My life as of 8/12/2009

Well a lot has happened since I went to Amsterdam. First of all, I broke up with Patrick. He is a person I thought I knew, but it turned out I knew nothing about him. I will not go into details about anything because this is out for the entire world to see, but he is beyond low to me. I have closure and I am definately happy for that. I'm just extremely grateful that God didn't allow me to continue with the relationship and be oblivous to what was really going on behind my back. I know God has his own plan for me and I am ready to keep pushing on and moving on with my life.

I have also reconnected with an old friend. I have known Erick since probably about 5th grade...or maybe before that. He moved from Willis going into High School and I never knew what happened to him. Well about 2 years ago he found me on myspace and he was serving our great country in Iraq. We have always been in contact with each other since, but lately we have gotten really close. He lives in San Antonio...the really pretty part...and I have went to see him a couple of times. He is an amazing person and maybe in the future we can see where him and I can go, but right now is not the time for us. We both have a lot going on, but the connection is definately there. I once again put my faith in God knowing that if something is suppose to happen, it will regardless of the timing.

Work is amazing like always...

My play life is definately intense. I am always on the run..I'm talking everyday of the week. Weekends are jammed pack with fun that keeps my mind off of all the stuff I have been through in the last month and a half. Ever since I broke up with Patrick, my friends and I have been going to Rayburn every other weekend and living it up you could say. I am so fortunate to have such amazing people in my life...if I didn't I have no idea how I would adjust to the life change I have been going through. Everyone was there the day everything with Patrick happened and that meant the world to me. I just can't get over how blessed I am all-around. I have realized I need to worry less and live day by day. I am not that person to live day by day. I'm a planner by nature. I want to know exactly what is going to happen today, tomorrow, a week from now, and a month from now. But I have decided that this needs to change. I realized this from Erick. He is a person who only thinks about that day, not the next. He has so much appreciation of life since he was in Iraq for 14 months and saw death everyday. Tomorrow isn't promised and neither is a week or a month from now. This also helps my anxiety. Ever since Patrick and I have broken up, I have had some really intense anxiety...when I talk intense, I mean I have lost about 20 pounds in on month because of lack of appetite. I know it's not healthy, but I have regained my appetite a little, but just eating smaller portions and healthy foods, but still feel the anxiety and still losing weight.

That is pretty much it though. A lot of change and new feelings, but I'm a very strong person because of it. I wouldn't want my life to be any other way right now..maybe not the anxiety part, but everything else is exactly how I want it right now. You could ask me tomorrow and I might tell you something else, but as right now I am utterly excited and content for what is in store for me. I know I only deserve the best because I'm a good person and God has that in mind at all times.

This weekend is Rayburn for David's birthday. It's going to get a little crazy up there for sure. I will post some pics definately...

Until next time....

-A

Amsterdam

So I just got news that I'm going to Amsterdam next week. I am so excited.....I love my job.

Who's Hot?

Who's hot??? Rob Pattinson of course. That's all

Oh and a Delicous Recipe

SWISS STUFFING CHICKEN

4 large skinless boneless chicken breasts

6 oz. Mozerella or Swiss cheese slices

1 can Cream of Chicken soup

1/4 cup white cooking wine

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup herb-flavored crushed up Pepperidge Farm stuffing mix

1/2 stick butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place uncooked chicken in shallow buttered casserole dish. Layer cheese on top. Mix soup, wine, salt, pepper; pour over cheese. Sprinkle stuffing mix on top and drizzle with melted butter. Bake for 1 hour.

New House

So this is our new townhouse. I just love it. It is super roomy and nice...however, yesterday when I was driving to it to show a friend, there was still standing water right in front of our driveway due to the 10+ inches of rain that fell two days ago. I don't even want to imagine what it looked like the day of the rain. I know that Cypress Creek is right down the road from our house and it is currently still over the banks. Maybe this is the reason why we have water in front of our house. But I am so excited to be moving into a house that is almost 2.5x's bigger than our current apartment. Also, William has a yard...a small yard, but it's still a yard. So that's about it for now, but I promise to post some pictures of the inside once we have everything set up. We are getting new living room furniture in a couple of weeks so I will wait until then.

-Amber

I love this

I just bought this at amazon.com and I can't wait to use it. It's called the smart shopper and you say the items you need at the store and it makes categories based on the items you need and prints out a list. How cool is this and it's under $30. Word to your mother!!! I love organization!

Amber Renee'

Menu Planning

My friend Denise has been doing this for awhile, so I decided I would too. I always plan my meals throughout the month. I go grocery shopping about 2 times a month and spend about $300 a month on food. I came to realize after years of eating out, that you can save so much more money when you make food at home instead of going out. Don't get me wrong, we still go out about once a week, but Patrick and I both prefer some home-cookin over some greasy, fatty foods at restaurants. This is what I came up with:

-Flank Steak, veggies, and mac/cheese

-Cube Steak (Shout out to Denise for this recipe..using the crockpot)

-Orange Juice Chicken (Crockpot)

-Beef Enchiladas (http://kellyskornerrecipes.blogspot.com/)

-Swiss Stuffed Chicken (http://kellyskornerrecipes.blogspot.com/)

-Cheesy Brat Stew (Crockpot-allrecipes.com)

-Chicken Supreme (http://kellyskornerrecipes.blogspot.com/)

Since it's only me and Patrick, this list is probably going to last at least a week and a half because of leftovers from the night before. I will definitely let ya'll know which ones I love and which ones I don't. I might even take pictures of the final product and upload them on here. I hope everyone has a great week. I can't believe it's almost Easter!!!

Amber Renee'

Recession Clothing...

So I follow a lot of blogs, but I absolutely love this blog:

http://www.kellyskornerblog.com/

If you haven't read her blog, you sure are missing out. She is so inspirational and just so cute. Two days ago she did a post on recession clothing on a budget and I was tagged to do the same. Kelly dresses so cute and mostly shops only at Walmart, Target, and TJ Max. So here is my spin on recession clothing on a budget...

This is a adorable dress I saw at American Eagle. I would totally wear this during the summer months for sure and it's under 40 dollars. Totally worth it. I shop a lot at American Eagle and they tend to keep up with the ever changing trends. I would probably pair this with some super cute earrings and sandals/flats like these:

The shoes are from Old Navy for under $20 and the earrings are from Drugstore.com for under $30. The good things about purchasing accessories like these are that they can go with many outfits not just one or two. I also like this dress:

I think this dress is at American Eagle also. I would definately wear some sort of undershirt under this because I need a little extra coverage up top if you know what I mean. It has lots of fun colors to play with so you can pretty much dress it up with any accessory. Lastly..the dreaded bathing suit:

I love this bathing suit. I will probably buy it this year. It is from American Eagle and is under $40. The back is cut out and has a pin-up style feel to it.

Well that's all for now. It is raining here in Houston and so dark and gloomy. One of my best friend's turn 21 on Monday and was going to have a crawfish boil at her house on Saturday, but it got cancelled due to the 70% chance of rain for tomorrow. So this weekend looks to be kinda boring. Next week, I'm going to see Keith Urban, Taylor Swift, and maybe Brooks and Dunn at the Rodeo. I am so excited to see Keith Urban...he is super sexy. Until next week....

Wet and Over the Rain,

Amber

Random Photo Wednesday!

Isn't it just beautiful? Note to self- Must visit Ireland in the next 5 years!

Jason Mesnick-The Stupid Bachelor

I can not even explain the way my feelings have changed for this man. I watched some of the Bachelorette last season and I loved Jason from day one. When ABC announced that Jason would be the new Bachelor, I was so excited for him and hoped that the "Bachelor" curse would be broken. Boy how was I wrong.

From day one of the show, I loved Melissa and Jillian. As I watched the show more and more, I started to dislike Melissa more and like Molly, but I still loved Jillian the most. When he picked Melissa over Jillian, I knew something was up. He acted so interested in Jillian. Well after last night, when he let Molly go and asked Melissa to stay, I thought that was weird too. He kept saying, "When I look into Molly's eyes, I never want to stop." Who says that?

ATFR aired last night my mouth was just wide open. Why would he bring Melissa on this show to break up with her? Why didn't he respect her a little more to not totally embarrass her in front of millions of viewers? Then he and Molly had the nerve to get back together and make out 5 minutes after he ended not only his relationship but his engagement also...who does that? I got totally offended by the way he treated Melissa and the situation. Melissa is right, he should of never proposed to her because she thought of being engaged as a one time thing and he took that away from her. He didn't even fight to make the relationship work with Melissa..what makes Molly think he isn't going to give up on her like he did Melissa?? Also, I think he totally exploited his son Ty....that's wrong in so many ways! A lot of the entertainment news sites are claiming that ABC thought of this scheme from the beginning and that Jason knew he loved Molly when 5 girls were left standing, but they wanted to up their ratings so they told Jason to choose Melissa and make a big announcement during ATFR. So they made this scheme to stir things up. I personally think this is true because of the way Jason was acting...just ridiculous!!!!

So confusing. I guess I will have to watch the 2nd part to ATFR tonight. I have heard rumors that Melissa is back with her ex-boyfriend and Molly is pregnant..but who knows??

I'm just so over the Bachelor. The only way I will ever watch it again is if they bring Jillian back to be the Bachelorette.

-Amber

I promise...

...to post some pictures tonight. I just never seem to have time to download them to my computer. To be continued...

25 Things about Me...I promise to keep this blog up!

1. I am in love with the best guy on the planet....he is amazing.

2. I am terrified and excited to have a baby in the next 10 years. I am not even close to wanting a baby right now, but I am totally freaked out when I think about how much my life is going to change when I bring a baby into the world.

3. When I have pets, I tend to give them pet names. I'm not talking one or two, I'm talking lots of pet names. For example, when my sweet cat Caroline was alive, I called her "Carolweiner", Caroline Elizabeth..which lead to the infamous name "Lizard/Lizardbeth Howell". The list goes on. Weird I know..

4. I work for the largest oil company in the world...but I still worry I'm going to get laid off daily.

5. My mom is my all time best friend. I tell her pretty much everything and I always go to her for advice because she is right about 95% of the time.

6. I have an older sister who is completely opposite of me. Some people don't even know I have sister because we don't get along that well..It's life right?

7. I went to college at UT Tyler. I secluded myself from all the partying so I could focus on my studies. However, I did come to Houston up to 2 times a month so I could hang out with friends and family.

8. I would love to work in oil spill or something to do with protecting the enviroment.

9. I am a perfectionist in all aspects of my life. When things aren't perfect or don't go perfect, I sometimes feel as if I have failed..

10. My niece is like my little sister. I love her so much even though she's a spoiled brat.

11. I always tell my boyfriend, "My husband is on TV tonight!" And this is his response," Patrick Dempsey is not your husband."

12. I am still best friends with the girls I grew up with since 3rd grade. Tiffany will be my maid of honor one day and Sierra will be right along with her. I love them like they are family. I can't imagine my life without either one of them.

13. When I'm at work, I love reading blogs. It makes the day go by so fast. I even look forward to coming into work on Mondays just to read newly updated blogs.

14. My favorite all time vacation I took was to Las Vegas when I was 15 for my birthday. I loved it. I can't wait to go back.

15. I can't wait to plan my wedding with my mom. It is going to one of the best experiences in my life.

16. Lately, I have really been thinking about starting to go to church on Sundays. I am not a very religious person, but I want to reconnect with God.

17. My dream vacation would be a 2 week stay in Fiji...or Santorini, Greece.

18. My doggie William is absolutely the best dog ever. He makes me smile everyday when I get home from work.

19. I visit New Orleans at least once a year. NOLA holds such a special place in my heart. It's absolutely beautiful in my eyes. The music, food, and atmosphere is to die for.

20. Ther person I respect the most in my life is my dad.

21. I love designer purses. I would rather buy 1 purse for 2 grand than buy 5 pairs of designer shoes.

22. I try to save as much money as possible. I am a super control freak when it comes to my money.

23. My favorite show of all time is Grey's Anatomy..why you ask?? Because my husband is in it..Ha

24. My favorite flowers are tulips and orchids....therefore, what season will my wedding be in?? Why Spring of course!

25. I blessed beyond belief. I am so grateful for everything I have been able to give and receive throughout my life.