The Ebright Family is Famous

This past week Ryan's mom, dad and sisters were all out in Los Angeles, CA for something really special...

This is Sally, Emily, Susan & Harlan getting ready for their debut... Can you guess what it was for??

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They were all on Richard Simmon's new workout video! I didn't know he was even still making them. If something like this were to happen to anyone it would be my in-laws. :) Cool stuff happens to them all the time!

Do you see Richard?

The story behind this is, Emily used to live in LA for about 10 years and last year moved home for awhile. Well, she was back in LA over the summer visiting friends and decided to attend one of Richard Simmon's workout classes. Emily has done this before but this time Richard approached her and asked her to tryout to be in his upcoming video! Of course she did and made it. We've all been really excited for her and she has been working really hard to get the steps down. If you've seen Richard's video's then you know that it is not easy. When it was getting closer to filming the video Richard asked if anyone in her family wanted to do it too. They really needed some men so Emily had to twist her dad's arm to come out to LA to do the shoot. ;) Sally & Susan of course were excited to be involved.

These are some shots of the set they were on. I am going to run out and buy a bunch of copies as soon as it's out. I can't wait to see it!

Emily was of course the star of the show. She was upfront as one of the main people in the video. I am so excited for them! What a memory this will be. I HAD to include this picture too. I know you took that picture for me guys, right?? I'm so jealous!

You will have to remind me to tell you about the Ebright's other brush with fame. I was there for that one. I'm too tired to post it tonight but I will soon. I still need to get pictures up of Ryan's new bike.

"Miles"tones

Last week was "Miles" birthday... get it??? I didn't have a chance to get a post up for him so I am doing it now. Better late then never. :) For those of you that don't know Miles is Ryan's best friend. They've known each other almost their whole lives because they grew up in the same town and went to school together. I have proof of their friendship when they were youngin's on video. And yes, Miles had a mullet. Sorry Miles! I couldn't lie!!

Another thing you should know is that Miles is about 6'7 making my tall husband look short at 6'4. Regardless, when I am with both of them I feel like I have two bodyguards. We don't get to see Miles as much as we would like these days since he lives in Ohio and we're in Texas. Thank goodness for phones. We miss you man!! Come visit soon and we hope you had a wonderful birthday!

Another milestone that happened this last week, on Sept. 20th, was my best friend's one year wedding anniversary! See here to reminisce. I cannot believe it's already been a year from the big celebration but it also feels like it should be more then a year! I think it's just because so much has happened since their wedding. I kept asking her if she was sure that it was just their one year anniversary because they've been together for so long! Matt & Kara live where I am from in Kansas City, too far away from me.

The beautiful couple, Matt & Kara

Yes that's me in the background. I got my girl's back. That was such an amazing day. Miss you guys beyond belief! Come to H-town immediately. That is an order!

We miss our best friends so much. It's hard being so far away from family and friends. :( Some days are harder then others...

Bingo Night

This past Thursday my friend, Shannon, at work asked me to play Bingo with her at a community center near her house. I don't think I've played that game sine elementary school! I have to admit, I was so excited that she asked me! Fun game + old people = a TON of fun!! Side note, if you didn't know already, I love the elderly. Ryan and another friend from work, Adwiti, came along with us. We went out to eat before hand at this really neat outdoor place close by called Cedar Creek. I just love exploring Houston and finding unique places to eat or visit.

Me, Adwiti & Shannon

Ryan was getting pretty pumped about his game card & dobber. (I just found out what a dobber was. It's what you use to mark off the numbers.) This was almost as good as poker night for my hubby. ;)

This picture is just to give you a feel for the setting. The caller guy was calling off the numbers like there was no tomorrow! That was probably the most challenging part. There was about 14 rounds and there were a few "black out" & "caller's choice" rounds that were worth more money. One "black out" game you could win $500 less tax. Ha! I thought that was funny the caller always said less tax.

You could tell some people came every Thursday night and meant business. Take this woman for example. She brought her own light!! Some people had about 10 dobbers too. I think maybe they were afraid they would all run out of ink?? No one at our table won a round even though some of us came pretty close. It was a lot of fun and I definitely want to go back. People watching was pretty entertaining here. If anyone wants to come next time just let me know!

It's been awhile!

I didn't mean to quit blogging! I think this has been the longest I've gone besides being on vacation. Well, have no fear. I've returned! I guess I just needed a break. Not too much to report on. My foot is healing nicely. Thank you to all who have asked. :) I've just been taking it easy.

This past weekend was filled with one of my favorite things.... shopping! My good friend, Lindsey, went through my closet on Saturday and made me get ride of 3 bags of cloths!! It was long over due. Some things I have hung onto since high school people. Needless to say, I needed to replace a few items such as black shoes, pants, skirts and tops. I did get a few things but I am a terrible shopper. I second guess everything. Where do you all like to shop?? I need some ideas.

Ryan also did a little bit of shopping this weekend but not in the cloths department. He FINALLY got a new bike! I was going to get him one for his last birthday (which was almost a year ago) but he could never decide on one. It has been driving me nuts! So I finally made him commit to buying one this weekend because it is getting cooler and more enjoyable to be outside. I told him I needed a biking buddy. After much research and browsing, he decided on a Marin. I haven't gotten any pictures of him riding it yet with his cute new helmet in tow, but I promise to post them as soon as I do.

Other big news.... our fabulous roommate, Katie, gave us the best gift ever!!! She overheard Ryan & I talking about getting a PlayStation3 for Ryan's birthday coming up. So that little booger went out and bought us one! Ryan has been dying to get his hands on one, especially since the new slim 120G came out. Katie had no idea what she was getting herself into. She will never see the TV again! NCAA 2010 was the first game he ran out to purchase. He is playing it as I type. :) Katie, you're the best! Now I don't have to get it for him on his birthday.
The only problem we incurred was getting Yogi to move out of the spot where the beloved PS3 was to go.
Sorry, nothing too exciting in this post. Hope you all are having a great week!

A First Time For Everything

On Sunday Ryan took me to my first NFL game! Can you believe I have never been to one?? This game was extra special because Ryan's boss gave us free tickets in the ConocoPhillips box and VIP parking!! I don't think any other game will live up to this one even though the Texans lost to the Jets. It didn't matter! I was in heaven. :)
Walking up to our seats at Reliant Stadium.
I love when the team gets announced! So much energy.

Our box seats were right on the 50 yard line and air conditioned even though part of it was outside! We had all the free food we wanted with our own personal server. This is the way watching football should always be! Yes, I had to have some Cracker Jacks even with all the good food.

Inside the box.

We even had our own bathroom! Amazing.

Some of the Texan cheerleaders stopped by to say hi. It made me want to tryout to be a cheerleader again! Ha!

One of my favorite parts was when the ice cream cart stopped by to give us free ice cream in these cute little helmets.

We each had our own blow up finger to use for the Texan's first downs but we didn't get to use them that often. Oh well.

It was the white out game so Ryan got us some white shirts to wear the day before. This experience was a blast, and I want do it again. This is something I will not soon forget. Thanks to Ryan's boss!!

K-S-U Wildcats!

I figured I needed to get another post up to move past the graphic mole pics. :) So I thought I would share our new K-State gear for the year. Ryan & I always try to find a new KSU shirt each season. This year we found some really cute ones off Football Fanatics. We debuted them this past Saturday at Buffalo Wild Wings with our friend/roomie Katie (OU fan). Even though K-State lost against Lafayette, Ryan & I still looked good!
I have been dying for a cute chips & dip dish forever. So I finally bit the bullet and bought one this year. Next year I am going to get the platter too! Click here to see the designer's site but we got all of our stuff this year from Football Fanatics. Finally, we decided our house was in need of a little team spirit. What better then a flag to right the situation?! It will be perfect for game days. We had to show up all the Texas flags in the neighborhood. Since we just got the flag up today, I am hoping this will now bring good luck to our team for the rest of the season. Who are your favorite college football teams?

Moley, Moley, Moley

Did you know that I used to work for a Dermatologist office? I was a medical assistant for about a year after I graduated college. At that time, I was still trying to get my second degree in nursing. Since my husband & I have moved three times in three years, the nursing thing didn't end up happening. I got to do all kinds of stuff like drawing blood, assisting in surgeries, skin exams and many, many other things (I'm sure you can imagine). The job was so much fun and very interesting. No one day was a like, but it definitely had it's downsides as does most jobs. Anyway, I wanted to bring this up now because I realize how important it is to share some of the things I know about skin. :)

I recently had a scare myself and will be having surgery tomorrow to remove an abnormal mole. It was a mole I've had my whole life, but the dermatologist thought it looked suspicious and biopsied it. The diagnosis came back as possible Melanoma… I was freaked (knowing what I know). Since it wasn't very conclusive we got a second opinion and it came back as just abnormal. So tomorrow a mole specialist will be removing a larger section of my skin to make sure that it is all gone, leaving no chances for the mole to come back. I was so relieved to hear that I was in the clear but it made me realize that it could happen to anyone. So here comes the part where I share a little bit of what I know.

First of all, EVERYONE needs to get a full skin exam by a dermatologist. In regards to how often this is done depends on your skin type. If you are a moley person or sunburn easily, it's probably a good idea to go once a year. If not, you should still go once every couple of years. In between visits, it's always a good idea to check yourself out. Make sure to check your back, between your toes, bottom of your feet and finger nails. Even your scalp needs to be checked. Your hairstylist can look for you next time you have an appointment. You would be surprised how many cancerous moles are found in these areas.

What you need to look for:
You should become familiar with your birthmarks, blemishes, and moles so you know what they look like and can spot changes. As you examine your skin, look for changes in the size, color, shape, or texture of a mark on your skin.

Signs of skin cancer include:

• Mole that is different from the rest, itches, bleeds, or is changing in any way — even if the mole is smaller than 6 millimeters (about the size of a pencil eraser)
• Sore that never fully heals
• Translucent growth with rolled edges
• Brown or black streak underneath a nail
• Cluster of slow-growing, shiny pink or red lesions
• Waxy-feeling scar
• Flat or slightly depressed lesion that feels hard to the touch

If you see anything like this contact your dermatologist as soon as possible. Research shows that early detection of skin cancer can save your life. When detected early, most skin cancers can be successfully treated.

There are three main skin cancers that you should be aware of.

Basal Cell Carcinoma: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basal_cell_carcinoma
It is the most common type of skin cancer and is usually found on sun exposed areas of the body. It is very treatable and is rarely life threatening, but can still cause a lot of damage due to scars left behind from surgery. Statistics show that 3 out of 10 Caucasians will develop this cancer. It may appear as a bump or growth showing pearly or waxy, white or light pink, flesh-colored or brown characteristics.


Squamous cell carcinoma: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squamous_cell_carcinoma
This is the second most common type of skin cancer and is also typically found on sun exposed areas of the body. Squamous cell is a little more aggressive then Basal cell but caught early enough it rarely metastasizes. This cancer most often looks like a scab. It can look thick, scaly, red and inflamed. Squamous cell does not heal and may intermittently bleed.

Melanoma: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melanoma
Melanoma is the most dangerous form of skin cancer. It is extremely important to catch this cancer before it reaches the deepest part of the skin where it is most likely to metastasize. If this is caught early enough, it is nearly 100 percent curable. Unlike the other two skin cancers, this one can appear anywhere on the body and isn't necessarily caused by sun damage. Although, sun/tanning booths are a factor in many cases. The majority of melanomas are black or brown. However, some melanomas are skin-colored, pink, red, purple, blue or white. The following information is from http://www.skincancer.org/the-abcdes-of-melanoma.html.
I hope this information has been helpful. Remember, I am not a medical professional. If you have any questions regarding your skin please contact a dermatologist. Always remember that sun tan lotion. You may not tan as quickly as you like but it may save your life.

Floating the River

This was what we did on Sunday...

We floated the Comal River in New Braunfels, TX right outside San Antonio with our friends Mark & Brittney. I didn't take my camera with me on the river so I found this pics online. There are a few spots that are a little treacherous for a camera, see example below. This pic doesn't give it justice on how fast that little canal shoots you out! I got stuck in the current and a nice man with a scullet (half bald plus a mullet) helped me back to my group. Good times.

It was decided that we needed to do something fun for this Labor Day weekend and floating the river was just that. We had a blast! Ryan & I floated the Comal a few years back with his parents and wanted to go back. So this time we brought Mark & Brittney with us.

Brittney & I pretending that we drive this Land Rover.

I had to have fun with Ryan & Mark's picture... These were taken while we were waiting on the bus to take us to the river. The Comal was definitely a little crowded but we made a lot of friends. :) Let me know if you want to come with us next time! It's always an adventure.

Wild Cats & Recipe

Just wanted to give a brief update for those of you that didn't know that KC & Yogi had their back paws declawed. I know, I know. I a lot of people don't agree with that but it was something we researched and thought about for a long time. It was right for our family. They have scratched up every piece of furniture we own. Since we are buying a nice, new couch, coffee table (already have) and leather chair, we decided it was time. I still felt guilty for putting them through it. They are never, ever going to be outdoor kitties. Anyway, their surgery was yesterday, and we picked them up today. They are doing amazingly well! Phew.

Our two cuddle bugs (pre-surgery).

Sorry that I'm posting about my cats so much lately! I promise this is the last one for awhile.


On to the recipe! This is a dip that we like to whip up on game days or even little get-togethers. It's quick, easy and delish! Notice Ryan's pink oven glove. :)

Tailgate Dip

• 1 small can of mexican corn
• 1 cup shredded colby/monterey jack cheese
• 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1 cup mayo
• 1/4 cup chopped jalapenos (some people may just like 1-2 tablespoons)

*Heat oven to 350 degrees. Put all the ingredients into a quiche or pie pan and mix up. Cook until it starts to bubble (around 10 minutes).

I have to give a shout out to my team on the first game day of the season!
I have to admit the Big 12 is looking pretty dang good today!