Weekend Fun and Funkiness

This weekend proved to be very entertaining and very interesting.

It all started Friday when I went to get my vehicle retitled to Texas. I cried. I actually cried. It was so hard. I know that it sounds so stupid to be upset over my plates being changed from Ohio to Texas but it just broke my heart. It proved that my stint in Texas is almost permanent.

Then, my triumph. I have been battling E's company for some time now over their health insurance benefits. We have been paying almost $700 per month for all three of us. E's portion is $50 per month. That is sick. Way too much to pay for benefits that are CRAP!!! I even went head to head with his boss, now named Enjon. Enjon thought I was doing this to get their business. Hello! I can't offer group medical where I am at. But was VERY fast to defend the jackball that is overcharging for their benefits. Even to the point of saying "If it is between our relationship and paying a few extra thousand dollars, we will pay the extra thousands of dollars." Jackball, you are not paying them the thousands of dollars, we are. All for you to get benefits that suit you. Screw that!
So, after much consideration, we will be doing a month of Short Term Medical and then going on to a MUCH better health plan for individuals. It will be saving us nearly $3,000 per year and we get a bigger tax benefit!!!

On to the weekend. Saturday, E had to go to Defensive Driving Class for the accident he had. This is also known as an "Adult Time Out". B and I cleaned the house a little, played some soccer and had a hot date to McDonald's. It was a blast!!! E then came home and we bought our Halloween pumpkins. The drawback, B fell asleep in the backseat so he was unable to pick out the pumpkin he wanted. We went for a small drive following that to check out some housing developments to see where we want to build. One area we want is perfect but way out of our price range. But it would allow E a year of golf for no charge. Oh well, on goes life.

After a whole day out, I was worn out and not feeling well. So we went home for me to rest and missed the Halloween party that was scheduled. Bummer. But I had absolutely no energy. We asked B if he wanted to go and he said no so I guess we were okay.

Sunday was a challenge. The clocks turn back and childrens clocks stay the same. B was up at 6:30 AM. He wanted me up so he tapped my face with his little finger until I woke up. Then he wanted cartoons. E got to sleep in until 8:30 AM so he was good. We ate breakfast and I crashed on the couch. I needed to get rid of the sickness that was starting to invade my body. It did not stop B from wanting me to wake up to see what he was doing. After three wake up attempts, I finally woke up and joined the rest of society again.

We then went outside to let B play with the soccer ball and blow bubbles. I got to read a book and enjoy the nice cool air. That was great. We then got motivated again and went to the grocery store to buy colored frosting for the cookies we were making and other food that we needed. Came home and made a home movie of us carving the pumpkins and creating Halloween treats. It was a boring video but I do nto think that my parents will find it all that boring.

Hopefully, the week will be a great one. I am looking forward to Trick or Treat tonight and what may come for the rest of the week.

Girl Scout Tagalong Cookies have a run for their money

Okay, I have found the match for the once a year sold Girl Scout Tagalong cookies!!!

They are the Reese's cookies that Hershey's http://www.hersheys.com/reeses/home.asp has come out with. They are pretty well the same cookie. I bought them due to advertising. They did well, I will pay the discount price as they were on sale.

Let's see. $1.88 for the box versus $3.00 for the Girl Scout price. This can be dangerous.

Apologies, Halloween and Shock

First I will start this blog with a few apologies.

Grey Goose Cosmo - sorry to have linked your blog to mine and felt that since I welcomed two people from our past to the world of blogging that it would infringe on your privacy. I never meant to hurt you. Just enjoy your blog and wanted to share your insights as they are good.

Princess Mombi - same apology as Grey Goose Cosmo's

AManley - for sending an e-mail to your work that you felt cluttered your mailbox and was too long. Didn't find the other e-mail address to send it to. It is not something that I do often. Although I wish the e-mail had just been deleted and nothing brought up about me sending it there. It hurt me.

What can I say? I have hit my cycle and felt that everything I did in the past couple of days I was wrong for. Call me oversensitive but I was completely upset by it.

Now on to the good stuff. Down here in Texas they have A LOT of Fall Festivals and Halloween parties. We are going to one, maybe two Halloween parties this weekend, B has trick-or-treat parade at school on Monday morning and we are trick-or-treating throughout the neighborhood. We have already decided that B will keep about 10 pieces of candy and we will donate the rest to a womens shelter. In exchange, a toy or movie that he wants. Fair trade if you ask me. On Sunday, we will carve pumpkins and make Halloween cookies. B is finally to a point in which Halloween is exciting and that is exhilerating. We are completely enjoying this.

Was anyone else besides me shocked by the outcome of last nights The Apprentice?!?!?! WOW!!! That is all I have to say about that. AMAZING!! This is so far the best season.

Time for my list:

Top 5 things I am thankful for:

1) Friends who reply to fun, informative e-mails
2) Not marrying my ex-fiance. Just found out he has gotten a divorce and is on to his next fiancee. That would make four times he has been engaged. Give it up already buddy!!
3) Family date nights
4) Not being on The Apprentice last night. I probably would have been fired.
5) Figuring out a way to get out of the BS health insurance plan at E's work.

A Crisp Fall Day

Hey, it actually gets cold in Texas!! Who would have thought that possible?

The past few mornings have been jacket mornings with the need for long sleeves and jeans. B and I had another argument this morning on why he could not wear shorts to school. I explained that he would freeze in the morning and at playtime on the playground.

Speaking of arguments. Last night was an absolute gem of an argument. B has had it where he has been very hot and cold with his attitude and emotions. Chalk it up to being between the baby stage and full blown big boy stage. We asked him to do something nicely and he threw an all out fit over it. We told him to go to his room. When he finally did, he started banging something that sounded like metal on top of metal. E went to check it out and freaked. B was banging the door against the wall and it put in a half dollar size hole in the wall. I was livid. The punishment for the night was he was to remain in his room with only one toy. All other toys were moved to the garage and he could come out when we said it was okay. He was called out twice. Once to put his clean laundry away and once to get his jammies on and brush his teeth for bed. We had a small talk and a five minute cuddle and that was it for the evening.

It killed me. I wanted more time with him but he needed to be punished. I was so filled with guilt. But I knew it had to be done.

What was done worked. He woke up this morning in a good mood and only gave minimal trouble getting dressed. Why? He did not like the pants that I picked out this morning and wanted shorts.

With all that said, here are the Top 5 for today:

I am thankful for:
1) Long sleeved shirts and comfortable jeans
2) A fireplace in my home
3) My favorite blanket to wrap up in
4) Foot rubs and back rubs
5) My little family

Welcome and Today's Top Five

I would like to welcome Heidi York Gerkin and Renee Autherson Brown to the world of blogging. Their blogs have been added to my link list. I met Heidi at Miss Greater Columbus when she competed there and Renee is a fellow Mrs. Ohio sister of mine. Hopefully one of them will teach how to post photos!!!

I received an amazing e-mail yesterday from a friend of mine. I would like to share it now for the message that came across and add mine to it:

Thank you By Oprah Winfrey

I live in the space of thankfulness - and I have
been rewarded a million times over for it. I started
out giving thanks for small things, and the more
thankful I became, the more my bounty increased.

That's because what you focus on expands, and when
you focus on the goodness in your life, you create
more of it. Opportunities, relationships, even money
flowed my way when I learned to be grateful no matter
what happened in my life.

"Say thank you!" Those words from my friend and
mentor Maya Angelou turned my life around. One day
about ten years ago, I was sitting in my bathroom with
the door closed and the toilet lid down, booing and
ahooing on the phone so uncontrollably that I was
incoherent.

"Stop it! Stop it right now and say thank you!" Maya
chided. "But - you don't understand," I sobbed. To
this day, I can't remember what it was that had me so
far gone, which only proves the point Maya was trying
to make. "I do understand," she told me. "I want to
hear you say it now. Out loud. 'Thank you.'"

Tentatively, I repeated it:
"Thank you - but what am I saying thank you for?"

"You're saying thank you," Maya said, "because your
faith is so strong that you don't doubt that whatever
the problem, you'll get through it.

You're saying thank you because you know that even in
the eye of the storm, God has put a rainbow in the
clouds. You're saying thank you because you know
there's no problem created that can compare to the
Creator of all things. Say thank you!"

So I did - and still do. Only now I do it every day.

I kept a gratitude journal, as Sarah Ban Breathnach
suggests in Simple Abundance, listing at least five
things that I'm grateful for. My list includes small
pleasures: the feel of Kentucky bluegrass under my feet
(like damp silk); a walk in the woods with all nine
of my dogs and my cocker spaniel Sophie trying to keep
up; cooking fried green tomatoes with Stedman and
eating them while they're hot; reading a good book and
knowing another awaits.

My thank-you list also includes things too important
to take for granted:

an "okay" mammogram, friends who love me, 15 years at
the same job (and loving it more than the first day I
started), a chance to share my vision for a better
life, staying centered, having financial security. I
won't kid you, having money for all the things I want
is a blessing. But as I look back over my journals,
which I've kept since I was 15 years old, 99 percent
of what brought me real joy had nothing to do with
money. (It had a lot to do with food, however.)

It's not easy being grateful all the time. But it's
when you feel least thankful that you are most in need
of what gratitude can give you:

PERSPECTIVE. Just knowing you have that daily list to
complete allows you to look at your day differently,
with an awareness of every sweet gesture and kind
thought passed your way. When you learn to say thank
you, you see the world anew. And as Meister Eckhart so eloquently
stated:

"If the only prayer you ever say in your whole life
is 'Thank you', that would suffice."

Here are my Top 5:

1) That I still have both of my parents living today.
2) I have a beautiful son that brings me great joy everyday.
3) I have a husband who is willing to take care of me and make me happy.
4) I am surrounded by friends who care about me.
5) I have been blessed with many amazing experiences in my life.

It is all a conspiracy

I have decided. The end of last week it was a bad conspiracy. And it was against me!!!

Well, not really. But it sure felt that way!!

I have got to get my car and plates registered here in Texas. One thing about Texas is that there is no State Tax taken out of your paycheck. At first I thought that it was cool. Who wouldn't like more money in your paycheck? Until I saw how the State of Texas nickle and dimes you for EVERYTHING!!!

Take my auto for instance. I need to pay a new resident fee, title fee, new applicant fee, state test fee and a emissions fee. What is the whopping total for all of that?!?!? $210.00. Plus we still need to get our drivers licenses here. I still believe that in order to have your Texas license you need a lombodomy. The only benefit I have found with having to get your Texas license is that you get to rent more books from the library. WOW (insert dripping with sarcasm here)!!

I know that I should not complain as it is higher in other states. But I went from my tags being a whopping $43 to this? Not my choice of fun. Plus, Eric's tags come up in November. Cost is $73. Still $30 more than Ohio. Very depressing.

Cable TV here is ridiculous also. We have where it is a monopoly. We have no choice but to use one provider. It is so sad because they can get away with treating you like dirt and it does not matter. You have no other cable company to choose from. Guess what? The monopoly has been lifted and starting in a few months, there will be choices. YEEHAA!!!

Then came Thursaday last week. School pictures came in. These are not the same crappy photos that we got from school. This is where the professional photographer comes in and dresses them in all different types of outfits. B was in a tuxedo, cowboy outfit, army beret gear and airplane bomber jacket outfit. All WAY too adorable. Except the tuxedo one. B looked like the Quizno baby head in the outfit. And the cost was big. But you could not pass it up. Pictures were already printed and they would destroy them if not purchased. I did tell the company that did the photos that they chose the absolute worst time to come back for payment as most normal people got paid on the 15th and end of month. I don't think she appreciated it but did offer to hold a check until after payday. So had to do the good mommy thing and buy the photos.

I say, it is all a conspiracy to make you spend money that you do not have.

A Ho Hum Day

Here I am, at the office again and it is a typical Thursday. Thursdays are usually quiet and it is giving my brain some time to run with marketing ideas.

The problem with this? I already have more than enough projects on my desk and lists to go through. I have a bunch of quotes out and it takes time for them to close. And I am not a patient person. I do not feel that I have done a lot but yet I have a lot on my funnel.

Catch 22 I guess.

Family Date Night was good. Went to McDonald's, the Library and Big Lots. We had a good time out. It is something that we deserve. Last night, I vegged out on the couch and watched some ANTM. I am a big Tyra Banks fan. I am impressed with her success and her drive to help others accomplish their dreams and goals.

E took over and got B ready for bed. I figure it this way, I did it for 7 months on my own. E can do it when I am tired and need a break.

Like the new background or prefer the old one on this blog? Let me know your opinion and I will consider if I will keep this one or go back to the old one.

Back to the grind.

Quality Family Time

The last few nights have been filled with quality family time. Something that is so needed and so cherished.

Monday night, we went to Story Time at the library. It is designed for children 3+ years. I was thrilled that B behaved. There were about 40-50 kids there. Much more than we are used to at a story time but that is good. Round Rock does not have much in the evenings for children. They must think that all moms are stay at home. They really need more activities. Or I have to initiate them. Who knows?

After Story Time, we get out library cards and checked out a few books. B only wanted Halloween books. Fine with us. We went home and he immediately wanted to read one with Daddy. So they had a good time reading books and getting ready for bed.

Last night, we went costume shopping. B wanted to buy his Halloween costume. First he wanted to be a scarecrow and changed his mind to a dinosaur. He went for the dinosaur costume and is sticking to his choice. I thought for sure he would want to be a super hero. But no, a dinosaur. He does have his own mind.

Tonight is Family Date Night. We have established this to keep connected as a family and to do a fun activity together during the week. Probably a good night of McDonald's, playing in the play area and shopping at Wal-Mart for random stuff. Wear him out then put him to bed. Works for us.

Long live quality family time.

Things that make your toes curl!!

Well, the weekend is over and here are some of the things from the romantic overnight that can make your toes curl. At least it did ours ;)

A nice long hot shower for two in the hotel room before dinner

Round 1....

New Mexico Fondue at the Roaring Fork restaurant

Steak and Shrimp dinners at the Roaring Fork restarant

Chocolate Lava Brownie and Banana Empanadas at the raoring Fork restaurant

Finding the right shirt on the walk down 6th street after dinner

Getting "comfortable" in the hotel room.....

Round 2.....

Chocolate Covered Strawberries and Champagne in bed

Sleeping under a down comforter cuddled next to the one that you love

Round 3......

Round 4.......

Breakfast in Bed

Quick nap before checkout

Being rejected by your mate due to loss of all bodily fluids from a night and morning of quality baby making time together.....PRICELESS!!!

What can I say? We had a wonderful night.

Thank goodness for bonuses on a job well done.

Tonight Is THE NIGHT Baby!!!!

I am ecstatic. E and I will be having a romantic getaway.

We were promised this about a month or so ago. E has been working extremely hard at the office and the powers that be decided to give him a nice side bonus. A night alone with me!!!

Who would have ever thought that I was a treat?

The game plan. Get out of work early, pack, get B and bring him to the office, drop him off with Hollaback Girl for a fun overnight with her children and A/C Man, then we are off.

Where are we going? We are going to dinner at the Roaring Fork Restaurant and then up to the Steven F. Austin hotel upstairs. A surprise will be in the room awaiting us.

Oh joy, oh bliss! And right at "O" time. Who knows what can come out of this overnight getaway?!?!?!

Alarming Situations and Quickie Lunches

What a title for a blog!!!

Yesterday was an insane day. Started out first thing in the morning. My dad has not been doing well and I had my mother on the phone. I came into the office and I was the first one here. I went to turn off the alarm and it would not go off. My mom is still on the phone with me and I try the alarm again. Still not turning off. Went for a third try and the alarm went carzy. It went into the high pitched alarm mode that called into security centers and police. I quickly hang up on my mom and call the alarm company. I had another co-worker in here and I was telling her to keep trying the code. Maybe it would turn off.

I step outside so I could hear the prompts on my phone. The alarm is still going off and I am getting exasperated. HB, another co-worker, pulls into the parking lot and gets out. I tell her the alarm is going off. She asks me if I put in the passcode. As if that did not occur to me. I tell her I do and told her the passcode that I had. She then goes into the office and tells me that the passcode is wrong.

I wait for her to turn off the alarm and ask her when did the passcode change? She said that BossLady changed it and she thought that we were told this. Both RS and I were not. The alarm company calls over and confirms that nothing is wrong and we start the day.

I do not know about you but that does not make for a good start of the day. BossLady is in the hospital undergoing surgery and will be out for 2.5 weeks. This was something that we should have been notified about. Not happy.

Today has been a very boring day. Started out by marketing a little and came in to collect more materials. When I looked to see if I had enough time to go back out before my appointment I didn't. I was supposed to have an appointment come in and they were a no show. Whatever happened to people keeping their word? If they say they will do something, they will.

Looked at my ovulation calendar and realized that this was "O" time. Since E and I are trying to expand our family, the "O" time is very important. So I did what ever normal worknig wife would do in this situation. I called him to ask him if he would like to meet me at home for a quickie lunch. At first he rejected saying that he had to drive out to a call. I shook my head and asked him if I needed to repeat myself. So I did. And he finally got it. Plus, we had to switch cars anyway. What better place to do that than at home?

So what was for lunch? A very quickie meal accompanied by some necessary quickie activities.

I love being devious!!!

The In's and Out's Of The Job

This is true proof that my job is never the same day in and day out.

I just got back in the office. Where did I go? To an oil change place that we just insured. Had to get photos of the place and equipment. That is not a problem. That is easy.

Until you have to go downstairs.

I had to go down below of the shop to get photos. The stairs were EXTREMELY narrow and I am in 3-4" heels. All I could think was "Oh God, please do not let me fall." I managed to get down and get the photos but was very careful as I did not want to be covered in oil.

I managed to get out and finish the photo taking. Then I had to treat myself. So I went for a Frozen Coke at 7-Eleven.

All is better with a Frozen Coke.

MANAMANA

Doo Doo Da Doo Doo...

We have been singing that crazy song from the Dr. Pepper commercial all weekend long. And that should give an idea of what my weekend was like.

Friday night we went out to Saltgrass Steak House to celebrate my birthday. We had Hollaback Girl's family and our family. It was good food and good fun shared by all of us. We went to Sears Grand Store afterwards to walk off some of the dinner and concluded the evening from there. Had to get home to see one of my shows, Degrassi - The Next Generation. I grew up watching Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High and am following it up with this series. My husband thinks it is a teeny bopper show but it is showing me what teenagers today are going through. They have episodes that are very in your face.

Saturday was yet another day at E's office. B was being a royal pain but at least there were more people there this time. One of the BossMen told the staff to expect to work Saturday. And most showed up. More counting and cleaning labels off of the metal shelves. I was whiny by this point and spent most of my time away from it. But it does help E to have our support there.

Sunday, we went to church in the morning. B could not behave so E spent all of churhc outside with him. They had a serious heart to heart and waited for me to get out of Mass. The church was okay. We are still trying to find the perfect church for our family. It will be an interesting search. Then we spent the rest of the day going to different stores and staying away from the house. It made the day pass very fast but gave us some tiem together.

This week will be very busy for E. We will not be seeing a lot of him this week. Until Wednesday and then we should be back to normal. I am just hoping for a good week.

Happy Birthday To Me!!!

Another year is now upon me and I am excited.

Most people look at me like I am crazy when I get excited about another year. But for me, I believe that it is a fresh start into a new chapter of my life.

Last year was the big "30" and I was treated to a beautiful surprise party that my husband pulled off. I still do not know how, but he did it. Lucky for him, our son was young enough to not spill the beans on it.

This year will be different. We are planning a quiet dinner as a family and may have Hollaback Girl and her family join us. Have some dessert and spend a quiet family evening together. It will be nice.

The hardest part of today is not being able to see my Ohio friends. Flexigirl and I always go to lunch on our birthdays. I did receive my gift from her that I waited until midnight to open. She sent me scrapbooking stuff and a JoAnn etc. gift card. YAY!!! And we always get together with my mom, dad, brother and niece. Even if we met halfway between Cleveland and Columbus to see each other. The next time I will get to see them is Thanksgiving. How odd.

On to another year of adventure and mis-adventures. Cheers!

Long Live Wal-Mart

I have yet another reason to love Wal-Mart.

On Monday I had had HAD to get my hair cut. I could not stand it any longer. So I went searching for a place that was not going to cost me an arm and a leg to chop and highlight my hair. Every place I had called said it would be a minimum $100 for everything. Not in my budget this time.

I went to the first place. They were closed. I went to another place. They had one older man working there and a bunch of people waiting. Left there and went to the next place. It was 6:15 PM. They were closing at 7 PM. They refused to take me because there were two other gentlemen in front of me. After a dirty look I went to the last resort. Wal-Mart's hair salon.

All I was thinking to myself was "I hope I did not make a huge mistake.". The girl asked what I was there for. I told her and she hesitated. At this point it was 6:30 PM and they closed at 9 PM. At that point I was tired and cranky. I asked her "Exactly how long DOES it take to highlight and cut hair?" She looked at the clock again and asked if I could wait 15 minutes for her. Done.

I had a seat and looked through a Victoria's Secret catalog. When she took me I panicked a little but not noticeably. She went ahead and did the highlighting with foils and something called Kaliedoscope coloring. It looks blue but is guaranteed to dye to the color you wish and not look brassy. She went ahead and I started to relax. Went under the hair dryer and when she went to wash everything out everything turned out excellent!! I was thrilled.

At that point I felt daring. We went with the Eva Longorio style with sweep bangs and framing around the face. It turned out wonderful.

E is still getting used to it. But I kept the length so he was a happy man.

Wal-Mart once again was my savior!!!

How to Stay Young

I received this today from a very dear friend of mine. She is very wise and I am very blessed to call her a friend. Enjoy!

HOW TO STAY YOUNG

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height.

Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay them.

2. Keep only cheerful friends.

The grouches pull you down (keep this In mind if you are one of those grouches).

3. Keep learning: Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever.

Never let the brain get idle.

"An idle mind is the devil's workshop."

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often - long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

And if you have a friend who makes you laugh, spend lots and

Lots of time with HIM/HER.

6. The tears happen: Endure, grieve, and move on.

The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourselves.

LIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love: Whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music,

plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it.

If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips.

Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county, to a foreign country,

but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

Weekends and Pressure

This past week has been a nightmare week for me. It was the end of the third quarter and the pressure was turned on. I went into a full blown depression and a small relapse on my Eating Disorder. I had homesickness like crazy and the pressure to sell, sell, sell was too much. Luckily, E was there to catch me in the fall. But I did not know how much pressure that was putting on him and now I feel like a horrible human being. But most of all, I was destroyed.

I was thrilled for the weekend to come and found out that I would need to help E. With the acquisition of another company came a bit of an inventory problem. We went into his office by 9 AM on Saturday and did not leave until 5:30 PM that night. A whole day of work. It was me, E, B, D-Man, VC, Rex, & their two children. It was a lot of work and we only got 3/4 of the way through. Our treat, went to dinner on the company's dime.

Sunday was a little more relaxed. Went to get my nails done and run a few errands. When I came back I found a sick E. Never a good thing. He had a fever, chills and stomach pains. I am hoping the pressure of his job is not taking a toll on his body.

On to hopefully a better week.