A Time For Everything

There's not much new going on in my neck of the woods. I'm still doing well with the food logging --> not eating things I shouldn't as well as planning some body-hot-spot specific routines. I've also learned that according to Fitbit, fat burn mode burns more body fat for energy than cardio mode does although the cardio will burn up more calories overall.

That's a tough choice for me--because burning body fat for energy by exercising after having fasted since before 7pm the prior evening was my primary method of actually getting rid of my fat stores. On the other hand, I need all the calories I can earn for enjoyable meals. At my height and weight, I have basically no spare calories for treats and have to earn them via exercise.

Any who... since there was nothing exciting to report, I'm going to dig up some random images from blogs past. Let's reminisce.

 Way way back when Sonshine was in high school, the marching band got to play on the steps of the Texas Capital Building. DD and I drove down to see them. (Look how tubby I was!)

Way way back 2010 (I think), some special friend of mine, known as the JAG ladies, spent a long weekend down on Port Aransas and visited the USS Lexington.

Some other friends of mine (and me), spent a long weekend in Oklahoma City helping one another plot and brainstorm some books. That picture was taken in Toby Kieth's restaurant.

Have a great week. Hope you're well.

Back in May 2005, the TV show series finale ended with a coin flip. The two main protagonists had finally declared their love for one another but had each been offered a promotion--to opposite end of the globe of course.

The coin toss would determine who would accept their promotion and who would pass so they could live happily ever after together.


A spinoff (NCIS: LA) of a spinoff (NCIS) that JAG launched way back in 2003 just aired their season finale featuring two special guest stars : David James Elliott and Catherine Bell reprising their roles as Harm and Mac fourteen years later.

The fans' question--who won the coin toss--was finally answered.

Unfortunately, the group of ladies I was with--my JAG ladies for the annual JAG meet--were not happy. Some were terribly disappointed, some were just plain angry.

If this episode's writer--who just so happened to be the biggest proponent of that Harm & Mac relationship back in the day and a writer on JAG who tended to write shippery episodes--couldn't give the fans what they wanted, then why bother bursting everyone's fantasies of how the coin flip ended. The winner of the coin flip didn't really matter.

What mattered was that Harm and Mac would be together and that they'd work out the logistics to make things work.

I'm not angry, but I am disappointed.

On the other hand, the current situation leaves the two characters in a position to find their way back to one another. There are rumblings and rumors (which may be just that by hopeful fans) that some sort of new show with our beloved hero and heroine is in the offing. We shall see.

As mentioned...it was JAG Meet weekend when a group of women who came together solely on the love of a TV show are still friends 20 years and long after the show has ended. I haven't been a part of the group for all 20 years, but I was on the fringes when that first group gathered at a local restaurant to meet. This year is the 20th anniversary. Amazing.

Here we are this year, with a handful of missing faces:


Now on a slightly different topic... It was this photo, nine years ago, that really spurred me hard into weight-loss/getting healthy mode:


See that big orange blob on the left? Yeah, that's me. I didn't want to look like that anymore, so in January of 2012 I finally knuckled down and made the commitment to do something about it.

In October of 2017, I reached my target weight--losing 63-ish pounds to get there. I knew it was going to be a long haul with various milestones and adjustments along the way.

While I do have to get back on the wagon of exercising and eating right again to lose the ten pounds I've gained over the last several months, I'm very pleased with myself for maintaining the weight loss over all and making the lifestyle changes necessary.

There are or shall I say *there will be* new physical-health related changes coming. But life is in flux and I have to figure out what the best path forward is going to be and what change I want to work on first.

As always, seeing these women was a wonderful time and a lovely weekend.

Hope you had a great weekend.

It was JAG weekend again--the one weekend each year when a group of women brought together by the love of a TV show (JAG 1995-2005) gather and enjoy a weekend away from home and family.

Two ladies came from out of state (Michigan and Tennessee), several from south Texas, and the rest of us in or around the DFW Metroplex.

Here's this year's group photo:

What a great weekend of food, fun, and conversation... Not as much drinking occurs these days as did in previous years as we're all getting just a little bit older. :0)

But a grand time was had by one and all. I love these ladies.

I spent the better part of two days with two handfuls of wonderful women. We come from all walks of life, we're all ages, some have kids, some don't. This year we missed several usual faces, but were blessed with some ladies we haven't seen in a few years.

This annual gathering is one of the highlights of my year. These ladies never cease to amaze with their creativity and humor. I've thought about not going several times, but this is a place where I can let my fan girl fly and they all understand. :)

Here's to another wonderful JAG meet!

As I announced on Friday, it was my birthday, and I'd been having a good week until then. Well, the week just got better!

The JAG gals and I went out to eat on Friday as per ususal, and I was given birthday cards and presents! They even sang me happy birthday and paid for my dinner. I had such a wonderful time catching up, talking, laughing, and generally bonding with these women.

Friday I shared a group photo from five years ago when we visited the USS Lexington. Here's this year's group photo.

Saturday was another day of fun, just laughing and talking.

Then I found out my super celebrity crush Benedict Cumberbatch's baby was born--so do I share a birthday with the Cumberbaby??? How cool would that be?? (My wedding anniversary is the same day as BC's birthday!)

Sunday, I had lunch with my dear friend Nancy. Our visit was fantastic as usual. Our topics of conversation range far and wide and I love that so much. I also had birthday dinner with DH and DD along with DD's BFF. They ate, but I'd had enough food over the course of the weekend that I was too full to eat. So I just had dessert.

And that was my super fantastic birthday week. I'll be making pupcakes (pumpkin cupcakes) for next week's writers group. :)

Hope you had a great weekend too!

It's my birthday today, though that's not my cake... If I made a cake, it'd be pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting.

As mentioned, Wednesday, I received my birthday present and my cool new purse. I ordered some stuff for my Sherlock sampler and at least one of those packages will arrive today, so it'll be like more presents!

And then I get to leave work early today and go enjoy annual JAG get together weekend with the JAG contingent of my friends.

Sunday will be lunch with some other lovely ladies and then dinner with the family.

So it's been a wonderful birthday week!!

I'd also like to send congratulations to my friend Lara, who occasionally stops by the blog--she and her hubster have welcomed their new baby into the world. CONGRATS!!!

Ten years ago, on this day, the final episode of one of my favorite TV shows, JAG, aired.



I have a group of friend who met because of their love of the show. Of course, we've grown and changed and moved onto other shows, but our friendships have remained. JAG was my first foray into fandom. I love being a fan girl!

Tonight those of us who live in the DFW area are getting together to hang out, eat dinner, and watch the last episode all over again.

Several years ago, our whole Texas contingent, plus a couple of extras took a weekend trip to Port Aransas and visited the USS Lexington. Some scenes from JAG's pilot episode were filmed aboard her. We had a blast.


Have a great Wednesday.

Not only was it writers group weekend, but it was the annual JAG get together. After my writers meeting, I traveled further afield to a friend's house and visited with a group of ladies I only see once a year.

We watched close to a dozen episodes of the show, wondering why the lead character didn't, ah, date more women. There were enough of them flirting with him throughout the seasons. In addition we talked about other shows we love and watch, our kids, families, jobs, etc., etc., etc...

We talked a little about the history of this particular group and it all started back in 1999, smack dab in the middle of the show's run ('95 to '05). A group of fans connected online and made plans to meet at a restaurant. They did and the rest, as they say, is history. The following year they moved the gathering to someone's home and it has moved homes a handful of times over the years. Many of the original folks have stopped coming for one reason or another and others (like me) have taken their place. There are even a couple of women who travel from out of state to attend.

In 2010, our group traveled to Corpus Christi to visit the USS Lexington. We rented a huge beach house on the Gulf in Port Aransas. Why would we do that? Well, JAG is a military (Navy) drama. Scenes from the series premier were filmed aboard the carrier museum. So we went. And it was fab.



Hope you had a great weekend as well.

Where to begin? First another apology for not posting Monday or Tuesday (like I said I was going to), but it's been crazy and here's why...

Writers retreat!!! The writers retreat portion of the weekend started Friday and continued through to Sunday. I had to cut my attendance short, but was loads of fun as well as productive while it lasted. Plus I made a new friend.

Writers group meeting!!! Writers group meeting on Saturday was fantastic as always and I had a great time visiting with my lovely friend Nancy.

Saturday evening was Sonshine's band banquet which is why I had to leave the writers retreat. Sonshine received two honors: Outstanding Junior Band Member (as in freshman, sophomore, junior, senior). He's gotten Outstanding Freshman and Outstanding Sophomore as well, so here's hoping the new band director will love him just as much! He also received Outstanding Jazz Band Member.

The really fun part was giving the band director her gift: a cardboard stand-up of NASCAR driver Tony Stewart. She was ecstatic. She'd been trying to convince our local Office Depot (Tony Stewart's sponsor) to give her theirs. But as I learned many years ago on my quest for a standup of my favorite driver, stores and bars are not allowed to get rid of those things. I wish I had been able to get a picture of her face when she saw it, but this will have to do.



Annual JAG weekend!!! Sunday I headed back to Dallas to hang out at a friend's house for part of the annual JAG weekend, which also started Friday. Many years ago, a group of women met online in chat rooms and forums to discuss the TV show JAG. JAG aired from 1995 to 2005, so when I said many, I meant it. Though I'm not sure exactly when all the fan hoopla started, but at least by '99.

Anyway, they formed friendships and eventually decided to meet in person. I was not among the original group, but was adopted a few years ago. Believe it or not, fellow members of my writing group were among the original group and when they learned my online fan girl identity, they invited me to a get together about five years ago. And the rest is history. We have gals from Tennessee, Minnesota, and somewhere in the Midwest who drive or fly here to attend. No pics, though. I just enjoyed the day.

And on top of all that--my proof reading business has suddenly taken off, thanks to my wonderful CPs who have put my name out there. I took on a client who had to have her manuscript turned in to Harlequin by Tuesday, so I worked all weekend in between all the other activities, staying up late and getting up early to get her manuscript read twice. WHEW!! And she's paid me already. I am Snoopy dancing with excitement. My goal with this endeavor is to pay off our debt. I'm finally on my way.

I also have two other proof jobs lined up as well as a project to create a series bible for two separate book series for another author. I'm now booked through the middle of June. Can you say WOW!!!

And if all that weren't enough--and despite my binge eating all weekend--I lost some more weight and fell into the 130s range. WOOT!!!

So what's going on your world???

This weekend was a busy one. What with my JAG meet and continued revisions and the ongoing preparations for my Robin Hood meetup...

The JAG meet was fun as it always is, seeing gals I only see this one time a year. I taste-tested a new hor duerve that I'm going try at home one of these days. My friend called them jalapeno poppers, though I think that name can also refer to other similar dishes and others might call this one something else. Any who, you get fresh jalapenos and de-seed and de-vein and cut them in half, smear a dollop of cream cheese in the pepper half and then wrap in bacon. Grill or bake or broil! Yummy!!

JAG is usually playing via DVD throughout the weekend and, at any given time, you can find a handful of us enjoying it.



Who remembers the writing room? Yeah? Well, it's also called the dog room, but I spent some time and money making it more writing room than dog room. I still have a couple things left to do, but this is what I accomplished this weekend:


I've been trying to get this plate rack up for months, but I just could not get the anchors I bought to install all the way. I think I was hitting a stud. Instead I did a few calculations and determined the center of the wall, measured outward the correct amount to *drill* holes for a different type of anchor and WA LA! Yes, I used a power drill and had so much fun. So my rack is up and it just needs the plates. (I'll share those in a week or two.)


I also used the drill to deepen the holes so that I could put the other shelves back up. I had to go buy new shelves--narrower ones and I moved our whole collection of DVDs into the writing room. I still have some other shelves to put up, but they're the wider ones and will go on the bottom half of the wall for books and other knick knacks and things.



This didn't require drilling, just a hammer and a nail, and yes it is hanging lop-sided on purpose.

The following thisngs have been up for a while now, I just haven't shared them:


Sonshine's Lemony Snicket books are in my writing room ans he's not of an age to truly appreciate hard bound books. Also, he's a little old for Lemony Snicket these days. This hangs to the left of the above sign. And to the right of it hangs my bird clock which actually chirps at the top of each hour.


Lots of pictures today, and we're almost done!

The Twelve Days of Jen

More books, a pair of them, detailing the legacy of the Indians of the Americas. It's interesting, though dry. I've had a tough time plowing through them. Mom, I think you'd enjoy them, too, and will probably send them along at some point.


Hope you had a nice weekend. Was it productive or lazy??

Also, this was post number 500 !! Can you believe it??

Well, I've got one child home from camp, the other off to camp this morning. Hubby and daughters are down in Leroy, putting the finishing touches on the ol' fireworks stand. Actually, I should say new stand. It's only our second year, and hubby expanded it to over twice the size. I had orange polka dots all over me last night from painting all the new parts. I'll be picking up the girls this evening and bringing them home while hubby stays behind to start selling. Tomorrow is the first day to sell fireworks for the 4th.

Saturday, I attended my first book-signing for the Love, Texas Style anthology in which I have a short story published. It was fun and exciting to share that with seven of the eleven authors. If you're interested in this collection of short romantic stories, visit The Wild Rose Press - you can buy an e-copy (PDF format) or an actual hold-in-your-hands book.

After the book signing, fellow anthology author Marty Tidwell and I headed to North Dallas for the annual Texas JAG Meet. What's this you ask? Well, every year the Texas fans of the TV show JAG get together for a wild weekend of JAG watching and JAG discussion. There's always food, sometimes alcohol, but always, always a good time. These women have come from all walks of life, some young, most middle-age, a few older, & several nationalities, to bond in friendship - all because of a TV show. And this doesn't just happen in Texas. There are annual meets in several other parts of the country. And while JAG is a predominant topic, and episodes run practically around the clock, we have become friends, and we do share all other aspects of our lives. Despite how crazy it might sound, it's pretty amazing that such a disparate group of women have formed these ties and become such good friends.

Pre-4th of July is the craziest time of year for me. Even worse than a vacation or Christmas. It should settle down some now that the stand is up and running. But I'm the type of person who really likes order and routine in her life, and this time of year is rough. Since I know it's inevitable, I try to go in resigned, but God bless him, my husband gets wild ideas at the last minute that just completely throw life out of whack for days on end.

Well, once the girls are back home and life settles down, I'll get back to my kitchen cabinets. I'm determined to have my cabinets complete, and everything unpacked from the shed, by the time my husband comes home. Pray for me!