I Got Tagged

My friend Jessica tagged me on this one.....Rules: Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people & posts their names, then goes to their blog & leaves them a comment letting them know that they have been tagged & asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you've answered the questions on your blog.

10 YEARS AGO I...
1. Was in a relationship that wasn't so good for me
2. Was 26 years old
3. Was working for CIGNA
4. Was driving a Honda Civic
5. Was just learning the joys of MAC Cosmetics!

5 THINGS ON TODAY'S TO-DO LIST
1. buy cat litter
2. scoop out the old cat litter in the kitty box - not something I want to do!
3. study for a test on Monday
4. take my Adolescent psych quiz online (I made 100!)
5. Read blogs!

5 THINGS I WOULD DO IF I WERE A MILLIONAIRE
1. Buy a house
2. quit my job and go to school full time
3. give to the food bank
4. take my parents to the Isle of Man - where my family is originally from!
5. Take a very special trip with my hubby

5 PLACES I HAVE LIVED
1. Bedford, TX
2. Irving, TX
3. Hurst, TX
4. Seattle, WA
5. Back to Bedford again!

5 JOBS I'VE HAD
1. Sales associate at Claire's Boutique
2. Shoe salesperson
3. Customer Service/Tech support
4. Waitress
5. Account Manager

I don't know who to tag specifically to do this, so everyone just do this and post it! ;)

Put Your Fork Down And Help Someone

I participated in my company's annual Community Day event yesterday by working at the North Texas Food Bank. What they do there is amazing, and I am always glad that I chose to work there. Yesterday I worked on a project called Food For Kids. It's a program that encourages teachers to identify children who come to school on Mondays exhibiting signs of starvation. (These kiddos aren't getting any meals on the weekends.) So each Friday, the Food Bank brings bags of food tucked into backpacks for these kids. These bags have juice boxes, fruit roll-ups, fruit, peanuts, cereal, etc, in them. It's all stuff these kids can eat without help or utensils or cooking. The real tearful moment for me was when the woman from NTFB told us one teacher recently identified a student for this program who was so hungry he was eating the paper off of his crayon. This, needless to say, brought me to tears. And I can hardly retell the story without crying. How is it that, even in these economic times, we have children going without food? We have so many people who have the resources to help and just don't. Maybe because they don't know about stories like this one. I didn't until yesterday. But David and I have vowed to start doing more. What I don't have is lots of extra time, but I do have some extra money to donate. The NTFB says that for every $1 donated, 5 meals are able to be provided. That's a lot of meals for a little money. And it's not just the Food For Kids program...some food goes to the Houston Food Bank to help hurricane victims. Some will go to the Salvation Army, church food pantries, and various other places where food and meals are needed.

I am achy and sore today from all the work I did yesterday, but each ache and pain reminds me that because of what 79 of my coworkers and I did, 40,000 meals are going to be delivered to people who need them. I can feel good about that!

Argh!

Today it seems that the Blogrolling people have had major issues, so if you know I link to your blog and you don't see it here, hang in there. I didn't start deleting things. I reposted the ones I know by heart, but I'll have to wait for the rest to come back.

Oh, and I can't seem to get Blogger to update my layout. Lovely. Anyhow, the blogosphere is not my friend today. Yay.

Thankfully, it is Friday and I have some scheduled down time. Does it count that my down time includes doing my Adolescent Psych homework? Maybe not, but I'll be doing it while I eat my Chinese Chicken Salad from Cheesecake Factory that I am picking up for myself tonight. Somehow, it does ease the pain of doing homework on a Friday night. (I have a study partner coming tomorrow so I have to be prepared.)

Hopefully other people will do far more fun things than I will. But at least I am winning in my fantasy football league. (Ha ha, Greg and David!)

Caving In

Sometimes things feel like that...like life is caving in. I think I am learning to work with that...that caving in feeling. There has been a lot going on that's far too private to share, but it's been rather stressful behind the scenes. I spent a long time talking to my Mom last night on the way home from dinner with Grampa last night. My mother is most certainly biased - she IS my mother, but she gives me very good advice and provides very good feedback when I need honesty. It was good to get some clarity, and she helped me feel good about a lot of things.

I often struggle with the worry that maybe I don't have my priorities in the right place, or maybe my choices aren't right, am I being the best person I can be, how can I tighten up my shortcomings? I don't know if other people share these struggles, but I feel like I'm hanging halfway out of a tornado. It's a tough place to be, for sure. I've had to watch a couple of people deal with things that have been life-threatening lately, and it sure puts some things into perspective, although somehow it doesn't really help me answer all my own questions just yet. But that's ok. (My marriage is solid, so that's not my stressor at all, don't fret.) I've been pulled in so many directions lately that I can't tell if I am coming or going. Every one of my obligations are my choice, but these choices are important and have demanded a considerable amount of attention. So my friends, if you are feeling neglected or distanced from me, I just ask that you bear with me. I am still organizing my life and figuring out how it all fits together. I'm learning how to be a wife and a student and have study time and carry a full time job and be a good Aunt to seven really great kids, not to mention the children of my friends, and balance relationships with family and friends. And oh yeah...my constant struggle with my weight and finding time at the gym - no small task in itself. I love all of these things, but it is a bit of a juggling act at times, and I've never been one to have a great deal of balance. Somewhere among all of these things is a need to have some time for myself. That seems to be in very short supply, and I am definitely depleted.

Here's the thing: Sometimes a girl just needs to put things into the universe and not have things solved for her. For me, this is today. Just needing to take these things off my shoulders and put them into the universe. You don't have to worry about me, because I am okay. I'm just in a different phase of my life and I have found out that I am becoming a student in my own life and not just in the classroom.

Although it is hardly a solution, I have scheduled myself a day at my favorite spa. It's time for a facial, a massage, a manicure, and most likely after that, a big nap. :) See? I still have my sense of humor! This isn't a gloom and doom post...just a real need to take the weight off my shoulders for a bit. I've decided that one lesson I have learned is that it's important to be kind to people, because we don't know what burdens they carry on their own. And we don't always need others to carry our burdens, but it's just good to have someone you care about to walk beside so that when you think it's too heavy to bear you can look over and see that you aren't walking alone. I am lucky...I'm not walking alone. That realization alone means it's a good day. :)

600th Post

600 posts...lots of posts about nothing and about everything. I guess this blog has seen me through some rather large life moments, most of which are documented here in some way. It's kinda cool, actually. :)

So as a very random thing this morning, I got a bottle of Vitamin Water. I don't usually drink stuff like that, but I am having a slow start today, and the "Revive" flavor seems like a good idea. Here's what the side of my bottle says:

"If you woke up tired, you probably need more sleep. If you woke up drooling at your desk, you probably need a new job. If you woke up with a headache, on a ferris wheel at the Idaho State Fair, wearing a toga, you probably need answers, not to mention this product."

Does this actually happen to anyone?

I just work up a little grumpy and wishing I could just stay home. Hopefully Vitamin Water has the cure for that.

Tonight is dinner with Grampa, and I am looking forward to his martini that he always has waiting for me. It's a good day for one, for sure.

Fall Weather, No Time, and Just Plain Tired.

First, I am totally digging this wonderful weather! If it stays in the 70s for a while, I am all good. It's cool enough to break out the fall clothes and those are always my favorites!

I feel like time is at such a premium these days! David and I have had little time lately, and it's been spent with others, which is always nice, but since he's about to start his six weeks of being gone Tuesday through Saturday nights, I'm kind of feeling selfish with our time together. We had a friend over for dinner Friday night, which was so much fun, and Saturday afternoon/evening was spent with his parents (which was really a good time!), but I was happy to have him all to myself on Sunday. We made a yummy dinner (Turkey Osso Buco and mushroom risotto - WOW! Thanks Food Network!) and spent the day just hanging out. Loved it! He's getting ready to leave again tomorrow, and I will miss him. But I have plenty to fill my time. School is keeping me really busy, and I have a friend getting married in November/December (her fiancee is going to come home from Iraq long enough to get married and then head back) so we're spending time getting that put together. We're planning a very small ceremony and reception for when he comes home on R&R, but when he finishes his tour next year they will do the big shindig. That's going to be BIG fun! So see? I have a full plate and won't have time to be bored. Is that good?


Anyhow...on a lighter note, here's what David made for our anniversary dinner:

It's grilled salmon, sea scallops and shrimp. And yes, it was too much food and we had to save some for leftovers. But it was VERY good! And here's dessert:

Yum! It's a replica of our wedding cake (we got some fresh cake instead of year old cake...yay!) and champagne in our toasting flutes. It was a fun meal, and VERY special.

So that's about it for now. I haven't been home long from school and I am going to heat up some dinner and watch some TV. Have a good evening!

My 1 Year Wedding Anniversary!

Today is the day I have been married exactly one year! It's really been a wonderful year, and I am feeling very blessed. David is absolutely wonderful, and we couldn't be happier. He planned a special weekend for us to celebrate. We went down to the Worthington in Ft. Worth where we spent our wedding night, and checked in. We got dressed up and went to Taverna for dinner - one of our most favorite places to eat! - and had an amazing dinner. The Executive Chef came to our table to visit with us and he made sure our food was perfect, and it was! After dinner, we went and changed into casual clothes and went to 8.0 in Sundance Square and had drinks and listened to the band play. It was right across the street from where we had our reception, and it was fun to remember being there. We had a yummy room service breakfast the next morning, and then came home. We had also ordered a small tier of wedding cake, so we've been enjoying that immensely! (And we will for a while...that was more cake than we needed!) I've brought cake to work to share with the coworkers, and to be silly I have been wearing my tiara from my veil all day. It's been a great day! Tonight when I get home from school, David is making me a very special dinner and we are going to eat on our wedding china for the first time. I can't wait!

So it's been a wonderful weekend!! I'd marry him all over again in a heartbeat!

In A Quiet Place Today

I'm feeling a bit solemn today. My Gran has been gone for three years now, and I miss her so much. So many good things have happened in my life that I haven't been able to sit and share with her. I wish she could have been at my wedding most of all. But I love her more every day and I just miss her like crazy.

Chicks Rule!

So I am in a Fantasy Football league with David and some other friends, and my team played David's team yesterday. I won! So we had a lot of fun teasing each other about it all evening. :) He's a good sport which makes all the fun and joking even more fun. I imagine that when we play each other in the playoffs (we're 1 and 2 in our division right now) he will stand a good chance of winning and I'll have to suck it up and take the teasing, but it's all in good fun! As for right now though, I'm the winner!! Yay!

It was a very busy weekend and I wish I had gotten a little more sleep. Our one year wedding anniversary is a week from today, and I can't believe the time has flown like it has. I feel really blessed to have him. He's not perfect, and neither am I so we're perfect for each other and I wouldn't trade him for the world. :) We have a special weekend planned this coming weekend, and I am looking forward to it being so special. He's planned a lot even though I told him I would handle it. He's planned dinner and made the reservations for everything! Love it!

On a more somber note, today would have been my Gran's 89th birthday. I miss her more each day she isn't here. She passed three years ago tomorrow. I wish I could hug her once more. But I was lucky to have her as long as I did. She was a very special lady.

So that's about all for today. I hope everyone has a great day!

Back Again!

Okay...trying to get back into the blogging groove! It has just been rather chaotic for me. My mother-in-law was VERY ill for a week or two and is doing much better now. She had some kidney failure, but is going to be fine. That woman dodged a major bullet somehow! Then we had the hurricane and worried about family, but there again, all is well. I don't know how I have managed to be so blessed, but I hope it keeps up!

On the good news front, I am going to be an Auntie!!!! I've been very good and not said a word until we knew she was in the clear, but Christy and Rich are having a baby!! She is 8 weeks along today, and I got the see the sonogram picture this morning. That's the most beautiful 15mm baby I have ever seen!!! They got to see the little heart beating and there's even a little leg starting to grow! I am SO excited, and I am already starting to think of baby shower ideas and places...yes, I plan to spoil this child like you can't even imagine! Sorry Christy...Auntie Jen is already in love with this baby!

So that's all I have for today. Thankfully, tomorrow is Friday. I forgot that Sunday I am going to the museum with Mom to see a really cool exhibit on eliminating racism and empowering women. It's a special tour and afterwards there is a discussion on the exhibit. I'm looking forward to sharing that with mom. :)

I hope everyone has a great day!

We Don't Like Ike

Needless to say there was no trip to South Padre this weekend. I still took the day off on Friday, and we cleaned and just generally hung out. My friend Anne came over, and it was nice to spend time with her. Her father is very ill and her fiance is doing a tour of duty in Iraq, so she needed a night to just chill. I'm glad she chilled with us!

Saturday we spent watching the coverage of the hurricane. I have family in Houston, and it was a little nerve-wracking waiting to get confirmation that they were okay. For a while, we just didn't know. Our prayers were answered!

It's been a very relaxing weekend, just hanging out. David and I went to the park and walked a couple miles today, and that felt really good. I lost .6 pounds at WW this past week, so now I have lost a total of 4 pounds in two weeks. I'm just trying to take it a day at a time, and so far it's working. I haven't really talked to anyone about it because this time around I am just trying to keep it close to the vest and not make a big fuss about it. So no, I won't be posting about it every week, and it's okay if no one asks me about it. I'm just doing my thing, and occasionally I'll give an update here.

I've been feeling a little drained lately. We've been under a lot of stress at work and I am really doing a lot of reading for school. It was nice to take a weekend and just lay low and not do much. I do wish that there had been no hurricane...I've been ready to dig my toes into the warm sand and listen to the waves gently roll in. I guess that's for another day.

I hope everyone has a good week!

Lack of Updates

Sorry all...I promised stories, and right now I don't have time to deliver. My Mother in Law has been ill and hospitalized this week. She should be okay, but she's having some kidney issues and it's been a tiring week. Pile on the homework on top of that, and I am one tired girl. David is at the lake relaxing and I am home reading about the psychology of adolecents. Hey, at least I am going to South Padre next weekend!

So I will update later. Right now, I am a tired girl!

Breathing Easier

Thankfully, Gustav didn't tear up the coastal areas as originally predicted. I know there is damage and lots of repair work to do there, but I am so glad people got out. It's inconvenient and frustrating for those folks, but better safe than sorry. I hope they feel that way, too.

It seems that hurricane season is in full swing now, with Hanna and Ike doing their thing. We'll hope for the best there, too. I understand Hanna is already starting to fizzle out. Yay!

That's it for today. I'm getting caught up from last week and trying to get stuff done. I'll post tomorrow about being at a pool party Saturday night where the cops were called. The story is much tamer (and way more lame) than you'd think!

A Prayerful Post

I was going to post a silly story or joke, but I think today is reserved for thoughtful prayer for the people along the Gulf coast. I don't know how many of you that read this blog live in Texas or on a coastal state, but when the coast is on alert and people are evacuating, we take special notice here. In Texas, we help shelter those trying to get out of harm's way. My mom and I have taken donations to shelters, I've been on committees at work to help families recover from Katrina, and most of us here know someone who had family affected. I work with a guy on my team who actually had to get into a boat from his second floor window when he lived in NO and had to escape Katrina. His story is amazing, and it's still not clear how they survived all that they did.

So tonight, humor me and say a prayer for all those who have had to flee their homes yet again. And for all those who have stayed behind to protect the city and be there in the first responder capacity. I've been watching TXCN all day hoping to see the hurricane die out, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen. So please, PLEASE say prayers for everyone affected in any way. It's going to be a long night for all of those people waiting to find out the fates of their homes.

My Long Weekend Was Longer Than Planned

Yeah, I was home sick from work today. I've had this crud for a couple of days now but I felt super crummy this morning. I stayed home and slept, and I had to go to school tonight...it was the first day. I feel better and should be at work tomorrow. This sick stuff is never fun!

I honestly don't have much news. Just me feeling stuffy and sneezy. I'll be back later this week with something witty. Just not today. I think I am going to go to bed.

It's My Friday!

I am taking tomorrow off from work, and I am really happy about that! David and I are having lunch with my mom and then going to buy my books at the bookstore - I start school again on Monday! I've been ready to get back in the swing of things. Mostly I am ready to move toward having my degree finished. I'll be glad to get away from corporate America when the time is right. I'm working on my degree in psychology and a masters in social work so that I will hopefully be able to actually help someone someday. It's the thing I am called to do...I honestly believe that.

Tonight my friend Anne is coming for dinner and some Wii time. We still love the Wii! I swear it's the best investment we've made in a while! :)

So that's about it for today. Everyone have a great evening!

Sleepy Weather

I am loving the misty rainyness we're having these days...but it makes me so sleepy! I refuse to complain about 80 degree weather in August here, though...keep it up, Mother Nature!!

We've been eating out and enjoying some of Dallas' finer restaurants during Restaurant Week. My favorite? Fearing's at the Ritz-Carlton hotel. If you need a special occasion spot, go there!!!!

Other than that, not much is new. I am taking Christy to dinner tonight for a late b-day dinner. We haven't had a chance to get together to celebrate until now, and I am looking forward to it. :)

Everyone have a good day!

MUCH Better!

All is well with me again! Thanks to all for the well wishes...I wouldn't want that for anyone! I'd love to have a ton of stuff to catch everyone up on, but nothing new is happening here. I am in corporate meetings until Wednesday so not much action. Kim is teaching her first Aqua class on Wednesday, so that's very cool. I start school two weeks from tonight and I am looking forward to it. I am going to buy my school supplies this weekend! (Wow... nerd alert!) I'm just ready to make some progress toward my degree. When you know what you want, you just want to get there, you know?

It's creeping up on my 1st wedding anniversary! David and I have some special plans that weekend, and I am ordering a teeny little cake made of what our wedding cake was...and seriously, YUM! I am looking forward to having a bit of that! :)

No other news, really. I hope all is well with everyone else. I'll check in toward the end of the week when I am past all these meetings! (Ugh!)

A Whole new Kind of Pain

So what could possibly be so painful that I couldn't go to work today? It must this raging UTI that I have. Seriously, this could be one of the most painful things ever. I've never had one before, and WOW! This sucks like nothing I have ever know. The good news is that I am on a antibiotic now, but It can take a day or so for it to kick in. I mostly rested today. It's crazy how this stuff wears you out. I hate it. But it will be gone soon enough...I am drowning it with water and cranberry juice to help.

So that's the big thing in my world right now. David comes home Saturday night, so I am happy about that.

I am going to bed now. I'm so glad tomorrow is Friday!

Wrap-Up

It's been a nice weekend. David and spent lots of time together, which is good since he leaves tomorrow and will be gone until late Saturday night. He is conducting several seminars on men's footwear for Dillards associates. He did it here in Texas and it got such rave reviews that he is literally taking his show on the road. I am very proud of him! I was originally going to meet up with him in Salt Lake City, but I decided I would rather meet him in South Padre next month. Hopefully it will be in good shape after the hurricane by then.

We went to Snuffers Friday night and then saw "Get Smart", which we thought was hilarious! Saturday we spent cleaning and just doing stuff around the house, and Saturday night David made me an awesome dinner. We watched TV and drank wine and just had a good time.

Sunday has been busier for him, since he leaves tomorrow. We watched the "Bucket List." I really like that movie. I think I may make a Bucket List of my own. I'll have to think on that.

This week will be a bit lonely without David, but one my girlfriends is going to keep me company some, so I am looking forward to that. Wednesday I am taking dinner to a family from church. I am part of my churchs' Care Team. We take meals to families in the are who might have a loved one who is sick, or recovering from something, or just needs a meal for any reason. (They don't even need to be church members...I think that's cool!) So I am going to make chicken with roasted tomatoes. I found the recipe in this month's Real Simple magazine and it looks awesome! (and it's healthy, too!) Tuesday I am having dinner with the family (Craig, I will email you about this but Ann and Grampa are going to mom and dad's...you should come, too!)

But the rest of the week I am free and breezy. I plan to fill some of the time with trips to the gym. I lost 1.4 pounds last week, so I have turned it around and am trying to be back on track.

I hope everyone has had a good weekend in spite of the sweltering 107 degree heat. Seriously, the dog days of summer have arrived.

Stay cool...literally!!!!