "all-time bathroom cleaner".

Now will someone else break the news to him for me?? Thankyoukindly.

What chores do you loathe?? Am I the only one with a serious aversion to the bathroom?

You're the Only Ten-I-See!

I took my first trip to Tennessee and it was wonderful! David's mom is from Tennessee and some of her family is still living around the Nashville area in a town called Franklin. We had the joy of spending the last few days with Dave's grandad and he gave us the grand tour of Nashville! While some of the highlights of the trip could easily be the sweet potato fries at Puckett's Grocery and the caramel apple spice cider at Starbucks, none of it could compare to spending time with Dave's granddad. He is such an incredible man and it was the first time that I really got a chance to visit with him at length.

I had met him on 2 other occasions, but the first time was over dinner and the second time was during our wedding festivities...you can imagine that neither of those times provided long periods of quality communication. This time was just perfect because he was in his element and we were there to visit and spend time with him. He is 92 years old, gets up everyday and walks 2 miles (rain or shine! Rain he walks indoors...shine he walks outside), always has a smile on his face, never complains about a thing, and is just the type of person that makes you look at life a little differently. He has found joy in his journey.

I wish we could see him more often. I know Dave loved spending time with his grandad and I hope we get the opportunity to go back soon! For now, I'll leave you with a few snapshots of our visit! Some of which include, but are not limited to:

• Arrington Vineyards
• Nashville Farmer's Market
• Ryman Auditorium
• Nashville Public Library
• The old Union Station train station that is now a historic hotel
• The state Capitol and some of the surrounding landmarks
• Downtown Franklin
• The outside tour of the Grand Ole Opry ($18 to park and a flight 1.5 hours away we passed on the grand tour...)

Last but not least...I couldn't resist this picture. We went to this fabulous chocolate shop and these boots are made out of chocolate! They smelled amazing. :)

My Last First Date...

Six years ago today I went on my last first date! It was a Friday night and I just had to get through a day of work (substitute teaching...) and then come home and get dressed. I had my outfit picked out and I knew David was driving from Fort Worth to take me to dinner and a movie.

We went to eat at Chuy's Mexican food restaurant and then went to see "The Jury". (I'm pretty sure that was the name of it....) And as they say, "The rest is history!" A little over 3 years later we were married, and here we are MANY dates down the road.

David, I'm so glad we went on that first date. Love you!

This was not from our first date....this was New Year's 2009. I didn't have a digital camera back in 2003. (Nor did I take a picture on our first date. David might have thrown in the towel on me! ha!)

Come Early, Be Loud, Stay Late, Wear Orange...

This Friday is about more than a fabulous find...It's my favorite time of the year! Maybe that's ambitious....I do LOVE Christmas...but I love me some Texas/ou weekend! What other time of year can Texas and Oklahoma hash it out over the pigskin? Each team (let's be honest, it's really each state) feels superior and lives to take home the title from the Red River Rivalry.

The game means a lot. If you win, it's about pride, bragging rights, superiority, and most of the time a chance at the post season. Possibly even the National Championship. The Texas vs. ou game carries a lot of weight and gets a lot of national attention. This year is no exception with ou ranked #1 and Texas ranked #5 going into this weekend.

I'm looking forward to Texas bringing home the "W" and it looks like Miss Maggie is too....mom got hyped yesterday and let Maggie show her Longhorn pride! Hook'em!!

Texas FIGHT!

Jake wanted in on the action :) Oh, and the game day beer says "Oklahoma Suks" and can be found at HEB.

The game starts at 11:00am tomorrow, so remember...

"Come EARLY, be LOUD, stay LATE, wear ORANGE!" Amen.

*Originally posted 10/8/08

Each One Reach One...

I'm sure you have heard this phrase before. Whether you have heard the song or you have just heard someone say it. It is so true. We all have the ability to make a difference to someone. Do you have a place where you volunteer or serve? I'd love to hear about it!

It always fascinates me when I'm talking to friends and I find out about a charity or an organization that I have never heard of before. There are so many areas of need and often times I hear of these fabulous organizations and I think, "Oh yeah! Why didn't I think of the fact that children need tennis shoes, or a friend, or someone to send letters to soldiers, or interviewing skills and professional clothing for women, or helping abused and abandoned animals, or cars for kids who otherwise wouldn't get a car...the list goes on and on and on. The world is definitely full of good and places to join in and do good. I hope we will take the opportunity to join in the charge we have been given to help, to serve, to love others.

I mentor a little girl once a week. This is the third year that I have been meeting with her....she is a big, bad third grader now! And she is such a joy. I look forward to my time with her each week because she adds a bit of that childlike faith to my life. She is so happy and so carefree. Her biggest decision is whether to read Junie B. Jones or Mercy Watson and if she wants to go down the slide or play on the swings. She reminds me to not take myself too seriously.

My mom serves at a food pantry called The Storehouse once a week and the stories that come out of there are just amazing. I think she is being fed just as much as the families coming in for food. Like the man standing in line to get ONE grocery bag full of food for his family (they can come ONCE a month) and he slipped a dollar in a collection jar for a local charity. MY goodness. I can't even imagine what that dollar must have meant to him because he was standing in line at a food pantry to get $20 worth of food to feed his family...yet he gave to others in need.

We are so blessed. I'm sitting at a computer reading this in my home with air conditioning and heating. I'm fully clothed and sitting on a full stomach. I have my family that loves me and I have a pretty rotten little Yorkie laying next to me pouting because he's wondering when I'm going to start playing with him. I am saved by the grace of God, I am loved unconditionally and I am blessed.

Where else can I serve? Where do you serve? I would love to hear your stories and hear about the organizations and the people you choose to serve. Maybe it will give some of us more ideas of what is out there! Are you involved in cancer organizations, service to children, animals, the elderly? Do tell! XOXO

~Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' ~Matthew 25:34-40

EPIC FAIL.

I'm holding my sister personally responsible that me, her and Robbie were not standing right in this very mob with our corny dog and our camera watching the Big O order fried cookie dough at the State Fair of Texas.

*Click the links for other Oprah tales...

Fabulous Find Friday!

Dear Anthropologie,

You're breakin' my heart. Could you please come down on your prices because I'm on a bit of a budget these days. Dave gets his panties in a wad if I want to spend half my monthly salary on a scarf. I don't see the problem because let's be honest...it is a fabulous scarf! But he seems to think it's a bit extravagant. The problem I'm facing is that the scarf I currently love to the core of my being would, in his mind, fall into the category of extravagant. Especially since we live in Texas and the "cold front" we've been expecting all week is only dropping us into the 80's. The scarf is more of an accessory than a necessity.

I'm also really loving a few other things and if I blow my piggy bank on the scarf that doesn't leave much room this coat, this jacket, and this cardi. Let's be honest, most of your new arrivals for Fall are just the cutest thing I've ever seen. So do us all a favor and put it all on early sale, ok? Much thanks!!

Sincerely,

Tightwad in Texas