Cinco de Mayo!

Hi everyone! As most of you (or maybe all of you) know, yesterday was my 23rd birthday. It was sad to be away from Oklahoma for the first time, but we still had a lot of fun! Since all of my work is done for my classes, except for studying for finals, I was able to relax a little yesterday. I spent some of my time sitting by the pool reading the latest Sookie Stackhouse book! I also enjoyed all of the cards and Facebook posts I got yesterday!

Phillip bought be six books for my Nook, which will keep me going for a little while, and later we are going to go get me a new bathing suit so we can swim a bunch this summer! He also took me to Chuy's where we had the chips and queso, the yummy white dip, and chicken flautas. So yummy!

After dinner, Phillip took me to a gelato place called Piccomolo. It was so good! SOO many flavors to chose from! I had white chocolate, cherry chocolate chip, and birthday cake! Phillip had lemon, white chocolate, and peanut butter. :) We sat down at a table with a little chess board and Phillip attempted to teach me how to play. I'm not too good at it. haha!

When we came home, all of our shows were new and recorded, and we spent time watching them together. I got a few phone calls during the day that were great! I loved hearing from everyone, and even from far away, I feel special.

Today we are back to normal, and I am busy cleaning and getting ready for my two finals next week!

Love ya!

Response to Allison, NEW BLOG

Okay, that's fair, yes I HAVE dropped the ball on this whole "blog" thing. I guess I just got it in my mind that no one in the world is reading this except Phillip and he gets to see me every day! I think that I mistake lack of comments for lack of readers. Anywho, this blog is supposed to be for me anyway. I need to get out of my head. So here goes. What in the world is going on in my world you say? Well let's do a recap of everything that has happened in the month while I was gone.

Also, Allison made me a lovely vlog letter a month ago, and being a horrible sister I never made a video in response. I think it's mostly because I don't really enjoy vlogging at this point in my life. So, instead (and I hope she accepts) I am responding with a blog. Here goes Allison. Love you! Here's a link to the video if ya missed out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pC92Cozmzkk&feature=feedu

-->So, firstly she asks- How are you? How are things? Here's a brief (well semi-brief) summary. (this will also answer some other questions)

I have been working hard to finish my classes for the semester (almost done) and that included writing way to many papers for my liking, which in turn kind of squashed my love of writing. I wrote an 8 page paper over Jezebel. It was fairly interesting in an academic paper sort of way. My finals are rapidly approaching, and luckily with the paper done, I only have two tests to take. Work wise, this has been one of the most successful semesters I've had. I've officially enrolled in all the classes I need to take to graduate (I know you thought it might not ever happen, but it's happening) and I am on track to graduate in December.

How's my work out routine going? Well, I'm glad you asked. It's fair. I really like working out at the YMCA. I usually rotate working out on the treadmill, elliptical, and bike. I haven't started any classes yet, but I plan to once I really get in the working out habit. I have lost about five pounds. Might have lost more if it hadn't been for the pain in my rotten spleen (no worries it's perfectly fine, it just likes to act up sometimes after my mono). Phillip and I went swimming for the first time the other day, it was a little chilly, but fun!

House work is the usual business. I'm pretty good at staying on top of things if I don't have a final paper to write.

-->"How's your apartment? Is it pretty? Did you decorate it more?

My apartment is great. Much much much better than the one we have in Norman. I'm still amazed by how much space we have. Yes, it is pretty and clean. No, I have not really decorated more. I did go to Hobby Lobby with my gift card and attempted to buy stuff, but I just had sensory overload, and well.. it didn't go so well. I need a shopping buddy sometime this summer (like Mom)

-->What do you do all day? Do you do homework?

Yes, I do homework just about every day. Lots of reading and writing.

--> Do you watch TV?

Yes! I have several shows on my DVR list. Here's a few: House, Castle, Glee, America's Next Top Model, American Idol, The Office, Big Bang Theory, Outsourced, Game of Thrones, The Amazing Race. I have a show on almost every day, and Phillip watches most of them with me. I love having a DVR. So nice to watch shows when it's most convenient.

--> Do you cook things?

Yes! I have cooked more since I've been in this apartment than maybe the sum of my entire life. It's actually pretty fun learning how to make new things. I've made Tandoori chicken, Naan, chicken cordon bleu, cheeseburger roulade, tortellini, bow tie pasta with kielbasa, lasagna, homemade chicken nuggets and fries, enchiladas, etc.

--> Do you go to Walmart?

Way more than I'd like to, yes. I go grocery shopping about every week. I'm used to the layout of the store now and make my own little lists. I make sure to get Phillip jello, granola bars, soda, and poptarts and he's a happy camper (and of course I cook him food that he seems to really like).

-->Do you buy shoes?

Nope, haven't in a while. I haven't really had the need for shoes. Between mom and grandma, my shoe needs are met. When I need new shoes there always comes a holiday when I get some more.

--> Do you buy anything for yourself?

I buy lots of Nook books :) I'm trying to lose a little weight before buying new clothes. I'm not really in dire need of clothes (see above answer).

-->Do you go on walks?

Phillip and I went on a really nice walk a few days ago. Hand in hand, walking through the trees at our apartment complex.

--> Do you sit outside?

Not much really. I'm sort of allergic to outside, and I haven't managed to buy a chair yet. I do go out on the porch and listen to the birds though. There are a lot of birds to watch here, and squirrels.

--> Do you talk to squirrels?

...........no

--> Do you do laundry?

Yes, every week and I stay on top of it too! Not like I jump on top of the pile and lay there, but I actually do loads of laundry every week. :)

-->Do you fluff pillows?

Actually yes. I often do this making the bed.

-->Do you make s'mores?

No, no s'mores for me. They are not super healthy and I would just eat way too many.

--> Do you jog? Do you work out?

Not really to jogging just yet, more fast walking and cross training, some lifting weights. (See more detail above)

-->Do you read books?

Well, you already answered that for yourself, but I've read 17 books towards my goal to 50 so far (see side bar) and am working on more. Phillip and I are also reading a book together. He reads to me :)

--> Do you clean the bathroom?

Yes, and I loathe it. Bleach plus me equals illness. I am really allergic to bleach, and really any bathroom cleaner. I do my best!

-->Do you paint pictures? Do you draw pictures?

Well, part of my trip to hobby lobby was to possibly buy something like paint and canvas, but after being in the aisle for too long, I decided it overwhelmed me, and I can't really paint or draw anyway. I'll focus more on writing.

--> Do you write stories?

Trying to, and planning on doing more so after finals are done. I really like writing and have always wanted to write a book.

--> Do you write poetry?

As John Green said "Too many people write poetry, and not enough people read it." So no. Also, I'm newly obsessed with Vlogbrothers and Nerdfighting. So is Phillip :)

--> Do you pet kitties? Well, I don't see a lot of random cats, but there is one that always hangs out by my apartment. I've tried to pet her and she just runs. She doesn't seem to like people.

-->Do you pet puppies?

I wish. I want one really bad. The last time I pet puppies was when you guys were here. Those were the cutest puppies!!!!!! I want one soo much! We have pretty much decided that we want a yard before getting a dog though. Sigh.

-->Do you pet ligers?

"NO [YOU] PET LIGERS! I did pet that baby tiger with you though :)

--> Do you open the refrigerator? Do you get some juice?

Yes I do often, and sometimes. I enjoy Simply Apple. Right now I've been trying to focus on Gatorade. Twitchy legs equals electrolyte deficiency.

-->Do you put juice in a cup? Do you put ice in the juice?

Yes, typically juice goes in a cup, and no I don't put ice in my juice.. although, I really like ice in gatorade.

-->Do you drink your juice in a 30 minute period, or does it take you an hour to drink it?

Usually I drink juice (and gatorade) quickly. I drink soda slowly.

-->Where do you sit? Recliner, futon, bed? Kitchen table? The counter? The T.v.? The corner, like a little emo kid?

I generally sit in the recliner during the day. It's coziest and you can put your feet up. When Phillip and I watch tv we sit on the futon together. I generally sit in bed early in the mornings and check Facebook and read a little. I sit at the kitchen table when I eat dinner pretty often, or am feeling talkative when Phillip is playing games. No, I don't sit on the counter, although Phillip did randomly the other day. I'm not even sure it's possible to sit on top of my TV. It's not a big square box like they had way back when. No, I don't sit in the corner, because I'm neither emo or in trouble (often).

Well, that is all the questions from the vlog. Alli, I hope you enjoyed it :) If you have any questions you'd like me to answer feel free to ask in comments. It will give me an idea of what to write.

Phillip and I have been looking into a new church that we have liked so far. We went there on Easter, all dressed up! Also on Easter we dyed eggs :)

I've also added new pictures to facebook (G.W. with Allison, random times around Conroe, cooking, Easter) so feel free to go on over there and tell me how you like them!!

Happy Monday!!

Love,

Bethany

Long Day, Productive Day

Hey guys! Today is the first day back from Spring Break and I'm worn out! Phillip and I had a really fun time yesterday. We found the lake, and ate at a place called Sam's Boat. I had some seafood, and it was really good! It tasted really fresh. Lake Conroe is beautiful, much more eye catching than Lake Thunderbird :) We got to feed a bunch of large fish that were in a special area under the pier. They had fish food for 25 cents. While we were feeding the fish, a duck decided to get in on the action. He was a cute little green mallard. I brought my camera, but once again I forgot the memory card. I was sooo mad! I really need to stop doing that. I guess that gives me an excuse to go back soon. Today I got back into my routine with house work, grocery shopping, and a significant amount of homework. I got these fresh deli spirals from Walmart to have for lunch, and I went to look at the nutrition facts on the back... there was a sticker but nothing was filled in. So basically it says stuff like calories and then it says nothing %. I really didn't get the point. Oh well, they were tasty and I really can't see that they would be all that horrible for me! I have decided that coffee makes me sleepy! This morning I was all awake (I woke up at 6:30) for some reason. Ask Phillip, I was all chipper! Then I got some coffee and after drinking about half of the cup, I got sooo tired and passed out! I was doing so well! Anyway, I still got a lot done today, and I'm anxiously waiting till my Philly gets home :)

Is that a NEW blog post?

Hey kids! I know it has been soooo so long since I posted something. Life has just been a little crazy lately! This picture is of Phillip's work, National Oilwell Varco. I just thought I'd throw that in for fun :) Let's see, what have I been up to? Continuing my schooling and exploring mostly. I have found several more places around here that I'm liking! Mostly yummy places to eat! At the end of February I stayed with my parents in Norman for 9 days while Phillip went to Washington D.C. with his friends for a Magic tournament. We had a bunch of fun. I ate waaay too much! Allison and I went to G.W. Exotic animal park, and it was sooo amazing! I really need to edit the photos I took and post them soon! It was so great how close the animals were. We even got to play with a baby tiger! Coming back to Conroe, I got to experience my first train ride. It would have been great if it wasn't TWENTY hours for what should be a seven hour trip! Anyway, it was an experience I can say that I've had. My family came to visit last weekend for Spring Break. We had so much fun, and I wish that they could have stayed longer. I got to take them to my favorite places around town :) The rest of Spring Break has been pretty uneventful. Last week I saw I Am Number Four with Phillip, and it was really good! Sonja and Frances spent the night Tuesday for a super quick visit! We had fun with them, and took them to Chuy's (the best Mexican place!). Today Phillip and I tried the Habachi Super Buffet. It was really good. We have decided that we really like Japanese food! This place had Japanese, Chinese, a little bit of Mexican, and American food. Lots to chose from! They even have a chocolate fountain :) I was excited because they had the best crab rangoon and Phillip just LOVES teriyaki chicken. Phillip took a short trip to Dallas to play in a tournament! I hope he does well! I'm sure he'll have fun regardless. He has been asked to make an iphone app for someone that he knows from the tournaments. It should be really cool. One of my favorite parts of my family's visit was making homemade lasanga for them. This week I want to try out some new recipes! I've decided I really do love cooking. I've also decided that I am going to try my hand at writing. I just need to figure out what I want to write about! I'll let you guys know if it goes anywhere! Well, I hope everyone is having a fabulous Spring Break! I love you all! Send some comments my way :)

Churches and Chinese Food

Hey guys! I'm sorry that I haven't posted in the last few days, everything has been a little crazy! This is a picture of our church attire Sunday. We tried out West Conroe Baptist Church. We have also tried the Conroe Church of Christ. We haven't really decided on which place we like better. We are going to try a few more before deciding. Both churches are really nice, and a lot bigger than what I'm used to. They have a lot of programs and lots of ways to get involved. The churches even do some activities together, which is something that I haven't seen before. After church on Sunday we tried out the China Buffet here, and it was delicious! I'm excited to have a nice Chinese place to go to again. I was craving it! I got Phillip to try crab meat (he liked it because it was wrapped in bacon), and he convinced me to try the sushi with rice in it. I'll have to say, it was actually pretty good. Sticky rice has a lot different taste and texture to it than regular white rice.. so it has that going for it. There are a lot of types of sushi to try! We never got that snow storm! Everyone was freaking out, but we barely got anything, maybe a few drops of freezing rain here and there. Since this area is not used to that kind of weather, Phillip got Friday off even though the roads weren't even bad! It's nice to have a paid day of vacation for practically no reason. :) We are still going strong here. Phillip continues to like his job, and I have continued to work hard on my schooling and house work. We don't have any big plans for the week, but I plan on doing some more exploring later and I'll take some pictures! I miss you guys!

Nook Skin

So here is the new skin that I got for my Nook! I think it's cute! It's really colorful :) It looks great with the color of the case. Is anyone still out there? I didn't hear from anyone on my last post! Are you all in a snow daze? haha. Today I tried Zumba for the first time! Kind of difficult, but fun! I'm not very good at it yet.. but I tried! I finished Mockingjay last night. It was really good! I like how it ended. What is everyone up to? Staying warm I hope? It was 19 degrees here this morning. It's sad that it is still 15 degrees warmer here than in Norman! We are supposed to get snow this week, but we'll see if it actually happens. That's about all I have for today.. :)

Getting Things Done

I feel really accomplished today. I finished all my homework in a timely fashion, did a quiz and made an A, finished my paper, finished the laundry, did the dishes, and straightened up the house! Not only that, but I cooked dinner and found two things that have been missing! I finally found my good jewelry, which I had been really torn up about. It was in the trash can in the bath room! It was lucky I saw the box when I was taking out the trash! How did it get in there? I have no idea! My only guess is that it was put in there during our crazy unpacking! Oh well, I can breathe a sigh of relief that it has been found, along with some of Phillip's nice work pants! I'm just on the ball today, and really I am proud of myself :) I'm also doing really well on my reading goal! I'm on book 8/50 now! Saturday we went to Joe's again and I was going to put up a picture for you to see (because I had brought my camera), but when I got there, I realized my memory card was still at home. Soooo no pictures again today. Maybe I'll learn to take my card with me places. The weather is still 70's here, and is supposed to be rainy all day tomorrow. We have alerts for severe thunderstorms and get this... FIVE PERCENT CHANCE OF SNOW. haha. You'd think that the world was ending... Anywho, you Normanites have fun being snowed in! Make a snowman for me :)

Russian Movies and Ice Cream

Hey guys! I'm sorry I didn't write yesterday, but I really didn't have anything to write! Yesterday was a pretty slow day. Let's see, Phillip and I did go on an ice cream run the night before last that proved to be an adventure! We drove around at about 10:30 looking for Sonic and we found two, but neither were open... so we went to Mcdonald's and after the lady offered me a mocha frappe.. which I'm pretty sure is made with ice cream.. she tells me she can't make McFlurries because her ice cream machine was broken! Phillip and I both think she was lying... haha. So, we ended up going to Walmart (which was right by our apartment) and found some yummy ice cream! It was sort of weird being in there that late, because even though it is open 24 hours, it is always really quiet after about 10:00. I found some cotton candy ice cream way in the back (I didn't even know Bluebell had cotton candy!). Of course it tasted like pure sugar, but that's what I like! :)

Phillip went to a tournament last night and did well again, and he is getting quite the reputation there! The owner was begging him to come back tonight! We started playing a brand new online game called Rift that is still in it's Beta stages so we get to play for free right now. So far it's pretty fun!

Today I am being forced (class requirements) to watch a two hour Russian film called Alexander Nevsky. It is from the 1930s and was apparently propaganda at the time. So, wish me luck as I attempt to pay careful attention while reading subtitles!

So, what's on the menu for tonight? Well, it's probably going to be another night of relaxing at home. I think I'm going to make some chilli hamburger helper, and we are going to catch up on our shows! I am about halfway through Catching Fire and enjoying it!

That is about all I have for today, I'm sorry there are no fun pictures or really anything that is really exciting! I promise to be less boring next week! Just FYI I will probably only post on weekdays because that is when I will be at home needing something to do! I will occasionally post on weekends, but don't get your hopes up! :) (hardy har)

The Central Market!

Happy Wednesday friends and family! Today went driving around randomly by myself before going to Walmart.. that was an adventure! I found a few things I didn't know were nearby! Like the YMCA and yet another shopping center that has a Which Which (which makes me happy). I thought I'd tell you all about the Central Market, which has been one of my favorite places so far! There are 900 types of fruit and veggies, bakery, deli, sushi bar, fish market, trail mix bar, 2,000 plus types of wine, and lots of things that I've never seen before! I like seeing food from around the world, so this was fun to me. They even have a place where you can take dinner to go, complete with the entree and sides! I took lots of pictures here! I will post the rest of the pictures I took on Facebook so you guys can see the funny products we found. Tonight I'm making poppy seed (or rather sesame seed chicken because Phillip can't eat poppy seeds) chicken! It was one of my favorite meals at dollar lunch, and we decided to grab the recipe before leaving Norman! I finished The Hunger Games last night, and am moving on to Catching Fire. They are great so far! I am glad you guys suggested that I read those. Phillip seems to really be liking his job. He has his own phone number so I can call him if I need him, and we have gotten our benefits package that shows us all the great things that come with the job! Phillip was given his first project yesterday, and seemed excited about starting it. I think that this is going to be a really great place to work. I think my cable finally got fixed! Basically two of my major channels were going crazy, and it took like three days to understand why! The cable guy had never heard of the name Bethany.. I guess I'm just a foreigner! Please talk back to me so I'm not talking to myself! That is part of the reason why I post these, is for support and feedback :)

Market Street

Today is Tuesday and it's time for me to tell you about a fun little area called Market Street! Phillip and I went here last week and had a lot of fun! The first place we went to was called Berry Hill. We stopped in for some Queso that had chorizo in it (spicy Mexican sausage) and some free ice cream that was really yummy! It was a fun way to start the day! Next we went down the street looking at all of the shopping venues on Market Street. Of course we had to check out the big Borders! It is as big as the big Barnes and Noble (no pictures of that one yet) so I think I'll do just fine finding all the books I want! It was funny, on the stairs they have work out equipment, as if I needed a reminder that I'm out of shape walking up two flights of stairs.... We bought a green dragon figurine for Phillip's "MAN CAVE" and said hi to Scott Pilgrim (just for you Allison)

Then we headed down the street looking at all of the other stores. There are lots of restaurants, a bathology that you can make your own bath soaps, a cosmetic store that you can create your own makeups, a cupcakery, a movie theater, lots of clothing stores, etc. We went to a place called Stadia Grillfor dinner. It wasn't the best food ever, but it was fun! We also went to a huge grocery store called the Central Market. This place was so awesome, I'm going to save it for another post :)

Today hasbeen a little off for me, but I'm still enjoying myself. I have had some trouble sleeping, so I've been a little bit lazier today than yesterday. The apartment is looking super nice and my school work is done, so I'm feeling accomplished! Tomorrow I'll tell you all about the market! In the mean time,

here are some more pictures of market street!

First Day of Work

Sooo today is Phillip's first day of work, and here I am at home! I have gotten a lot done today, so I'm feeling pretty productive so far! I thought I'd start out by giving you some details on what I've been dealing with the past two weeks and what Conroe is really like. First of all, I'm still going to school. I'm slowly finishing my degree this semester, while trying to be the perfect house wife! I have three classes, Intro to Philosophy, Russian Civilization and Culture, and Women and Religion. All three of them have been a lot of work so far, but all are really interesting.

Conroe is a town about the size of Norman, but it is centered around a major highway, so there seems to be a lot more "bustling." It is definitely not lacking in anything related to

food and shopping! There is a big ole mall, outlet malls, giant bookstores, and brand new fun things to find in grocery stores. Since the Hispanic population is a lot higher down here, there are a lots of imported items from Mexico! That is exciting for me, because I love Spanish and can actually read a lot of it. Phillip and I have had lots of fun finding really weird products.. like salsa watermelon candy straws! I haven't tried them yet, but I'll be sure to blog about them when I do...I just can't wrap my head around spicy watermelon!

They have real sugar soda here! That means more calories to burn in my workouts, but it sure is tasty! Instead of telling you all about the adventures we have already had in one ginormous blog post, I thought I'd space it out this week (because I doubt I'll go lots of places this first week).

The weather is really nice here. Lots more rain and less pollen which equals a less asthmatic me! Also, Kayla and I have started a reading goal for the year! So far I have read 5/50 books and I'm currently reading the Hunger Games! Please give me book ideas and ideas about what you'd like to see me blog about. Like... a crazy blog challenge for the week! I'm out for today, but there are many adventures to come. I love you all!

365 Days of Conroe!

Now that I have been here for a couple of weeks, it is time to start my blog! I am doing this so I can have something to look forward to and to keep me going when Phillip is away at work. For those of you that don't know, Phillip will be starting work Monday at National Oilwell Varco. We are really excited about the opportunity and our new place to live. So far it has been quite an adventure! I hope that you guys enjoy reading and please comment!! :)