New Schedule, New Habits, New Mindset

Change is on my mind!

There are a LOT of changes going on in my life right now. Good changes.

For the last five years or so, our life has been pretty flexible. Since I am a salaried, work at home employee, I have been blessed to be able to get to work, pretty much when I get around to it (within limits, of course). It's been a nice ride. As a family we would wake up, snuggle for a bit, then get up and have breakfast together. I got the little one ready for day care, then pre-k (pretty much still day care with a little more structure), and the hubs dropped her off a little bit before 9:00.

I pretty much would put on my yoga pants and a tank top, put my hair in a pony tail, wash my face, brush my teeth, and sit down at my lap top and get to work. When I could tell I was getting stressed out, that's how I knew it was time for my work out. Sometimes I just stressed right through it. I may or may not take time for lunch. Sometimes I would just eat at my desk.

Depending on my work load, household chores may or may not get done. Loads of laundry might get changed over between conference calls, but may or may not get folded. If it DID miraculously get folded, it most likely did not get put away.

All this lead to feelings of inadequacy as a wife, mother, and a person. I mean, are there REALLY people who ACTUALLY get themselves up in the morning, bathe themselves, dress themselves and their children, feed the family, get everyone out the door, dropped off to school on time AND get themselves to a real life JOB on time? Seriously? These people exist? I mean I know I did that when I was SINGLE, but come on? PARENTS do that? HOW???? I just couldn't fathom it because of this horrible habit (ok more like a RUT) I had gotten myself into.

Then, along came Kindergarten. I knew it was going to be tricky when I read somewhere that the child had to be there by the ungodly hour of 7:45. I mean what on EARTH??? What kind of masochist came up with THAT plan? Sure enough, it was not easy wrangling the child into her clothes and out the door after the novelty wore off that first week.

As for my own personally habit, I found myself plopping down to my desk as soon as the child and hubs walked out the door, just as I had always done. Then it hit me:

WAIT a gosh darn MINUTE! You have like almost TWO HOURS! Sara, you have time to: 

• Work out
• Empty the dishwasher
• Have devotional time
• Fold and put away a load of laundry
• Take a SHOWER
• Get DRESSED (like, in real clothes)

So....that is my epiphany. That is my new routine. I'm still working on it. I still have to remind myself that I have all this extra time and I need to use it wisely and not get sucked into FaceBook or something. It takes discipline, but I CAN do it.

As the season changes (at least we're told it's supposed to, right?), I encourage you to take a step back and re-evaluate your schedule. What can you do to make your life less stressful and more efficient and effective? You don't have to overhaul anything major. Would making lunches the night before making your mornings run more smoothly? What about setting out clothes before bed? 

I realize these aren't earth shattering, life changing, new ideas. I'm just throwing out some brain storming to get the juices flowing.

5 Things I've Learned About Migraines

I have suffered from horrendous headaches off and on since my 19th birthday, when my brakes failed and I rear ended another car at the bottom of a hill. For the most part, Chiropractic care kept the pain under control. About 18 months ago or so, my headaches changed...dramatically. Chiropractic care was no longer effective. Acupuncture only made me more nauseous.

Looking back, I think I had my first official migraine the Monday after returning from my honeymoon. I found it completely ironic that the hospital and urgent care wouldn't provide migraine medication due to my lack of history of migraines. Well, you have to have your first one at some point, right?

Anyway, in the last 18 months I have missed out on activities with my family and missed days at work because of the unbearable pain, which often came with its buddies: nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light and sound, etc.

The healthcare system where we live now requires new headache patients to attend a headache class prior to scheduling an appointment with the neurologist. Here are some things I learned at the class last week:

Why they have these classes:

They found they were telling new patients the exact same thing over and over again. Getting us together all in one room to tell us stuff before our first appointment “improves outcomes.” I’m all for that!

What I learned:

·         Migraines are not about not coping with stress well. At the same time, coping skills can help reduce frequency and intensity of migraines.
·         Migraine Patients (MPs) have genetically hyper-sensitive brains. All brains have a sort of “filter” of stimulation that directs traffic of all the signals. Ours gets clogged and stops working properly, kind of like an air conditioner filter getting super clogged.
·         MPs brains need to be maintained like a Ferrari instead of treating it like a beat up Pinto. No skipping oil changes, no cheap gasoline allowed. Hand wax it. That translates to getting plenty of sleep, but not too much (7 hours min. no more than 9), eating regularly (most of us had not had 2 actual meals by the time of class, which was 3:00-5:00, which follows statistics of MPs).
·         We have to take responsibility for our care by following some rules such as the eating and sleeping stuff. We are also expected to do 10 minutes of “Thermal Biofeedback*” each day, do something fun or relaxing at least once/week, read up on migraines, etc. between appointments, maintain the headache journal they gave us in between appointments.
·         The number 1 side effect of most of the drugs prescribed for migraine is headaches. They are not meant to be taken more than periodically.  This explains why so many people’s headaches increase in frequency and intensity over time. It’s the ()#&)@#*)@ #@ DRUGS!
·         She even showed a graph of a study that was done:

o   One group was taken off their meds cold turkey, with no preventive or “rescue” measures in place.

o   Another group got to keep their meds.

o   The last group was taken off their meds, with preventive measures in place.

o   ALL groups increased frequency of headaches in the beginning of the 12 week study.  The last group had the best outcome: lowest frequency and intensity of headaches.

·         They do not treat the headaches here…they treat the person who has a migraine condition. Much like a diabetic patient isn’t simply given rescue medication, but instead the condition is managed with a combo of meds and lifestyle changes. Same applies here. We are MPs, we will always be MPs, whether it’s a pain day or not. I thought that was interesting.
·         *Thermal biofeedback: they gave us a thermometer to hold between thumb and forefinger. Deep breathing exercises while holding the thermometer. We will be able, with practice, to increase our temp by as much as 4 degrees. The warmer the hands, the more relaxed we are.

I'm sharing this because I know there are so many people who suffer from migraines. Odds are, you or someone you know has this condition. Please share this information with them. 

What is Younique?

As part of my mission to help people (including myself!) be the best they can be, inside and out, I have partnered with a company called Younique.

First of all, you can see that their Mission is right inline with mine! 

I found out about Younique from my friend, Mandy. She was having an Online 3D Lash Party on FaceBook. I kept seeing these posts with incredible eye lash transformations! Check out this one!

When I was working at Studio nine Salon in Chico, I thought about learning how to do eyelash extensions. After consulting with she salon owner about it, I decided it was a huge investment for a service I would have to charge a lot for. I also spoke with my own aestheticism about it. She shared with me that it takes her three hours to do a set of extensions.

I was thrilled to discover I could get the same look, and share it with others, for just $29 and the time it takes to apply a few coats of mascara! Wow!

I decided to buy a set from Mandy's party. I couldn't believe the difference in my lashes! My husband even thought I was wearing falsies!

It's one of those things that just gives your confidence a little boost. Most people probably don't even look at me close enough to see my lashes behind my glasses. But, I know they're there. I feel like my normally somewhat squinty eyes look a little brighter and more open.

Younique offers more than just 3D Fiber Lashes. I didn't think a moisturizer could make a difference, but one of my dark spots on my face is less noticeable now that I've been using Brilliance morning and night.

I'll share more about the Younique products and business opportunity in the days and weeks to come. For day, I just want to introduce it to you. You can check out my current parties, or book one of your own and earn free and half off products.It's all run through FaceBook, so you don't even have to clean your house or make plans for hubby and kiddos to leave the house for a few hours!

New Online Bible Study With Proverbs 31!

Online Bible Studies (OBS) are a great way to participate in a study when getting away for a consistent weekly, in person get together is not an option. Even if you are able to attend a small group in person, OBS is a good way to enrich your own quiet time.

I previously participated in A Confident Heart.  I didn't blow my way through it because I felt I could dig a little deeper if I just journaled my thoughts along the way.

This time the study is called Limitless Life: You Are More Than Your Past When God Holds Your Future. We started on May 25, but it's never too late to join. I'm a little behind myself, what with migraines and all. This week we are reading and discussing (or blogging or journaling) chapters 3&4.

The verse of the week is: "For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the things He planned for us long ago." (Ephesians 2:20)

The challenge this week is to do one or more of the following:

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:10) - See more at: http://proverbs31.org/online-bible-studies/current-study/page/2/#sthash.wQTXvmJ1.dpuf

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:10) - See more at: http://proverbs31.org/online-bible-studies/current-study/page/2/#sthash.wQTXvmJ1.dpuf

Limitless Life: You Are More Than Your Past When God Holds Your Future - See more at: http://proverbs31.org/online-bible-studies/#sthash.BBsTmXit.dpuf

Limitless Life: You Are More Than Your Past When God Holds Your Future - See more at: http://proverbs31.org/online-bible-studies/#sthash.BBsTmXit.dpuf

Limitless Life: You Are More Than Your Past When God Holds Your Future - See more at: http://proverbs31.org/online-bible-studies/#sthash.BBsTmXit.dpuf

I'm going to share how this verse resonates with me today.

God is moving in me lately. It started when we discovered our new church home. It has progressed as I've been spending more intentional time with the Lord, in the Word, and in prayer.  I believe that He has given me Zumba and a few other things as tools...tools to improve my inner and outer STRENGTH. They're also tools to help others.

Obesity is now a world wide epidemic. Obesity is more than being a little chubby, overweight, fluffy, or whatever other euphemism we want to apply to it. Obesity cause a variety of other health complications that can be prevented. Dear readers, I am speaking from the heart. I am speaking from experience. I have topped 200 pounds and picked up a few of the obesity side effects along the way. It's not fun. It's expensive.

Let's break this verse down and do a little mapping..."For we (that includes ME) are God's masterpiece," that means I am perfect in His sight. I am beautiful. To borrow from another verse, I am fearfully, wonderfully made. I wasn't born fat. God didn't intend for me to become obese. I've done this to myself.

I'm not beating myself up over this, don't get me wrong. There's no point in that. If you're doing that to yourself right now, I want you to STOP IT! This is where "He has created us ANEW in Christ Jesus" comes in. "Us." That means ALL OF US. You, me, anyone who wants to accept this gift of a new life!

Let's keep going:  "So we (this includes ME again!) can do the things he planned for us long ago." He has plans for me. He has work for me to do. He has given me gifts, talents, abilities...that He wants me to use! More and more lately I feel like it is more than just "my idea" to help people become the best version of themselves, inside and out. I can't help but feel like this is God's plan for me.

What about you? Do you believe this verse? Do you believe and embrace the fact you are His masterpiece? That he has plans for you and work for you to do? I'd love to hear more about it! Please comment below, drop a comment on my FaceBook page, or Tweet me!

Next Study: Limitless Life: You Are More Than Your Past When God Holds Your Future - See more at: http://proverbs31.org/online-bible-studies/#sthash.9zB3iFd2.dpuf

Next Study: Limitless Life: You Are More Than Your Past When God Holds Your Future - See more at: http://proverbs31.org/online-bible-studies/#sthash.9zB3iFd2.dpuf

Next Study: Limitless Life: You Are More Than Your Past When God Holds Your Future - See more at: http://proverbs31.org/online-bible-studies/#sthash.9zB3iFd2.dpuf

COMMUNITY – What does community mean to you? What do you need from community? What can you give to community? - See more at: http://proverbs31.org/online-bible-studies/2014/05/22/blog-hop-101-community/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+P31OnlineBibleStudies+%28P31+Online+Bible+Studies%29#sthash.666FG8u6.dpuf

COMMUNITY – What does community mean to you? What do you need from community? What can you give to community? - See more at: http://proverbs31.org/online-bible-studies/2014/05/22/blog-hop-101-community/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+P31OnlineBibleStudies+%28P31+Online+Bible+Studies%29#sthash.666FG8u6.dpuf

COMMUNITY – What does community mean to you? What do you need from community? What can you give to community? - See more at: http://proverbs31.org/online-bible-studies/2014/05/22/blog-hop-101-community/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+P31OnlineBibleStudies+%28P31+Online+Bible+Studies%29#sthash.666FG8u6.dpuf

Migraine & Headache Awareness Month

I do not personally need help becoming more AWARE of migraines. I am reminded approximately once a month now of how painful and debilitating migraines are. Sometimes they're migraines, sometimes I'm not so sure. I'm participating in Migraine & Headache Awareness month so that others who suffer won't feel so alone. I also want to help spread awareness to those who love or work with a migraine sufferer. There are a lot of myths and misunderstandings about this condition. I am still learning a lot myself.

I was in a car accident on my 19th birthday. Happy Birthday to me! That messed up my neck pretty badly and caused headaches off and on for several years. About 18 months or so ago, I started getting a new variety of headaches. These were 10 times worse than the "my neck is out" variety.

I haven't quite figured out what triggers these unpleasant events. Red wine is definitely one. Soy sauce may be another. I feel like the headaches are part of a bigger problem as I get other symptoms too that I think are abnormal. I feel it is important to educate myself and get support from others going through the same thing.

If you or someone you love suffers from migraines or other headaches, here are some support resources I find helpful:

National Headache Foundation Facebook page

MAGNUM - The National Migraine Association Facebook page

Voices of Fibromyalgia Facebook page

My personal Headache Board on Pinterest

What not to say to a person with migraines

Personally, my next steps, medically speaking, are to take a headache class at my local neurology center (cha-ching), which is not available until mid-July. They will instruct me to keep a headache journal for six weeks, then we'll go from there. Meanwhile, I am to take 500 mg of Magnesium and 400 mg of CoQ-10 every day for prophylaxis. I'll take a healthy scoop of prayer with that!

I recognize that my headaches were fewer and farther between when I was exercising regularly. Hopefully, now that I'm leading Zumba again, I will get to enjoy more pain free days in the near future.

Exciting News!

Today's theme song is "Tub Thumping" by Chumbawumba. For those of you who need help getting that song stuck in your head for the rest of the week, please view the video below:

Yes, yes, it's been a couple of weeks since I said I was back to blogging again. I even touted my blogging calendar! Ha! Well, life has a way of getting in the way. By life, I mean work, family, visitors, and a three day migraine.

Enough about that! My 1 year Zumba-versary is this Saturday! Yahooo! I'm so excited! Not only have I been licensed for one whole year, but I am teaching leading Zumba again! That's right...ain't no migraine gonna STOP me! Well, at least I will introduce some steps, take measurements, weigh in, and talk about goals, etc. Hopefully we can get a few songs in at least.

This is exciting for me for so many reasons. Last year, I wrote my commitments on a white board and posted it on Facebook as my profile pic. Each time I accomplished one of them, or it became invalid (no longer need to paint the exterior of a home I no longer owned), I crossed it off and re-posted it. I got through most of the list:

This year, I wrote on the white board again, but never got around to posting it. That's probably in part because I don't have bills paid off (in fact have more thanks to a sky high deductible), nor am I close to a size 9. Anyway, my white board currently reads:

1. Teach Zumba again
2. ACE cert (nationally recognized group exercise certification)
3. Zumba kids license
4. (a couple of Avon related goals, which are now void, to be covered in another blog post)

So I've got  #1 covered. #3 is coming in July! I'm not sure how long #2 will take, but I WILL get it done by the end of the year...possibly the end of the summer!

What else is new? Oh yeah! My blog name! You like? You can also find Saranity Fitness at Twitter and on FaceBook!

Maybe today's theme song should be "I'm So Excited" by the Pointer Sisters! Both are apropros, so here you go!

Back in the Saddle Again!

Feel free to queue up "Let's Here it for the Boyyyyy" from the movie Footloose to listen to in the background while reading this post. Only swap out Girl for Boy in your head.

So I haven't blogged in a while. Well, it happens. But now I'm back and super excited. I even have a blog calender created with some ideas for posts. I don't want to ruin the surprise...plus, I reserve the right to change my mind and post about something else at any time.

You can look forward to posts about:

Spirituality - What I learned from my time in the Word for the week; Tips for spiritual growth, and more.

Craftiness - I'll share what I'm working on, amazing patterns and craft ideas I find online, and more! My hot craft of late is crochet, but there are lots of other crafty things to share about too!

Fitness stuff - My own accountability for my fitness, which will in turn, inspire you to make small, sustaintable changes to improve your health and well being too!

Book reviews - Sometimes it takes me a REALLY time to finish a book, even audio books! I will still share what I'm reading and discuss how I feel about it so far. Sometimes I hold myself back, waiting for everything to be perfect to do something, like finishing a book for a book review.

Funny stuff - Life can suck sometimes. Humor helps! Humor heals!

My official blog schedule starts June 1, but I'll be posting here and there between now and then as sort of a warm up.

I'm also working on plans to rename this thing and move it to my own URL. Baby steps, baby steps!

Fitness Friday: Fitness Challenge Starts in Two Weeks!

It's GO time! With school closures due to ice and snow, it's hard to believe Spring and Summer really are right around the corner! Forget about New Year's Resolutions, which may or may not have already been broken. Let's not beat ourselves up about it!

Instead, let's join forces and get into an accountability group! I am looking for FIVE people to join me in a Turbo Hotties Challenge group. My long time friend and Beachbody Coach, Korri Nelson, will spur us on through 90 days of concentrated dedication to our health and well being.  There will be prizes along the way too! Water bottles, Shakeology Samples (the most nutritious meal of the day), and more!

This is a preview of the program we will use transform our bodies over the next 90 days:

It's time to Decide, Commit, and Succeed!

Why I chose Turbo Fire as the challenge workout program:

Chalene Johnson - Chalene is the instructor and creator of Turbo Fire, Turbo Jam, and ChaLEAN Extreme. She is positive and upbeat without being a barbie doll cheer leader. She kicks your butt and she knows it. Chalene knows exactly when you need to be reminded that you are NOT dying, your legs are NOT falling off and to keep PUSHING yourself! I simply love her and I think you will too!

Challenging Workouts - You WILL feel like have two, maybe three left feet at first. BUT, there is the option to learn the moves at a slower pace first using the Fire Starter class.

It's proven, it WORKS! I've personally lost inches in the past and I know I can do it again. This time I'm getting my diet in order too in order to guarantee my success!

Challenge participants for this group are required to commit to 90 days of Turbo Fire. Results are Guaranteed. If you don't like it, simply return it after 30 days. You've got nothing to lose but the weight.

Connect with me on Facebook. Send me a message that you saw this post and want to join the challenge and Korri or I will invite you to the accountability group. Watch for an invite called Turbo Hotties Feb. 2014

Make Something Monday: Hello Kitty Hats

I learned to knit and crochet when I was a young girl. I don't remember exactly how old I was, but I'm pretty sure it was under the age of 10. I learned some from my mom and some from my grandmother on my dad's side. Back then I didn't know how to follow a pattern. I didn't really make anything, I just kept knitting or crocheting.

About 10 years ago, I started knitting scarves. I wore them to work and people admired them so much they wanted me to make scarves for them. Some were for my friends/co-workers, others they wanted to give as gifts. I kept pretty busy knitting scarves for a few months!

Down the road, a friend showed me how to use DPNs (double pointed needles) to make hats. I made a few hats, but that was about it.

Then I had a baby and put away my knitting needs for a few years. I was afraid she would either poke her eyes out with the knitting needles, or pull one of my DPNs out of a project and unravel whatever I was working on.

A couple of months ago I decided to make Hello Kitty hats for my munchkin and her cousins. I got some white yarn and started knitting. It was taking a long time, but I knew the girls would enjoy the hats, so I kept at it. I had hoped to have the hats done by the time the family gathered in Carlsbad, California to celebrate a belated Christmas. That didn't happen.

Thankfully, Jenni from I'm Dancing in the Rain, shared a little secret with me: Crocheting goes a LOT faster than knitting! Man on man! She has a free pattern on her site that I used and got the last two hats cranked out in just a couple of hours each. Whew! I wish I'd know that secret when I started the project. Lesson learned!

I still have to finish embellishing all the hats and get them in the mail this week, but here's what they look like pre-embellishment:

This is the knitted version. 

This is the crochet version

If you're interested in making a Hello Kitty hat of your own, here is a link to the pattern I used for the knitted hats and embellishments. You could probably use just about any pattern for the white hat, then embellish it using the tips used on this blog. Obviously, that's what I did when I decided to crochet the hats!

Word for the Year 2014

Hard to believe January is practically over already!

Now that I'm back home from my whirlwind trip to the West Coast, I am finally getting around to solidifying my agenda for the year. Last year, I wrote some commitments on a white board. I had my picture taken with the list and posted it on Facebook. I then checked the items off as I accomplished them. I missed a couple of targets, and one of them became obsolete (don't need to paint the outside of a home I no longer own). My PLAN is to do that again for 2014 by January 31st. I don't have all my commitments decided on yet.

In the mean time, I've read a couple of posts about a word for the year, such as Jennifer (Jenni) at I'm Dancing in the Rain. She's also a long distance friend whom I only recently met in person at another Jennifer's (Jen) surprise party. She is an amazing woman. In my eyes, she's an incredibly strong woman.

My word is: Stronger

 Photo credit: http://www.pixabay.com

My goals this year are around getting stronger, inside and out.

Physically, this involves strength training in addition to my regular cardio/Zumba. Strength training enables me to burn more calories when I'm working out, and when I'm not. It also makes me, well, stronger, of course!

I'm also committing to getting stronger and stepping (literally) outside my comfort zone by completing a 5K! It's called Color Me Rad. I haven't decided on the date and location yet. Probably Waco in March, hopefully before it's too dreadfully hot here in Texas!


Emotionally, getting stronger involves assuming positive intentions (sorry, co-workers, I couldn't help it!) and don't blow things out of proportion. I ask for clarification instead of letting my mind run wild in the wrong direction.


Spiritually, I plan to grow stronger by attending church regularly, including Sunday morning Bible Study, and reading my Bible throughout the week. I am so blessed that my family has found our new church in Texas!

I Can Blog Again!!!

Wow! Where do I even begin???!!

I have  been absolutely paranoid to post anything on Facebook, Twitter, my blog, etc. for fear of spilling a HUGE secret I've been holding since shortly after Thanksgiving. Around Cyber Monday, I got a text from my BFF's hubby, Joe, asking if Miss M and I would fly out for JHo's (aka Jen's) 40th birthday hurrah. Are you KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW???? OF COURSE!

It helped that we were already in the state, celebrating belated Christmas with my husband's side of the family. Instead of flying home on Monday, we flew up to Sacramento. My parents picked us up and we hid out with them for a few days. I had the whole family on Facebook lock down! NO PHOTOS! No tagging! It felt like we were in witness protection or something! We had a few close calls, but we made it through.

We had a nice visit with my folks. My brother came up from the Bay Area and we got to see my other brother who lives near my parents, too. He works out of town, so we don't always get to see him when we're there. We had a little celebration for Miss M's, my, and my mom's birthday as they are all in January. 

On Thursday, Mom and Dad drove us over to the Sacramento Airport. We met Joe at the cell phone lot and transferred all our luggage over to his truck. We said our tearful goodbyes and got in the truck. Jen's other BFF's, Jenni, Hilary and Mr. Hilary were also flying in. I went to terminal A to meet up with Jenni, he went to pick up Hilary and Mr. Hilary.

The timing was perfect and everything was falling into place. Jen and her friend, Erika were shopping at Ikea while we were rounding every body up. He had given Jen a gift card to Joe's Crab Shack that morning to ensure she would have lunch at the right place!

We were approaching the restaurant just as Jen and Erika were walking in! We couldn't believe we had such a close call! Thankfully, Erika spotted us and quickly ushered her through the door. Whew! We got parked and headed to the restaurant. Joe went in, gifts in hand. The rest of us waited impatiently outside. Jenni's gift was in her luggage, which was delayed, so we sent her in first. We decided to have her call Jen as if to be checking on how her birthday shopping trip was going.

Jenni walked in to greet Jen while they were talking on the phone. It was PRICELESS! That had to be the absolute last thing she was expecting to see! Joe then handed Jen a present, which she set down to take it all in. Joe told her to go ahead and open it. Meanwhile, he's texting me to go ahead and come in with Miss M. She just got done opening it, wheels spinning in her head, when Miss M and I started walking toward her. She let out a big "NO WAY!" and gave us the biggest hug ever.

Jen was just getting used to the idea that Jenni, Miss M and I were there when we moved to a bigger table to accommodate every one. Joe then handed her one last present. This was the grand finale! It was a picture of Mr. & Mrs. Hilary!!! Hilary is another BFF from work, whom Jen has actually never met in person. Now that she'd been through this routine once, she had an idea of what the photo meant. In disbelief, she said "NOOOOOO!" as they walked to the table. At the same time, a waiter was asking if everyone in the party had arrived. He saw Hilary and hubs walking toward us and said, "Oh, I see you have two more." That was seconds before Jen opened the photo and I was about to step on his foot for blowing it! I don't think she heard him though.

We had some lunch and a couple of drinks at Joe's Crab Shack. We laughed and talked about all of the fibs we'd had to tell her to cover up for what was really going on. Will she ever trust us again? I hope so!

Then we headed back to Chico for some more partying. We had Chinese and Japanese food and cake that night, where Jenni and I gave her some craftiness we had been collaborating on. More on that later. She also received a "boat load of cash" for the cruise she and Jenni are taking in March. I thought that was pretty clever! It was a toy boat with various cash bills sticking out of the various openings.

On Friday, Miss M and I got to visit her peeps & teachers at her old preschool. It was so sweet to see all her buddies come over and swarm her with love and hugs. One teacher even shrieked when she spotted Miss M! After that, we headed to a tea bar to visit with a few of our Chico friends. I had the opportunity to connect up with another special friend back at Jen's house before we all headed out for apps and drinks downtown.

I'm still pinching myself that this all happened. It was such a huge blessing for me to be able to go back home after moving to Texas just a few months ago. It felt good to see the people I miss so much. On top of missing our old friends and family, now I miss our new friends: Mr. & Mrs. Hilary (Mr. Hilary's name is actually Brett, by the way!) and Jenni as well. Even Miss M said she was going to miss them on our journey home.

Check out the events from Jen's and Jenni's perspective on their blogs.