Mexican + Concert = FUN

Tonight I met up with girlfriends Melissa & Amy for dinner & a concert. We all met at Los Tules since both girls had heard great reviews about this place. It was your typical hole-in-the-wall authentic mexican place off of Broadway near downtown KC. We of course started off with margaritas, chips & salsa while waiting for our food. Now I like to think of myself as a mexican-food-connoisseur since I frequent the mexican joints around the KC area & you all know my favorite is Rudy's so I compare all to this place. Let me just say that Los Tules has nothing on Rudy's! The margaritas were good but expensive. The chips were hot, but greasy. The salsa was just ok. The food came out & looked good but tasted mediocre. I ordered softshell chix tacos w/rice & beans - my usual. The shredded chix was quite good, but my shells were made of corn not flour tortillas & they were teeny tiny & soggy. The beans were dry & the rice was so-so. It wasn't the worst I ever had but it definitely wasn't Rudy's. The other girls agreed that it was good but they weren't "impressed". Hey, at least the 'rita's & the company was good :)

Next we made our way downtown to the Sprint Center for the Ludacris/Black Eyed Peas concert. It unfortunately was raining & lucky for Amy & I we had umbrellas. Poor Mel did not so we both got quite the chuckle when she unwrapped her scarf & wrapped it around her head for our walk to the Sprint Center.
Once in, we grabbed another beverage & took our seat. We sat on the lower level & were a bit away from the stage but had a good view regardless. To my surprise, my friend HK & her date got tickets last minute so they were there & we all went down to sit with them for awhile as they had better seats than us. We of course had to take a few pics: The concert started with the group LMFAO who has been featured on MTV's Spring Break & Road Rules. I really liked them & thought their music had a good beat. We all agreed the song titles were quite interesting. For example: I'm in Miami Bitch, Shots & I Am Not a W***e just to name a few. I couldn't help but think the entire time they played how their music would be great to run on the treadmill to!? Note to self: download some LMFAO to the iPod when I get home.

Next up was Ludacris & he was AWESOME! He really got the crowd pumped up & ready for the Black Eyed Peas! He opened up with "Money Maker" & sang all his popular songs including: Cadillac Grills, Saturday, Roll Out, Yeah, One More Drink & How Low! I definitely shook my "money maker" the entire time he was on stage :)

About half-way through Ludacris, we got booted when the other concert-goers showed up to claim their seats so we headed back to our original seats - grabbing a bathroom break & another beverage along the way.

Next up was the Black Eyed Peas & this group did NOT disappoint! The stage set-up was awesome, the singing was awesome & the entertainment value & laser show during the evening was top-notch. They opened with "Let's Get It Started" & sang all their popular songs throughout the evening as well as a few new ones. Fergie Ferg had a 15 min window where she sang her solo songs like "Fergalicious", "Glamorous Life" & "Big Girls Don't Cry". Will.I.Am also had a 15 min solo act where he sang his hit "In The Ayer" as well as rocked the house as a DJ spinning old school tunes. It was WAY cool & he got the entire place jumpin! They ended the evening singing "I Got A Feeling" and left the crowd wanting more.
It was an awesome concert & I am SO glad Mel talked me into going with her.
Thanks Mel for asking me to be your concert buddy & for a super fun evening! Unfortunately I have decided that hooker heels, standing all night dancing in them & one too many beers does NOT do this body good. For some reason I thought I could hang like I was 21!? Um, not so much....LOL

First Day of Spring....

....and this is the scene from our backyard:


6 inches & still snowing! Is winter ever going to end?!?

Retail Therapy

We got finished with procedures early today so I decided to ditch work, forego the basketball-watching & treat myself to a little "retail therapy"! I just so happen to have a 30% off coupon for Banana Republic, Gap & Old Navy stores as well as their outlet stores so I headed to The Legends to see if I could put it to use.
When I got there it was total chaos. I don't think anyone in the KC metro area was working today because they were all hanging out at the Legends with their children. There were babies, kids, strollers & teenagers everywhere in the stores and out. All the stores were having huge sales also so they had lines 20 people deep waiting to be rung up. It was crazy. And people were being SO rude.

After 20 min in Banana & decided to not even bother waiting to try on the outfit I had picked out. Instead I made my way to the registers & proceeded to wait in the long line. Bought a pair of casual/dressy pants, a cute cotton top & a little cami for underneath. BEFORE the sale price all together it was $120. On sale it was $72. Scanned my 30% off coupon & now we were down to $51. Throw in the gift card I received for my birthday back in August & swiped my debit card for a grand total of $24. Not too shabby for an expensive store like Banana Republic.

Next I made my way over to the Gap Outlet. Just as crazy as Banana so I did a 180 through the store & out the door I went. Didn't see anything in there that I just had to have. All the kids, strollers & teenagers were starting to work my last nerve so I made my last stop into Old Navy. Didn't see anything there I had to buy either so I was in & out in 5 min. Since I had had enough of the craziness, I decided to head back over to Johnson County & hit Walmart on the way home. Another nightmare & it was only 4pm!

When I walked in I was lost. They totally rearranged every aisle in the store, painted the walls a disturbing mustard & blue color & amped up the voltage on the fluorescent lighting so it was almost TOO bright in there & damn near gave me a migraine. Once I found my way & gathered my groceries I made my way to check out. There were only 6 cashiers working and at least 5 people deep in each line. Unreal! So I grabbed a magazine & tried to read while I waited in line. Tried being the key word here. I was constantly being distracted by the girl's hair that was in front of me as well as all the "stripes" she had going on there...

Seriously? Why? Only at Walmart...

Anyway, I get up to pay for my groceries, put them in the cart & then attempt to scan my debit card but the teenager behind me has moved forward & is standing in front of the debit scanner. I said "excuse me" not once but twice & then she has the nerve to roll her eyes at me, sigh real heavy & acts like I was asking her to move mountains or something. I went from sweet to bitch in 2 seconds flat. "Um, listen Miss Thang. I've been waiting in this line just as long as you have now move the hell back so I can scan my debit card & get out of your way." It just came out before I could do anything about it. She looked stunned & stepped out of my way. I scanned my card, grabbed my receipt & left.

THEN I get to my car and see a frickin' shopping cart wedged in b/w my bumper & another car's bumper. I about lost it in the parking lot! The cart carousel is 2 cars over & this asshole couldn't push the cart 12 feet? I was beyond pissed. I removed the cart & I then see a scratch in my bumper of the Mustang. Nice...

Why me? Is God trying to punish me? I just don't get my luck sometimes. Should have just kept my ass at work & watched basketball. Instead of retail therapy, I think I now need mental therapy!

TGIF!!!

A Good Day

Today we finished with procedures by lunch-time so the rest of the afternoon I got to put my feet up at & watch basketball while updating my brackets in-between games. After work I got to put the top down & enjoy running errands with the wind blowing through my hair in 68 degree weather.

For dinner I met one of my bestest girlfriends - Mindy for dinner at a restaurant called In.gre.di.ent. I had the Salmon Flat salad & it was dee-lish. In the words of rapper Ice Cube - I gotta say it was a good day :)

Bracketology

It is that time of year again. Time for "March Madness"!

I become a "freak" this time of year. I eat, sleep & breathe NCAA men's basketball. During the weeks before the "madness" begins, I will spend countless hours researching the teams, reading what all the critics are saying about the teams & watch a lot of basketball in hopes that I make the right pics for my brackets. I have been in the top 3 for the last 3 years so I'm hoping I can take home the big prize this year. I'm not quite sure how I became this way. I am far more into it than Shane is.

It has been fun watching our beloved KS Jayhawks win game after game as well as watching them win the Big 12 Tournament. Now they are the #1 seed in the national tournament. We are hoping they can go all the way & rest assured, we will be watching!

Excuse me while I go fill out my bracket....

Rock chalk Jayhawk - GO KU :)

Comfort Food

One of my favorite "comfort" foods is a really good Apple Crisp. There is just something about warm apples & that crumbly, crunchy, oatey goodness that goes on top. Being that it was a dreary & cold weekend, I decided to make some Sunday evening for dessert. It turned out oh so yummy! (Please excuse the mess on the side of the dish. This sous chef was in a hurry)

I prefer my apple crisp plain while Shane prefers some Vanilla Bean ice cream on top. Regardless of how you like it, this recipe is sure to make you say "mmm mmm good"! Lucky for you I am sharing it with you all :)

HT's Apple Crisp

•3-4 medium tart apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
•1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
•1/3 cup granulated sugar
•1/2 cup all-purpose flour
•3/4 cup quick cooking oats
•1/2 cup melted butter
•1/3 cup water
•1 tsp granulated sugar
•dash of cinnamon
•dash of nutmeg
•whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for topping

Preparation:

Arrange sliced apples in a buttered 8-inch square baking dish. Sprinkle apples with 1 tsp sugar, a dash of cinnamon & nutmeg if you like.

In a bowl, combine the sugars, flour, and oats; stir in melted butter. Spread mixture over the apples. Pour water evenly over top. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes, until apples are tender and top is nicely browned. Serve warm or cooled with ice cream or whipped cream. Serves 4-6.

PS: I double the sugar/flour/oat/butter mixture because I like a lot of extra crumbly topping on my apple crisp :) Make sure to pour an additional 1/3 cup of water over mixture if you double it.

Enjoy...and your welcome!

Sweet Friend....who me?

Today I was awarded a "Sweet Friend Award" by one of my blog friends - Desiree. I am super flattered & very much appreciative to be thought of as a "sweet friend"....especially from someone that I have never personally met!

Upon receiving this award you are supposed to list 10 things that make you happy as well as assign this award to other blogger friends. So without further ado....

10 Things That Make Me Happy

1) Having my husband home at night after spending many nights alone while he traveled for work.

2) "Aunt Heather Time" with my nieces & nephews.

3) Hanging out with my wonderful girlfriends.

4) Driving the convertible with the top down.

5) The 45 min spent in a massage chair while I get pampered with a pedicure.

6) Walking through the door & being greeted with slobbery kisses & butt wiggles by my furry children :)

7) Road trips with my iPod playing my favorite music.

8) Waking up the next morning after being on call all night, thankful I didn't get called in.

9) Time spent with my family.

10) A piece of Stetson's Famous Cheesecake.

And I now pass this "Sweet Friend Award" along to other bloggers who make me happy:

Calm in the Kitchen

Ella and Jackson

Girl Gone Running

Hitting My Stride

Mommy's Outlet

The Neff Adventures

A couple of these girls I have never even met but read their blogs daily & others are very dear friends of mine. I think they are all fabulous & are very deserving of a Sweet Friend Award :)

Purse Party

Tonight I spent the evening over at my friend Heather's house (HK) as she was hosting a Purse Party. If you love designer purses at "knock-off" prices, then this kind of party is for you! There must have been over a hundred bags & wallets spread around her house for us to look at. She had fake Louis Vuitton, Coach, Burberry, Prada, Jimmy Choo, & Dolce & Gabbana bags for our viewing pleasure in every color imaginable. I ended up getting a cute red/black Prada handbag to add to my collection:

It was a fun evening as I spent most of it eating, drinking & visiting with all my girlfriends. After everyone left, the "Vegas group" of girls stayed behind for some photo ops & some much needed catching up! We are all spread out over the city so we don't get to see each other as much as we would like but always make it a point to get together monthly to keep in touch!

After I left Heather's, I made my way home & stopped in at my neighbor Keri's house as she was hosting our monthly game-night gathering. I was happy to see that everyone was still there so I was able to visit with these girls for awhile! Mel of course wouldn't let us leave w/out the usual group photo :) Unfortunately, she had to take the photo so that is why she is missing from the group!

It ended up being a nice end to the work week & was a great evening spent with my girlfriends!

March for Babies 2010

Wow - hard to believe it's that time of year again! Time to start fundraising for a cause that I truly believe in - March for Babies.

I hate asking people for money but I am trying to convince myself to get over it by remembering that this money isn’t for me. It is being given to help the March of Dimes make sure that no more babies go through what so many of my friends have had to go through with their premature births. It’s money to help the March of Dimes make sure that no more parents have to deal with the unbearable grief that a family who has lost a baby have to deal with for the rest of their lives.

Just so you know, you all will be receiving an email from me this week on the subject, so when you do, please consider making a donation to the March of Dimes as every penny counts. It will even be posted on my Facebook. If you’ve already made a donation on behalf of myself or my team, thank you so much for your generosity.

Hugs,
HT :)

It's all mine...

After the very disappointing day last Saturday, I have been searching the entire KC metro area for a convertible comparable to the one that got away. Monday after work we went and looked at one in Louisburg, KS. It was ok, but my gut wasn't really crazy about it. We later went and filled my gut with Mexican & so I felt much better :)

When we got home, I was back on the internet browsing. A new listing for a white mustang convertible popped up at a dealership close by that I hadn't seen before but unfortunately it didn't have any pictures - just a description. So, I told Shane the next day that we need to check this vehicle out.


Tuesday after work we headed up to Olathe Ford, test drove that vehicle & we loved it! Everything about it felt right - the color, the mileage, the price - it was exactly what I was looking for. We sat down with the sales guy to run the numbers & guess what? My f'n pager went off - yes I was on call & yes I was getting called in. Can you believe that? I was beginning to think I wasn't meant to have a convertible after all!? I ended up making a quick call to a co-worker & asked that they go in for me & thankfully, she agreed. Then it was back to business...

Got all the financial specifics worked out, signed a ton of paperwork & it was official. It was all mine....


They kept it an additional day to detail it & fix a couple of minor details per Shane's request & we picked it up after work. As we were checking out all that they had done, Shane noticed the tires on it were new. Turns out as a plus, they threw on brand new tires & filled up the tank with gas as a "thank you" for purchasing the car. The whole used car buying experience was suprisingly a pleasant one & we couldn't have been any more happier with the way that Olathe Ford treated us. They may very well be seeing us again in the future!

And for those of you who are wondering if I traded in my SUV, I did not. Since it is paid for, we are planning on keeping that for as long as we can. I am now one of "those" people who can say I have a summer car & a winter car :) That sounds SO "Johnson County" I know but hey, it is where I live! LOL

My Favorites

Since I am struggling to come up with blog topics, I figured why not share with you all some of my "favorites" that I have gotten recently & just absolutely LOVE :) So, here goes:

1) Bounce Bar - for someone who has a husband that always forgets to put a dryer sheet in the dryer this is a fabulous concept! This little bar has literally saved my marriage :) It attaches to the inside of your dryer and freshens every load automatically conquering static cling for up to 4 mos at a time! A replacement indicator will appear when it is time for a new bar so you are never without. And the best part: the price! It costs less than a box of dryer sheets and lasts longer!

2) "Look Ma, New Hands" lotion - this lotion from Bath & Body Works is awesome for my dry, cracked hands due to my excessive hand washing & hand sanitizer addiction! Hey, I work in a hospital so that is how I roll! It has paraffin in it to lock in the moisture & keep hands soft & smooth. Oh, and it has a lovely citrus scent!

3) Skinny Clutch wallet by Mundi - I got this for my sister for her B-day & she loved it. So I asked for one for X-mas & got one from my mom & I too love it! It is a skinny, flat wallet that snaps shut. It is perfect for grabbing & running into the store for a quick errand without having to tote a huge purse around. Now don't get me wrong - you all know I LOVE my purses - but sometimes it is nice to just grab this cute wallet and go.

4) Barely There flawless Microfiber Boyshorts - no panty lines, no creeping up the butt cheek, full coverage of my "junk in the trunk" - what's not to like? I just wish I looked like this in my boyshorts!?!

5) Sleep Innovations Memory Foam pillow - this pillow is pricy ($89 @ Kohl's) but worth every penny that I spent on it - and those that know me knows I didn't pay full price either. It was 50% off & I had a 30% off coupon so I think it cost me $29! Heck, for that price I even bought Shane one & he is in love with it too. I have bragged about this pillow so much that my sister got one, as well as one of the Cardiologists I work with and 2 co-workers! They ALL love their pillows!

6) Dunkin Donuts coffee - I made the mistake of stopping in to the local chain & getting a coffee & donuts for my co-workers one day. One sip into the coffee & they had me hooked - I was in heaven. Now it is the only kind of coffee we have in our house. It is pricy as well but oh so worth it and can be bought @ Costco for less.

7) Puffs Kleenex with Vicks - when I was sick last week, these new Vicks scented Kleenex were a godsend. Each tissue has the cooling scent of menthol infused into it & makes your nose feel oh so better! Will definitely be keeping these around the house!

8) Victoria's Secret Minty Lip Shine - I am never without this stuff! Not only does it leave your lips feeling oh-so minty, but it also it delivers a shiny, clear, glassy look. The flavor freshens your breath with every inhale just like the tube says. It makes my lips tingle a bit, but not uncomfortably so & is not sticky like most lip-glosses. LOVE it!

Anybody have any "favorites" they would like to share??? I'm always looking to try something new....

Not meant to be...

I don't need a convertible but I want a convertible. Shane didn't need a Harley Davidson this past summer either but he got one ;) SO -after reminding him of this a few times he has finally granted me permission to get one.

As of 9:30am this morning, this Mustang GT Convertible was mine. It had everything on it that we were looking for: spoiler, cowl-induction hood, 20" rims with low profile tires, charcoal leather interior, awesome stereo system & the price was right! The sales guy gave us the keys to take it for a spin & as soon as we started the engine we were in love. We were about to take it for a test drive when my f'n pager went off. DAMN you pager - it never fails. Anytime we ever plan anything & I am on call I am guaranteed to be called in. So, we told the sales guy we would be back & raced off to St. Lukes East so I could go save another life ;)

An hour later Shane & I were on our way back to the dealership to do the test drive. On the way there we were 99% sure we were buying it & we said if it was still there, it was a sign that it was to be ours. We pulled into the dealership & sure enough - it was still there :) We parked & walked in to talk with the gentleman that had helped us earlier. He was talking to a young guy when he saw us & immediately came over to tell us that the gentleman he was talking to had cash & was buying the car that I had fell in love with :( Can you believe that? We have been looking online at this car for over a month now & the f'n day we go to possibly purchase it, it gets sold! Boo....

So, we walked out of there both sad and both agreed it was a sign it wasn't meant to be. We spent the afternoon searching online for mustang convertibles that were comparable & had no luck! They were either the wrong price, the wrong color or just plain wrong. So, I am going to have to be patient & will just keep hoping that the "perfect" convertible will one day be found.

With that said, I'm off to finish my bag of Reeses PB Eggs :(