Thursday, March 26, 2009

Bad News

We got some bad news yesterday. Clark's grandpa, Daydee, was in the hospital and going downhill fast. Daydee has been in and out of the hospital for about a year, but they think this will be his last time. The doctors gave him 2-3 days (but he doesn't know that).

Not that you can time death, but this timing is really bad. Clark's brother's wedding is Saturday. I feel so bad for Clay (clark's brother). Your wedding day is supposed to be the happiest day of your life and Clay will be thinking about his grandfather, who he is named after (he has his middle name- Davies).

We went to the hospital last night. We walked in his room and he was sleeping. Clark woke him up and Daydee was kind of out of it. Daydee told us "I'm not going to make it to the wedding." We told him he'd be there in spirit. Daydee told us he wasn't in pain and he felt alright. (He's on morphine so he's better not feel any pain). We didn't stay long. Clark gave him a hug and we walked out. I started crying as soon as we left his room.

To me, the whole situation reminded me of putting our dog to sleep. It was like we were saying our goodbyes and he has no idea that it's about to be his time to go. Very sad.

After the hosptial visit, we went to Mimi's (Clark's grandma). We brought dinner and then we sat around and visited. Clark's parents, Daydee's brother, mimi, and I all sat around and told stories of Daydee and reflected on his life. I think we were all in agreeance that even though it's so hard to loose someone, once they're in pain and don't have any quality of life- it's time to let them go.

Daydee was always so sweet to me and gave me the nicest compliments. He'll always hold a special place in my heart. Please keep the Carrolls in your prayers. We'll need it this weekend.

*** Davies died on Thursday. He will be missed ***

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

2010 Goal: Run a Marathon

Yes, you read the title right. My goal for 2010 is to run a marathon. (sorta). As I have mentioned in previous posts, I think it would be so glorious to run a marathon. I envied the runners in the 2009 Little Rock marathon as I watched from the sidelines. I'm not much of a runner, but I am trying to be! I'm slowly improving my endurance and time. The most I have ever ran (without stopping) is 3 miles, and I've only done it once. That was my 2008 goal and my dad gave me a trophy when he learned I completed my goal (it was kind of a joke, but I show off my trophy proudly). I now run/walk 3 miles in about 34 minutes and I try to do it at least 3 or 4 times a week.

Ok, back to this 2010 goal. I realize the 26.2 miles would be way too much of a challenge right now for me, but I found out that the Little Rock marathon has a "relay" marathon. AWESOME! Perfect! Allison and Laura have committed to the 2010 marathon, so we just need one more team member and we've got us a team. Any interests? Post a comment and I'll get back to you about tryouts. (only kidding :).

Here is the info off the LR marathon website:
WHAT IS THE RELAY MARATHON?
Not ready for the whole 26.2 miles? Then sign up for the Little Rock Marathon Relay.
Individuals representing corporations, schools, churches, civic groups, friends or families can form a team for the Little Rock Marathon Relay. Your team can run, walk or do a combination.
Relay teams are composed of four individuals. Each member of the team completes his/her segment of the 26.2-mile marathon course, and then hands the timing chip to the next team member at a set relay exchange. Segments are as follows:

1 Start Line- Main Post Office, 6.2 miles

2 Main Post Office- Arkansas State Capitol, 6.9 miles

3 Arkansas State Capitol- Murray Park, 7.8 miles

4 Murray Park- Finish Line, 5.3 miles

I call the last leg! I am really excited about running the marathon relay. I think I can handle 1/4 of the 26.2 challenge and couldn't think of better people to have on my team. I told Laura, "we may not have the best time, but we'll have the most fun!" We may need to drink some mimosa's before the race kicks off! The race is scheduled for March 7, 2010 so I have plenty of time to train! I better get started....

Monday, March 23, 2009

Jackon, TN Here We Come!


I am so exciting about this upcoming weekend. Clark's little brother, Clay is getting married in Jackson, TN- Roadtrip! Clark and I are driving to Jackson on Friday morning for a weekend full of festivities. We have the rehearsal dinner Friday, I am going to the bridesmaid's brunch Saturday morning, and of course the wedding/reception Saturday night. Clark's family is so much fun and I don't know Shannon's family too well, but her parents are super sweet. My mom and dad are going as well as a bunch of FUN people (Mark and Sherri Alt, Bo and Ashley Mattingly, and a bunch of other people who know how to party)! I'll post next week on how the wedding went down.


Last weekend was fun! Date night was a success- dinner at 1620, the Looney Bin, and then drinks at Ferneau. Saturday I made a trip to Sam's and spent way too much money. You know it's bad when a stranger looks at you walking down the isle and says "I think you need another cart." My cart was about to overflow- I knew it was time to checkout at that point. I love Sams though! It was about lunch time and the samples were in full force. I was sold on the teriyaki chicken you can heat up in the microwave and beef jerky. I came home with a month's supply of both. I also stocked up on TP, paper towels, dish soap, deodorant, razors, toothpaste, and toothbrushes. You'd think I had an army living at my home.


We had house guests, Melissa and Randy, on Saturday night. We went do dinner with the family (9 of us) and went to the Rep to see the Foreigner. The play was okay- way too long in my opinion (and Clark's- he was sleeping every time I looked at him). Melissa and Randy departed early Sunday to see her friend in the hospital who had her baby Saturday night. It worked out really well for them to happen to be intown.


I enjoy spending time with Melissa (my sister) and am glad we've gotten closer over the years. We haven't always had the best relationship. We are so very different and are personalities have clashed in the past. I think we are really very similar, but it has taken me a while to realize that. Sometimes when I say something it reminds me of Melissa- kinda weird. She really is one of my best friends these days and I love her very much. She is a great mother and an awesome friend to have.


It's a short week for me since I'm taking off Friday to head to Jackson- Woop Woop! Weekend countdown: 3 1/2 days.


Friday, March 20, 2009

Friday Night Plans

I have decided- we're doing dinner and the Looney Bin for date night tonight. I couldn't keep a secret and was having a really hard time figuring out what date to pick, so I asked Clark and that was his choice. He liked the bike idea, but thought we'd enjoy it more when it's warmer and had the full day to enjoy the bike riding.

We're going to dinner at 1620- a restaurant neither of us have gone to, but we've heard really good things about. It's close to the Looney Bin, so it should work out great. This sounds really cheezy, but I found a "quiz" in Cosmo (The Cosmo Couple Quiz) yesterday that I cut out and it's going to be our dinner conversation. Your supposed to ask questions outload and then you both answer them. For example, some questions are "What's your most embarrassing childhood memory, What's the biggest risk you've ever taken, Where is the number one place you're dying to visit, etc. There are 10 questions and it will be neat to see how we each answer them.
Tomorrow I plan to go get a manicure and a pedicure, work out, and be lazy for most of the day. Tomorrow night we're going to eat dinner at Lulav with my family and then go see The Foreigner at The Rep.

Sunday Clark and I MUST go register. We've been meaning to do this for a while, but have been putting it off because we really don't know where we're going to live, so it's hard to pick out what would look good. I've been exploring dillards/bed bath and beyonds website today and I think I'm just going to get a bunch of neutral, classic pieces (no crazy designs or wild colors). Things that would go well in almost any setting. Any registry tips? I need some!

I hope you have a great weekend!

Thursday, March 19, 2009

100 Days to Go!

The wedding is 100 days from today! I can officially use my desk calender with 100 wedding tips.

I want to give a shout out to Ms. Heidi Klum who is recovering from a infection on her back. Heidi is my best friend's Alli's dog and had an infection from a rabies shot she got back in December. Birdie, my dog, and Heidi played a lot in December. I hope Birdie didn't bite her injection site and cause the infection. They played really rough over New Years Eve when mommies weren't watching them too well. Birdie and I love Ms. Heidi and we wish her a full recovery!

On to other news- Clark and I have our second dance lesson tonight. Looking forward to it! This is such a special time in my life. When else do you get to go to dance lessons with your daddy one night and then go with your fiance the same week? Normally you'd have to drag a guy to dance lesson, but when you're getting married they'll do anything you ask. (And my dad and Clark actually enjoy the lessons- they're a lot of fun!)

Clark and I have "date night" tomorrow (Friday) night. We started this tradition a couple of weeks ago. Every other week we take turns surprising the other with a date night. He went first and we went to a FABULOUS restaurant called Lulav. Neither of us had ever gone, so it was fun to try something new. (On a side note: we're going back Saturday with a bunch of the family- the Smiths, Randy and Melissa, and my mimi. Yummy!). I'm trying to think of something really fun to do. PLEASE comment if you have any ideas. We want to incorporate dinner, but other than that we're up for anything. Some of my ideas are 1. renting bikes and riding them by the Arkansas River (you can rent bikes), cooking out on the grill, and finishing the night in the hot tub 2. going to dinner and then going to the Looney Bin comedy club (Allison- yes, I think Clark is ready to take my back :), 3. Going to the country club for a night of pictionary and drinks, 4. Bowling and dinner. What do yall think?

Bball tourney starts today. I filled out my bracket like I do every year. Last year I think I ended up second to last out of about 100 people at work. But, my mom won and she got like $1500 bucks. Way to go mom! I didn't inherit her love for sports- I'm never any good at picking who will win. But it makes basketball a lot of fun to watch, and I think one year I'll get lucky.

Well that's all for now. The weekend is almost here! I don't know about where you are, but the weather in Little Rock is fabulous and it makes me want to play outside.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

My Lover

Up to this point I haven't talked much about Clark. He's a huge part of my life, so I thought I'd dedicate a blog to my baby.

Clark is my future husband (June 27th it will be official) and I love him very much. I am so glad we found each other. I was always doubtful of finding someone I would want to spend the rest of my life with. I never was one to have serious boyfriends and my longest relationship was around 6 months. I dated mostly losers or didn't even bother dating. I was content on being the independent, single, party girl who didn't need any guy to make her whole.

Then Clark came along. We've actually known each other since 7th grade, about 13 years. And really, ours lives crossed before that. Our moms lived in the Zeta house together while in college at the U of A. (I have pictures of them together that I cherish- I think that is so neat). But, we didn't start dating until June 16, 2007. We had ran into each other in Fayetteville at Z330 and he asked how I was doing. I told him I was moving to Little Rock in June and to my good fortune he informed me he lived in Little Rock and would help me move if I needed help. I thought he was super cute and such a nice guy, so I gave him my number and told him the moving date- June 16. He called that day and came over and we've been together ever since.

We got engaged early June 2008 (I can't remember the date- oops). We had just come back from a week long camping/rafting trip in the Grand Canyon. Before the trip we joked around that if we could make it through a week of no showers, make-up, minimal teeth brushing, no bathrooms, and sleeping outside we could make through anything. We survived and enjoyed the trip and he welcomed me home with a ring.

I love everything about Clark (except maybe his cleaning habits, or lack thereof) and can't wait to spend the rest of my life with him. Mary heart Clark.

I hope you have yourself a Clark- and I think most of my followers do, so you understand the happiness you have when you find someone who completes you. For those single ladies out there, don't give up and don't try too hard- it'll happen. I was a critic of love for the longest time, and now I'm a believer.












Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Mary Belden, Bingo Floor Manager

NOTE: THIS IS NOT A PICTURE OF ME!!!

I am so tired today from a LONG day yesterday, but I had so much fun. I worked my normal job (7AM-4PM) at Lomanco, went to the gym, and then went to Foxwood to help out with BINGO! I thought I would stand around and maybe sell some bingo cards- nothing major. Boy was I wrong. I showed up, threw on a red "Foxwood Bingo" vest to make me official, and went straight to work.

My uncle John was the bingo caller, and he asked me if I would call the cards back and pay out the winner. SURE! I said. That sounded like a fun job. I got to congratulate the winners and pay out some cash. This was the first night bingo has ever been played at the Club, so I didn't think many people would come. I was wrong! Over 70 people showed up and they brought their bingo bags and dobbers to prove they were some serious bingo players. I ended up being the "Bingo Floor Manager" and was in charge of settling any disputes as well as the jobs I mentioned above. I think I did a pretty good job! I handed out over $1,800 and sold many bingo cards to mostly unlucky players.

I wouldn't mind doing this "job" (volunteer oportunity) again, but now I'm exhausted. Bingo lasted until about 10:30 and then I couldn't go to bed because I was still excited from the bingo. I probably didn't go to sleep until midnight. The alarm was not my friend at 5:30 this morning.

Bingo will be every Monday night and every other Saturday night at Foxwood Golf Club. I'm sure I'll be back- maybe as a player next time!

Tonight I have more fun activities planned. Dance lessons! That's a whole other blog in itself- but I have dance lessons tonight with my dad tonight and on Thursday with Clark. I'll catch you up on that later!

Oh- and HAPPY ST PATRICKS DAY! Someone drink a green beer for me. But watch out, you'll poop green!

Monday, March 16, 2009

Weekend Update


Happy Monday folks. I hope everyone had a great weekend. Mine was pretty exciting the first part and then leveled off. But I was looking forward to a lazy weekend all by my lonesome to relax and watch whatever I wanted on the TV. So I spent the majority of the weekend on the couch with Birdie watching Platinum Weddings and Say Yes to the Dress.
Friday night was a lot of fun! Dory Ford (one of my sister's friend who has become my friend through the years) was in Little Rock for the night and Clark was in Tunica for his brother's bachelor party so Dory and I decided to have a girl's night. Dory is a really fun person with an overflowing heart and she has had some hard times lately- she lost her daddy (and she was a daddy's girl) and her husband of 2 years and her just decided to separate. I thought a night of drinking with Mary would do just the trick to make her forget her worries and let loose! We went to Sticky Fingerz and caught up and talked. Then after we had a pretty good buzz we decided the piano bar would be a lot more fun than Sticky's. We got a table right up to the piano's (which is hard to do on a Friday night). We sang along with the music until about 1 or so (we think- we kinda lost track of time). Then we headed home and drank a full bottle of wine that we really didn't need. She stayed the night and I took her home the next morning. Poor Dory had to be at a wedding in Eureka Springs and she had to cut cake. I hope she had fun!
Saturday was much more low key. Platinum Weddings was the theme of the day. I layed around/recovered from Friday most of the day. Nikki, Anne, and I went to Lilly's Dim Sum Then Some for dinner. It's a kind of tapas restaurant for Asian fusion food. It was very different, but good. I then came home and was in bed by 10. Pretty lame for a Saturday night.

The Little Rock marathon kicked off at 8 AM on Sunday. I started to hear the commotion around 7, so I was up early. Birdie and I went downstairs to see all of the runners go by. It was crazy! Birdie was not a fan of marathons. I think all the pitter patter really scared her. I admired all of the runners who had just begun their 26.2 mile journey through the city. It's one of my crazy idea's to run a marathon. It just sounds so accomplished- "I ran a marathon." And Oprah did it- and I love Oprah! Maybe I'll try the half marathon next year. Or maybe just run the Race for the Cure. Or maybe just try a long run on the treadmill. Start small.

Clark came home Sunday around 2 and he joined me on the couch. We watched tv and he took several naps. He was still feeling rough from the weekend.

We have bingo tonight at Foxwood. And I get to spend time with Hayden! Fun!
Hope everyone else had a good weekend. Only 5 more days and then it's the weekend again!

Friday, March 13, 2009

Wedding Diet

For those of you who have gotten married or tried to loose weight for any milestone, you can probably relate to this blog. Others probably think I'm crazy. But, this "wedding diet" consumes a lot of my time now, so I thought I'd share. And if anyone has any diet/training tips or wants to confirm I'm crazy... feel free to comment!

Okay... so I have always been pretty active, worked out, and watched what I ate. Looking back on pictures of myself through the years, I know when I was more focused on my figure and when I cared more about the cookie jar. My weight tends to fluctuate, but I've never been really heavy (expect that awkward stage when I was 12 or so). I've never really had fitness goals or a "target weight"- I just enjoyed working out and watching what I ate (most of the time I had a healthy diet with the exception of those Sunday's that didn't count while Alli and I lived together. We thought it was a great diet to watch what you ate all through the week but binge like crazy on Sunday. How I looked forward to Sundays!).

Now that I'm getting married I have a definite goal and time frame. I want to be in the best shape of my life and feel amazing by June 27th. I'll probably gain a few pounds as I dine on the endless food options on the honeymoon- and I'm fine with that. But until June 27th I am really trying to focus on diet and exercise. So, let me tell you about my "plan."

Let me first emphasize that I am doing this the healthy way. I have done many crash diets in the past and have had some issues with loosing weight not so healthy ways. This is not that type of plan! I am exercising, dieting, limiting portions, and maybe popping a few hoodia along the way. Good old fashioned diet and exercise.

I have a personal trainer, Joey. He is a friend from work and used to make a living being a personal trainer. He is 40 years old and in AWESOME shape. I'd go so far as to say he's hot. You would never guess he's 40. He helped my dad loose quite a bit of weight a while back, so I had faith in him. He offered to help for free, and I jumped on the offer. I figured he would show me how to lift weights for a few weeks and then I'd be on my own. But Joey has been awesome! We started working out together in January and we've been working out almost everyday after work and he says he'll continue to work with me up until the wedding. I go to his gym (and they don't even charge me) and we lift weights. I have never lifted weights. In the past I did cardio (elliptical, treadmill, long walks) and Curves (a gym for women that focuses on circuit training and resistance machines), but I have never lifted a weight. So now I've started to lift weights and I love how they make me feel. I complain during the workout because it really does hurt, but after the workout I feel so accomplished and proud of myself. The next day I love the soreness and proof that I did push myself.

Along with the weight training, I am going to Curves at least 3 times a week. I normally go to Curves over my lunch hour at work. Curves is right across the street, so I can work out and still have time to eat some healthy choice soup (my lunch of choice these days). I also try to log some miles on the treadmill during the week. At the very least, I try to work out on the weekends and my gym at home and do about 4 miles/workout.
Okay, so I've covered fitness- weight training, curves, cardio at home (and some long walks with Birdie down by the river- I love long walks with her, and I'm trying to take the stairs more often). Now onto diet. At first Joey had me on a low carb, high protein diet. I liked this! I could eat cheese, a ton of meat, and nuts. Steak, scrambled eggs, bacon, turkey, and cheese plates were all on the menu. I loved it! That phase of the diet didn't really work too well. Probably because I ate way too much of all that stuff. Now we're doing a low calorie diet. It's mainly cereal or oatmeal for breakfast, soup for lunch, and a salad or chicken breast at night. I really like the cereals I have at home (Blueberry Special K (w/ real blueberries thrown it), Banana Nut Cheerios (with a banana sliced up), and Kashi). I also snack on almonds, sunflower seeds, and tons of fruit). I haven't been too strict with the diet because I really enjoy to eat out and it's no fun for Clark to eat healthy (not to mention he really needs to gain weight). I also haven't quite given up the alcohol- and there are a ton of calories in booze! That may be the hardest part. I only drink probably 2 times a week, but that even adds up. And my two times a week are some heavy drinking.
I don't know how much weight I've lost the past few weeks because Joey made me hand over my scale. I now feel like I'm on the biggest looser and I'm getting ready for the weigh in next week. I do know that I lost a whole % of body fat and a couple of inches because they measured that at curves last week. I feel good and now I'm on the right track.

I still have a couple of months and I'm sure that I'll feel and look amazing in the dress. Thanks to those who read all of this crazy diet/exercise post. Now that I've typed it all I do feel a bit crazy!
I would love a six pack (abs or beer)!

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Safety

I am just returning from a Safety Conference. So, safety is on my mind. At work these days I am a safety coordinator of sorts. I created the safety program, get ready for the monthly safety meetings, track safety suggestions/hazards, investigate accidents/near misses, and make sure we're up to date on all the OSHA mandated programs. It's very random that I am doing this job these days- for my outside of work life is not very safe. I drink more than I should (although I don't drink and drive, but only because Clark is my dd), I occasionally smoke cigarettes (although that will change once Clark quits for good), I drive way too fast, I do careless things all the time, and I text, talk on the phone, and dig in my purse while I drive. I think it's very ironic that I am very unsafe outside of work but then I am in a role of safety at work.


The other day at work I was driving a golf cart. Let me point out that I created the forklift training program and also completed the training program myself- yes, I am authorized to drive a fork lift. I don't normally drive motorized vehicles at work because I'm scared of hitting something or someone. But, it was late in the day and most of the workers had gone home. I needed to go to the other end of the plant, so I decided to take a cart. I was driving just fine, and I kind of liked it. The wind was blowing in my face and it reminded me of my younger days when I would always drive the golf cart. (I also recked several golf carts and sent a friend to the hospital- sorry Kristen!). So, I'm driving and not really paying attention. Like I said, most people had gone home. I turn a corner and I hear a fork lift honk- right in front of me! I swerve to miss it and run into a pallet of turbines. I didn't do much, if any damage, but I was so scared (and embarrassed). I hate to think what the forklift driver thought of me- the safety coordinator who is driving carelessly on the golf cart. I haven't driven since.


Well today at the conference they showed a video of careless driving. I fit the bill. Who hasn't texted, talked on the phone, put on make-up, dug around their purse, programmed their GPS, felt around the backseat for something, ... I've done it all! Sometimes more than one at a time- put on lipstick and talk on the phone! The video showed all of these dangers and then it talked about 2 people dying because of these distractions. So, this is one hazard I am going to take out of my life. They say texting is worse than drinking and driving! And it really pisses Clark off when I do these things while he is in the car.


So, I am going to try to make my life more safe- eliminate some of the hazards. One at a time. I don't want to be boring, just more safe. For example, take the picture. If she had a helmet on and maybe a shirt she would be much more safe. You can still have fun, just protect yourself! I'd hate to injure myself and not be able to live life to the fullest. I hope you can find something to work on too!

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

I did it!

I did it- I gave in to temptation and my better judgement and started a blog! This could be one of the biggest mistakes of my life, but I'm taking the risk. I thoroughly enjoy reading other blogs-Melissa's, Allison's, Sarah Lehren's, and many more. I also don't get to talk to my friends too much, so it looks like blogging is the new texting, the new facebook, the new thing to do. And I'm doing it!



So who am I? I am a 25-year old girl who is engaged to a very sweet, cute guy- Clark Carroll. We've known each other for over 12 years and I wish I could say we've been together all of the years, but that's not the case. We started dating about 2 years ago and those have been the best years of my life. I work at my family business, Lomanco, in Jacksonville, AR and live in Little Rock. I live in an awesome condo downtown in the 300 3rd Building. (If you're in the LR area- come find me!). I have a 4 month old- Birdie. She loves to sleep in the bed with me, play with her toys, and she enjoys meal time (who doesn't)! (Birdie's a golden retriever).



Wedding planning consumes most of my free time (and a little bit of work time too). SHHH- don't tell dad. The wedding date is June 27th and the wedding reception is going to be unbelievable. My friends like to have fun and the booze will be pouring- so it'll go down in the record books!



I have a great group of friends in Fayetteville and I'm getting closer to friends in Little Rock, but they don't compare to my Fayetteville group (not yet at least).



Well that's my first blog. More to come...!