latest favorite things....

here are my latest top 10 favorites. i love...
1. blueberries...i think it's my favorite fruit right now. i could probably eat a whole case in one sitting, but i of course ration them out to last me longer. they are so good for you too (great anti-oxidants)! but apparently everyone else loves them too...the last two times i went to central market they were OUT! whah!! :( 2. fresh roses...recently i started buying a couple of roses to put around my apartment. i love fresh flowers...they are so gorgeous and they definitely make me happy! see girls, you don't have to wait around for a guy to buy you roses! :)

3. when i win at chess...it's a new obsession i have. i usually play a couple of games every night and i just love it when i win. i am pretty new at it, but i think it's so fun to play.

4. my job...i love it when patients tell me that i have really helped them and they thank me for listening or understanding. i love being able to solve their problems (when i can) and it feels so awesome to be able to make a difference for others. i also love teaching at UH and have fun with the students...it makes me miss hanging out with my friends from school... (this was taken at the chili cook off my first year of optometry school with my friends elyse and cheryl...gosh was it really over 8 years ago?!) 5. laughing so hard that i cry...this usually is accomplished by hanging out with one my sisters. there's nothing quite like a good laugh :) and we seem to always know how to have a good time doing nothing!...we are silly and loud and sometimes crazy!!...i love you guys!!! (this is me and lauri laughing about something on our cruise!)

6. august rush...have you seen this movie this movie yet?! it's so awesome! the acting is great, the music is amazing, and i love the artistic way it was filmed. and it's a touching story. i can't wait to watch it again!

7. chocolate...i just love eating anything chocolate. it's so yummy! my latest favorite is the dove dark chocolate...other favorites are cookie dough, frozen thin mints, and my mom's chocolate chip cookies! i will have to put in a request to have my mom make some next time i go to dallas...

8. knitting...i haven't had a knitting project in a while and i am so missing it! well actually, i started a hat around christmas time and still need to finish it, but i need sarah's help and i can't start a new project until i finish that one! (this is the start of a baby blanket i made for a friend last year). i like cross-stitching too...

9. chai latte with a pumpkin loaf at starbucks...i love spending an hour or so at starbucks doing my doing a bible study or just relaxing and reading my bible. it's the perfect get-away for me. i am always sad when it's over and i have to leave...10. hearing clearly from god...i love it when god speaks to me so clearly that i know it's him. there is nothing sweeter than knowing i am doing his will. i love feeling close to him...he reminds me that i can always rest in him and he will protect me from all harm. specifically, i am excited to be going on a mission trip to guatemala at the end of may! i am looking forward to seeing what god has planned...

deann :)

my best friend from college is celebrating her birthday today. we met our freshman year and have been friends ever since! i have been to visit her in oregon (it's so pretty there)...and we even met up in belgium in 1997...she has even been down to texas a couple of times! :) i have so many memories of laughing with her and just being silly! now she is the mother of 3 girls and a baby boy and she also moves all the time...like 4 or 5 times in the last 8 years, right?! she's really smart, a great runner, and scared of snakes...and it's been forever since we have seen each other, but one of these days.... (it's actually been over5 years and so i don't even have any digital photos of us...sad!) happy birthday deann! :)

david's running advice

well i have gone running 2 times now and even took henry once too (we walked though...he almost made it...towards the end when i was carrying him, a lady passing by said, 'well he sure has you trained!' so of course i made him walk a little more after that to show her she was wrong...hopefully i didn't push him too far...how far can little dogs walk?!) as for me, my left knee is hurting when i run now and i am soooo sore! yes, it could be my aging body, but i decided to email my wise-personal trainer-ironman-brother david for some advice. and this is what he told me:

"it could be a million things kim. chances are you probably are not doing most of these points, so this should help:
1. make sure you are WARMING UP and COOLING DOWN at least 5 min each
2. make sure you are STRETCHING ALOT
3. make sure you are not increasing your mileage more than 10% per week (i.e., if you haven't been running for a long time and start at 3 miles, then you will have ACHES & PAINS...you will have better results if you start at 1 mile, and increase gradually allowing your body time to adapt to the new movements)
4. make sure your shoes have been fit by a running specialist
5. make sure you are rolling out your IT BANDS or getting FREQUENT MASSAGE
6. make sure you are ICING
7. make sure you are RECOVERING PROPERLY (that means proper rest and nutrition) "

goodness...my life seemed so much less complicated before i started running! i am only stretching a little and i think i got the right shoes...but that's it! i like the part about getting frequent massages! my neck needs a massage too... it has been killing me lately...i can't look to my right without it hurting (hard to drive in houston traffic!) and the other day i tried to rub it out myself (it was really hurting!!) so i used this lotion that gets hot and is supposed to be for rubbing out knots (or so i thought) and i rubbed my neck too hard apparently and i burned the skin on my neck! sometimes i get really annoyed with my skin..i mean i didn't know it was possible to burn your skin with lotion...well it is! anyway, i appreciate david's advice and will start out slower next time i go and try to do this laundry list of things to make my muscles happy! :)

joseph

the story of joseph in genesis always amazes me. what a powerful story to show when we wait patiently on god how he is able to move in our lives! joseph was not only sold into slavery by his brothers but then later thrown into prison even though he was innocent. it would be many years before he would see what god's awesome plan had been all along.

i love the verse at the end (gen 50:20) when joseph is talking to his brothers and says "you intended to harm me, but god intended it all for good." i think joseph showed a lot of faith and forgiveness...he trusted god even though things probably didn't seem fair at times. sometimes we can get frustrated with our circumstances, but we can remember that god always has a plan for us...and it's always greater than anything we can imagine! (1 cor 2:9)

mmmmm...

okay, this is the best butter ever! i love it! i got it at central market and it's amazing. if you don't like margarine you should definitely try this...and even if you do you will probably like this better so try it anyway! it's called smart balance...whipped buttery spread. it's organic, 100% vegan, non-dairy, nonGMO, no trans fats and gluten free and a bunch of other stuff!.... so it's healthier! okay, so maybe i really don't care so much about that, but did i mention how yummy it is?! anyway, i have really been enjoying it and thought i would share.

day 1: running again

well, i finally got some running shoes today! yay!...the asics gel nimbus (sounds like something from harry potter!) and they were even on sale! aren't they cute?! so now i can start running again. i got off early from work and had time to go by luke's locker (and get my second opinion...joe told me that if size 9 works for me then i should stick with it...and he thought i had plenty of room...so there you go! and haha to the guy who said i should try a size 10!)
so i decided to head off to memorial park tonight and try them out. it's been like 9 months or so since i have been running, and like 9 years since i have been running in memorial park, but it was great to be back again (thanks to karri, david, deann and becky for inspiring me to run again!). and as i was running i was thinking how lucky i am to be in houston where there is a beautiful 3 mile track surrounded by trees! i love it! and my ipod even made it even though it was almost dying! (so much better than where i used to run when i first moved to houston...apparently the medical center wasn't the safest place for running at night!).

hey maybe i will even join houston fit and do a half-marathon or something...or maybe i can find some people to run with. i enjoy running so much better with other people...trouble is finding someone at your same pace i suppose. i did 'run' into my friend stephanie and we walked the last mile together so that was fun seeing her! (lindsey are you enjoying the pun!?) and maybe henry could even make it one of these days...hmmm maybe if i try walking ... i had to make sure i made it first before bringing him along! so my goal is to go once or twice a week so let's see how i do! :)

noah

i was reading genesis chapter 7 yesterday which talked about noah loading up the ark with all the animals. in verse 16 it says..."then the lord closed the door behind them."

it made me wonder if noah had been worried about how the ark was going to close. it doesn't really say if he was concerned about it or if god had explained to him already how it was all going to work out.... i think sometimes in my life i want to understand all the details...how is god going to work it all out? and sometimes i forget god is working it out and i worry about how i am going to close the ark door all by myself. but god knows how it will all work out in our lives. we just need to trust him and rest in him. and he has the power to work out any details that to us may seem impossible.

one of my favorite verses to remind myself to trust god and not try to figure it out on my own is prov 3:5-6..."trust in the lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take."

a rough night...

my sister sarah and her adorable dog max visited me this weekend...she was in town for some jewelry trunk shows (her jewelry is awesome and you should check out her website if you don't already own some sarah briggs jewelry!) anyway, we had a little drama with the visit that resulted in me having a nightmare about my laundry being stolen!

first, max decided to pee on my bedspread (i still love you max) so i hurriedly took off the duvet cover and started washing it. then later sarah and i were talking in bed and i saw this very very small bug (practically microscopic) on one of my pillowcases...which totally grossed sarah out, but i assured her everything else had just been washed (i never sleep on those pillows cases usually so i don't wash them every time...at least i used to not wash them every time...). so then i started washing the pillowcases. and then we went to bed but one the dogs started barking (it was probably henry) around 6 AM and woke me up (sarah is an amazingly sound sleeper...i used to be...i took my tylenol pm the next night!). anyway, i took henry and max outside and henry had 'trouble' going to the bathroom and it ended up all over his hair on his backside and then all over the sleeve on my robe after i picked him up. so i had to start yet another wash for my robe (after i had to cut off some of henry's hair...not fun!...and unfortunately not the first time i have had to do that).

so then i went back to bed but woke up having a nightmare...this lady was in the laundry room taking my clothes! i'm not sure why it was so scary, but i woke up screaming...or at least i tried to scream, but in my dream i couldn't scream so instead she told me i apparently made this embarrassingly weird noise that ended up scaring her too...what a night!

arm wrestling anyone?

i decided to buy the $25 (20 lbs) dollar bag of puppy food at petsmart instead of the $11 bag (5 lbs) so i could save $$, but i was sooooo regretting it as i had to carry it to my car and then from my car into my apartment. it was just way too heavy!! and now where am i supposed to store this huge bag? please tell me someone else thinks those bags are too heavy too!

however, now that i think about it, i have a history of wimpy arms...
1..i have never been able to do a push up
2. i throw a ball like a 3 year old (i was usually the last person picked on teams in elementary school...so sad!)
3. my pilates instructor is always having to adjust my arms to almost no resistance! i asked her yesterday if my arms were the weakest of anyone she knew and she paused and then said, 'no, i knew this one girl who had a goal of being able to lift a gallon of milk!' well, i do buy the half gallon size, but i am sure that i have lifted a gallon of milk before...or did i have to use two hands?!

hmmmm...so anyway, maybe it is just me... looks like i won't be needing a membership to that new costco being built down the street from me...

moment of fame...

a friend of mine saw me and my sisters in the woodlands lifestyle magazine... sarah and i volunteered to help lindsey with the montgomery county heart ball back in february. she's in charge of the whole event! go lindsey! :) you rock! i really enjoy helping out at the american heart association galas...it's fun to dress up! :) and so fun to be in a magazine.

family fued...

deann tagged me. i am #3... "Copy and paste to your own post. Rules of the game are that you have to answer the question but you can't repeat anyone else's answer. Make sure you copy and paste the previous answers. At the end of the questions, tag 3 people."

Name something you use in the shower.
1. Conditioner 2. Shampoo 3. razor

Name something people hate to find on their windshield.
1. Bird Poop 2. A crack 3. advertisements

Name something a man might buy before a date.
1. Flowers 2. a DVD 3. cologne

Name something you'd cook in the microwave.
1. Ramen Noodles 2. Popcorn 3. lasagna

Name a piece of furniture people need help moving.
1. Piano 2. Washing machine 3. couch

Name something a dog does that embarrasses its owner.
1. Gets into the garbage 2. Sniffing visitors 3. starts 'dominating' his doggiepod in the middle of our girls' bible study

Name a kind of test you cannot study for.
1. Pop Quiz 2. Drug screen 3. an eye exam :)

Name something a boy scout gets a badge for.
1. Making fire 2. Knot tying 3. um...using a dutch oven?

Name a phrase with the word "home" in it.
1. Love at Home 2. Home is where the heart is. 3. bless this home

Name a sport where players lose teeth.
1. Football 2. Boxing 3. hockey

Name something a teacher can do to ruin a student's day.
1. Put them in detention 2. Be absent 3. give her a bad grade

Name a bird you wouldn't want to eat.
1. Crow 2. Hummingbird 3. how about naming a bird someone would WANT to eat instead...

Name something that gets folded.
1. Towel 2. Laundry 3. arms

Name something a person wears even if it has a hole in it.
1. Underwear 2. Jeans 3. socks

Name something that gets smaller the more you use it.
1. Thread 2. Eraser 3. lip liner

i tag anyone who wants to do it...good luck! i don't think there are many answers left on some of these!!

all better!

yesterday was the first day that my thumb didn't hurt at work doing refractions...so now i can use my thumb again while turning the lenses and asking 'one or two' etc... yay! just two weeks ago i sliced it while opening a soup can. but the bruise on my leg from henry's teeth (thank goodness i was wearing jeans) is still there however...i wonder how long that one will last.

so they say that time heals all wounds....yes, some take longer than others, but eventually they all heal. that may also be true of other kinds of hurts in life i guess...eventually we heal...but never overnight. it always takes time...just like our physical cuts and bruises. sometimes we think our emotional hurts are healed, but they show up later and we realize they are still there...so maybe we need more than just time...

maybe it's because we also need god!...one of my favorite verses is psalm 107:20 where god talks about sending out his word to heal us. isn't that awesome?! his word heals our hurts. he binds our wounds (psalm 147:3)...and that's actually why he came! not only to save us but to comfort us and to release us from whatever sin takes us captive (isaiah 61:1, luke 4:18-19) ...jesus makes it all better! :)

congrats # 318!

i am so proud of my little brother...he finished his first ironman yesterday in AZ! how amazing! you are awesome david! and as if doing the ironman wasn't hard enough, he also had trouble with his flight and then his luggage was lost...but he made it!

(ps make that 3 people...i went out with some friends from chruch last night and someone asked me again if i was still in school...too funny!)

am i in college still?

that is what two people last week actually asked me! the first was this lady and her husband we were talking to on the shuttle bus on the way to the car at the airport monday. "so are you out of college yet?" and then friday when i was getting my tire fixed at NTB (yay! they were able to repair the big nail or whatever that was embedded in my tire! the people at the honda place found it...so maybe that's why my tire kept looking flat...hmmm...interesting...) anyway, this sweet lady and i are talking...she watches that cesar dog show on TV (i had henry with me...everybody loved him there...he wasn't as welcomed at central market...) and we were talking about how to help henry with his problems and what cesar would say (which i know because i have read his two books but i wasn't doing all the things i knew i should be doing so it really helped to hear them again...but i have never seen him on TV which i will have to start watching now) and anyway, halfway through the conversation she says, "so are studying something is school?"

i know that is supposed to be a compliment and i'll be honest, i do like hearing "you look 26" and everything, but i am not sure i want to look 21 again?! i mean is it what i am wearing or how i am acting or what?! i am in my thirties people!! and i graduated from college 11 years ago! and yes i already have a job and everything... i guess it's better than the patient who once told me i looked 16...that's the youngest i have gotten this year... seriously! but she really needed new glasses...

emily is 22!!

happy birthday emily!! :) emily is my fun and silly sometimes sister. look how adorable she is!!

this picture was taken at mi luna last february when emily was a nanny for lauri and she came to houston to visit me! we had so much fun! hey, when are you coming to visit again? i need to come see you in fayetteville...maybe when you graduate?!...december right?

me and em christmas morning 2006 (...and it's so not fair how beautiful you look without any makeup!!) awww...i am remembering how sick you got later that day after we had to sit through that rocky movie (that was the worst one out of the 5 or 6...how many rockys are there anyway?!). was it food poisoning?! i can't remember...but you were sooooo sick! :(

help!

okay my dog needs some serious behavior classes or something. tuesday i picked him up as another dog was passing us (because he always gets scared and barks at the top of his lungs)...well as he did this he ripped my new shirt from saks! he is so lucky it was on sale and i have a great alterations lady who might be able to repair it. then the next day he attacked a lady wearing a long skirt and a sash and he wouldn't let go (so embarrassing!)....and then later that night he BIT me (as we were passing another dog...i didn't pick him up this time because i liked the shirt i was wearing...but i like my leg too though!) ahhhhh!! henry!! what am i going to do with you!?

his new summer puppy cut sure is cute though...maybe this is just a puppy stage that he will outgrow!? or maybe i need to find a doggie daycare for him. i am gone a lot during the day and night sometimes. poor little guy...

happy birthday

me and mom on the girls cruise 2005 (was it really that long ago?...hey, when's our next trip?!)

happy birthday mom! i wish i could be there to celebrate with you!! hope you have a great day :)

150,000!

my little 2002 honda accord reached 150,000 today! ugh....that's a lot of miles! tomorrow i am taking it in to get my window fixed (it's so embarrassing when you are trying to roll your window down to pay for parking or to ask for directions and it won't go down...mine decides to randomly not work sometimes) and my front headlight is out (which i noticed as the valet drove my car back to me last night at americas...cool restaurant by the way...they are supposed to be known for their steak and tres leches...i passed on the steak but tried their salmon and it was really good and the tres leches was very yummy!!) and i am sure there some other expensive things i will need to do for maintenance because my car is so old!...

i always say that i am going to pay CA$$H for my next car, but i am not ready yet for that so my car had better not start dying on me until 2010 or something. but 'they say' hondas can go for 200,000, right?...i sure hope so! of course it's fun to think about what my next car will be (no i am not going to be boring and get a 3rd honda accord)... hmmm what will i get?!...i like the acura TL...or the lexus IS...or maybe the audi A4... and i will buy used of course (yes, i love dave ramsey in case you couldn't tell)...

keystone fun!

i met so many awesome friends...this was the last night at dinner with leila and laura. i can't wait for anne of green gables night with you guys!

here i the last day with jocelyn, laura and sarah!... i only got like 12 hours sleep total for whole trip...i am still trying to catch up!

the snow was great and the mountains were so beautiful!

i had a great time skiing, even though i wasn't as good as i remember being 10 years ago...

it snowed a lot the last day we were there...it was so pretty!

me and lee anna going to get our skis! it's SNOWING!!! :)

POWDER!

well, tomorrow i leave for 5 days headed for beautiful keystone, colorado! yay! i am so excited to be able to ski and hang out with friends from church. the weather looks awesome there...it's supposed to SNOW thursday, the day we arrive...PERFECT! i just love skiing when there's powder! and it's going to be partly cloudy most days we ski, with highs of 47 and lows of 22. and i think i will enjoy the weather...today it was 82 so being cold actually sounds nice!

she got me...

okay so i call carmen today (she works at one of my many offices) and she tells me she quit!! she told me she gave her notice so she could spend more time with her son and tomorrow is her last day. as i tell her i understand but i can't believe it and while i am still in shock, she says APRIL FOOLS! that's just mean!....i was so going to miss her!