Don't be a Hater

Hold up. I can use "frenemy" when I play Scrabble from now on? According to the list of new words put out this weekend by Oxford Dictionary, I can!

For those of you who know me well, you know about my obsession with vocabulary. I'm always so giddy when this list debuts. Filled with pop culture nods and technology jargon, this list looks as though an intern at MTV took the compilation job. That is, I might add, an intern that watches too many Fresh Prince reruns as "chillax" made the cut. I don't think I've heard that one since 1997. Better late than never?

Some of these words I've never heard of before like "automagically" and "steampunk." Where did those come from?

On a whole, I like the list, but probably only because I like words. I can't decide which is my favorite addition. Bromance, hater, buzzkill, vuvuzela??? There are too many to choose from!

I can't wait to try these out. In fact, maybe I can get Justin to play a game of Scrabble right now...

Click here for the whole list.

In the Doghouse

The fact that pet lodges are closed on Sundays really irks me. They are all in cahoots with one another. Everyone comes back from their vacations on Sundays, so they do it on purpose to squeeze that extra night's fee out of you! Sure, some will let you pick up your precious pet on Sunday, but they still charge you for the extra night because apparently they've had to go out of their way to open up for you. But, here's my question, isn't someone already up there to let them out and feed them?

My latest dilemma involves the fact that Justin and I leave on Sunday for Mark and Mel's wedding in Vegas. We'll have to drop Macy off one day early since they are closed on Sundays. This bothers me for two reasons. First off, it just doesn't feel right to have Macy somewhere else when we're at home. Second, it doesn't feel right to pay for Macy to be somewhere else while we're at home.

At the end of the day, I'll have to do it, but it still bothers me. I just hope Macy has a good time and doesn't miss us too much.

3-Day Weekend

Justin and I both took today off from work to just chill for a change. I was able to finish reading "Eva Moves the Furniture" by Margot Livesey. I loved this book! It had a bit of mystery and romance - my favorite kind of book. Justin has spent the day playing Mario Kart (he has now beaten this game many times over) and watching YouTube clips of guys eating an obscene amount of burgers in ten minutes. 

We had lunch at Chick-fil-a. It never ceases to amaze me how many children there are in this world. You can go to any Chick-fil-a on any given day to remind yourself of how large the American kid population must be. The Chick-fil-a cow, also in attendance, was taunted repeatedly with punches and kicks. And, of course, there are always the kids that are terrified of him. Another little girl with haphazard pig tails sat in the booth behind me and continually yelled in my ear. Let's just say it was the perfect amount of birth control.

Also, today I had the opportunity to interview fashion designer Gayla Bentley for an upcoming article I'm writing for Focus On Women Magazine. She was absolutely fabulous and such a fun woman to talk to. I love when I'm interviewing people and it turns into a conversation. You get the best stories that way! I don't want to give up too much information here because I want you to pick up an issue of the magazine when it comes out in August :) Just know that it'll be a good one!

To kick off our 3-day weekend, last night Justin and I went to the Ronald McDonald House Young Friends happy hour at the Nouveau Antique Art Bar on Main Street and had a really good time. I had never been there before and was really impressed with the ambience. The pub boasts one of the largest private collections of Tiffany lamps. They are every where in there - hanging from the ceilings, on the walls and on the furniture. I loved each and every one of them! I thought the place was very classy and the perfect spot for a conversation over drinks. It's also a great place for a networking happy hour because there was plenty of space to move around and the music was quiet enough to get to know the people around you. I will definitely be going there again. Also, props to them for donating pizza for the Young Friends to munch on!

That about wraps up this post... thanks for reading :)

100% Vaquero - or something like that

This past Sunday, I finally convinced Justin that I needed a pair of cowboy boots. With Houston's Ronald McDonald House's Country Ball around the corner, my desire for western footwear only increased.

I sold Justin on the idea of taking a trip to Cavender's to "check prices." I have never actually been inside of a Cavender's and wasn't sure what to expect. We were greeted by Jim who was dripping from head-to-toe in stereotypical country attire. Jim was very nice and seemed like the kind of guy you would see waltzing around Wild West with his wife also clad in stereotypical country attire. He pointed me in the direction of the ladies boots and so the search began.

As I perused the aisles, I thought back to the last pair of boots I owned. I was about 6 years old. They were red and I was in love with them. I wore them to numerous "Western Days" in school and to the Mercedes Livestock Show and Rodeo down in the Rio Grande Valley. It's funny how I can close my eyes and still envision looking down to see those crimson boots on my feet.

So, there I was amid hundreds of boots with no idea where to start. Jim quickly came to my rescue and pointed out a few popular items. Then after a lesson on how to actually get boots to fit on your feet, I tried on many pairs of Justin's and Ariat styles. I didn't quite like the way any of them fit or necessarily looked on me. I was about to let Justin win this one when he pointed out a pair of Tony Lama's that had the cutest little stars on the bootstraps. I tried them on, and, like magic, they felt like a glove!

Check out these beauties from the Tony Lama 100% Vaquero collection:

Well, after pleading my case with Justin that I would wear these boots to Country Ball as well as the rodeo year after year and, hello, we live in Texas; we left the store boots in hand :) Of course, in exchange, I agreed to finally go wash my car at Justin's favorite carwash (Karisma on Kirby), which I know doesn't sound so bad, but you've never washed a car with my husband! It's an entire process, which could be chronicled in another blog another day.

All in all, I'm very happy with my purchase - thanks Jim!

Join Justin and I (and my new boots) at Country Ball this year. The event takes place on August 21 at Firehouse Saloon. Cody Canada from Cross Canadian Ragweed will perform with Seth James, and Mark McKinney will open the show! Click here to purchase tickets!

Mr. & Mrs. Wood

As I enjoy my day-off, I thought I would start what I have tried to start time and time again - a blog. I decided to make this blog about our life together as Mr. and Mrs. Wood. I'm sure Macy will make many appearances as well!

I chose the name "As Fate Wood Have It" despite my chagrin for misspelling words to be cute because I just thought it was very fitting for a blog about our married life. I believe we were meant to be together and I know that fate is going to bring us many more surprises and excitement in the years to come, which I will share with our friends and family through this blog.

In the past 22 months, we have bought our first house, got our sweet puppy Macy and have shared many a wine night on our patio. Justin has become quite the handy-man by replacing a fence post, hanging a very heavy pot rack, removing a tree that I didn't like and fixing our sprinkler system. I've also enjoyed having a kitchen I can move around in and have tried on many an occasion to exercise my green thumb. All attempts so far have failed. Apparently you have to water flowers everyday, who knew?

Well, that about wraps up this "welcome" post. Stay tuned for my next entry, which will most likely be later today as I have the day-off!