I'm going to start living better cause this taste of Hell is awful!

It's hot...that's all there is to it...just awful hot...boiling hot..so hot that it never cools off kinda hot...so hot that it feel like you are living in a perpetual hair dryer/oven!  It's been awful here in Big D the last few weeks/month.  Cars that sit outside for the day have a temp when you get in of 118 or so...I feel like I'm living back in Arizona again...only I'm not..I live in Texas and while it's supposed to be hot here in the summer...this is crazy!  I'm ready for some relief!  Wow!  It's hot...so hot!  Makes me think that I need to make sure that I'm living a better life so that I don't experience an eternity in Hell...I can't stand too much more of this!

Smile:  What have I smiled about lately?
Last night, I had the chance of spending an evening with my brother, sister in law and nieces.  It was a lovely evening in the pool, having dinner and just catching up on what's happening in our lives.  In the course of the conversation, we started talking about how close we are and how happy that makes us that we can still enjoy being around each other after all these years.  Many of our friends can't exactly say that about their siblings so it's nice to know that we are not only family, but also friends.  I'm fortunate to have the wonderful relationship I have with my fantastic brother and sister!  I love you guys!

Celebrate:  What do I celebrate?

After 135 shows, in 22 countries over the last 18 months, Bon Jovi ended their "Circle Tour."  I'm proud that I was one of the 3 million fans that went to five of their shows during the course of this 18 months.  I know you all think I'm crazy, but I truly came to love these guys and can't believe I wasn't such a fanatical fan before now.  Since my first concert in Dallas in April 2010, I've come to appreciate their music so much more and find that many of their songs truly fit many moments in my life.  Whether I'm having a bad day, or a good day, turning on a little Bon Jovi helps my moods.  Some of my favorite lessons that I've learned through their music:

• "When the world get's in your face, say...HAVE A NICE DAY!"
• "When you want to give up and your hearts about to break, remember that you're perfect...God makes no mistakes...WELCOME TO WHERE EVER YOU ARE...this is your life, you've made it this far!"
• "I'm gonna live, I want to survive, don't want the world to pass me by.  I'm gonna dream ain't gonna die thinking my life was just a lie...I WANT TO BE LOVED"
• "I finally found my way...said good-bye to yesterday...hit the gas there ain't no brakes on this LOST HIGHWAY."
• It's ok to be a little broken, EVERYBODY'S BROKEN in this life, you're alright..it's just life
• My song that I hope is played before my wedding night..."This is the last night you'll have to be alone, I'll be standing right beside you when you can't make it on your own so walk with me please help me to be strong, this is the LAST NIGHT you'll have to be alone."
• And of course...IT'S MY LIFE...it's now or never..I ain't gonna live forever!  Cause It's...my...life!
• Hey man I'm alive...takin each day one night at a time..feeling like a Monday, but SOMEDAY I'LL BE SATURDAY NIGHT!"
• And finally, when it's a long week, i have to say..."We're halfway there...Livin' on a prayer!

I could go on and on, the point is that I love this band and have learned some good lessons about life, love and myself as I listen to their music...and they aren't too bad to look at too.  I sure hope they don't take too long off...I'm going to miss my boys...good thing there's You Tube and all those great concert videos to keep me from going in withdrawals!

Love:  What do I love?
Things with Mr. Nice Guy are going well.  He comes next week for a monthly business review, so I'm looking forward to seeing him, fixing him dinner and just spending some time getting to know each other more and more.  Not sure where this is going to go, or even if we can really even define that at this point, but I will say, that it's really nice to know that I'm on someone's mind and to have someone on mine.  I know I've said that before, but I find myself thinking of him quite a bit through my day and wanting to share more and more of my life--the good and bad with him.  We'll see where it goes.  I'm putting in God's hands and just hoping to  let HIM control my life, instead of me doing the typical sabotage that I tend to do in my relationships.  Perhaps, there's a Bon Jovi song to help me through this stage in life too...guess I'll just have to listen to more music (or buy another album).

I also love the new MAC operating system called Lion.  It's got some fun features to it  that makes it fun to surf and do things on my computer.  I also was pretty proud of myself when something wasn't working properly and I fixed it.  Google can be a good friend when you need to teach yourself how to do something.  I researched the problem and found the solution...and it worked!   I love when I figure things out like that!  Makes me feel so good and independent!

So...stay tuned for another adventure of Bonnie and me.  We are venturing to the cooler temps of Phoenix, Arizona this weekend to get away for some much needed rest and relaxation!  MUCH NEEDED REST and RELAXATION!  We are staying at a lovely resort and spa in Scottsdale and I'm excited to venture back to one of my favorite grocery stores...Trader Joe's and seeing my old house again.  (wonder if my crazy neighbors with the lovely el camino still live across the street...??)  Should be a lovely time, even though it won't be much cooler than it is in Dallas!  I'll report out on the adventures in the next blog post!  Stay tuned...i'm sure there will be some exciting things to learn!

Thought for the day "It is only possible to live happily ever after on a daily basis." —Margaret Bonanno



Cheers! 


Now..off to pack for my big adventure!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

I have the best mom in the whole wide world!  She's caring, supportive, loving, sweet, kind, selfless, and most importantly, Christ-like.  She loves her children unconditionally and regardless of the situation, is there to support and assist whenever and however she can.  She's instilled in her kids a strong sense of family, helping others, and to follow God.  I love my mother more than I think I can express and am so very, very blessed that she is my mom.   When God was planning on who was going to get my Mom as a mother, I'm so very glad that He gave me her.

So today, on this mother's day, I smile, celebrate and love you Mom!  Thank you for all you are, for all you do, and for all you've given me to be the me I am today.  My hope and prayer is that I can be half the woman as you!

Happy Mother's Day!
I love you!

Fairy Tales Do Come True!

 I am a hopeless romantic and really wish that all those fairy tales that I was read from an early change really did happen.  That a common girl meets her handsome prince and they fall in love and live happily ever after.  Perhaps that's why at age 12 I got up at 4 am to be a witness to the a real life fairy princess marry her prince and why, at age 42, I got up at 4am and watch that fairy princess' son marry his beautiful bride.  I love everything about the story of William and Kate and truly believe they are in love (unlike his mum, Diana and father Charles).

In spite of the extravagance, the wedding was simple and sweet.  Kate's dad proudly gave his little girl away, her brother read a passage from Romans 12, the Bishop of London gave a lovely sermon and the Queen smiled, happy at the thought of this marriage.  They are a couple in love and it was nice of them to invite us all to their little affair!  A day to remember for sure!

Best Wishes HRH William and Catherine, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge!  May you live happily ever after!

I decided that I would host a Royal Wedding Watching Party, so I invited some of my girlfriends over for dinner and to watch the big event on TV.  Of course, the wedding was early in the morning Central Standard Time, so we had to watch on the DVR and I couldn't wait to see it, so I had already watched it earlier that morning, but seeing it again (and again) was fine with me.  The wedding was quite beautiful and so sweet!  What a lovely event and a magical occasion!  

For part two of the party, I made my nieces watch a real life prince and princess get married.  I'm sure that I've contributed to some amount of crazy dating thinking like I have, but they had to witness this big event..just had to!  We dressed up for round two...I think they enjoyed it, although it wasn't Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez...the only "royal couple" they seem to care about...oh well.  I tried to educate them on the important things in life!

Thought for the day:  The prayer that Prince William and Princess Catherine wrote for the wedding and read by the Lord Bishop of London--something we all should be reminded of regularly!  Enjoy:

God our Father, we thank you for our families; for the love that we share and for the joy of our marriage.

In the busyness of each day keep our eyes fixed on what is real and important in life and help us to be generous with our time and love and energy.

Strengthened by our union help us to serve and comfort those who suffer. 

We ask this in the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Amen.

And they lived...
Happily Ever After....
The End--or is it The Beginning!

In the midst of progress...

Before

After

I've been living in a bit of clutter for the last few days as the demo has begun on my bath and kitchen!  Fortunately I have two other bathrooms to shower in but now, I have no kitchen and no sink to wash anything in (not to mention, no faucet!).  I'm hoping that all this will be done in a few days and am anxious to get this done!  I'm hoping that everything I pick out will all go together!  I'm really worried about that...I guess I'll know more on Tuesday!  *Fingers Crossed*

Smile:  What have I smiled about lately?

My sweet sister came to visit us this weekend and it was good to see her smile and spend some time with she and my brother and his family.  We had lots of laughs and many good moments with each other.  I love spending time with my siblings and had a great weekend with them sharing stories and fellowshipping with one another.  We are very blessed that we have each other through the good and bad times--I'm a very lucky girl!

Celebrate:  What do I celebrate?

  

I signed up again for my favorite work out class at the gym--Team Weight Loss!  I found out my favorite trainer that I got the most results from is now teaching at my gym and once I heard that I decided to sign up again for the class.  I hope that it will kick me into gear and help me see results that I haven't really seen over the last few weeks!  The class takes place on the treadmill and is mostly interval training and heart rate training.  It's a great way to burn lots of calories and really changed my way of working out. I'm excited to begin this class and am happy to be in the gym three times (at least) a week! 

Love:  What do I love?

Other than my family...I love that I bit the bullet and bought an ipad.  I was feeling a little left out on my business trips since everyone else on the plane seemed to be enjoying watching movies via their ipad or reading books and I didn't have one...Tracy was selling hers, and made me a good deal.  I can't wait to travel again!  --well, that may be taking it too far..I'll enjoy my next business trip more --that's more like it!  

Thought for the day:  I believe in miracles. I look for miracles. And so I see and experience them often.

Have a good week!

We're all thawed out!

We FINALLY got out of the freezing temperatures, and I finally got out of the house after 4 days!  The warm up began and you'd never know within about 5 hours after we got above 32 degrees that we had so much ice and snow.  I'm so glad that we finally thawed out and were able to show the visitors that trudged here for the super bowl what Texas is all about!  It was a beautiful weekend and I think everyone's moods are much better with a little sun and a lot less ice!

Super Bowl 45 was played here in Big D this weekend and the Green Bay Packers beat the Pittsburg Steelers 31 - 25.  It was a great game and I enjoyed the event with some good friends at a local sports club.  Ate lots of bad food but had great company and enjoyed some good times. Didn't hurt that the team I was rooting for won!  Great fun!

Smile:  What have I smiled about?

• Snow melting
• Getting out of the house (even though Target was busier than Black Friday!)
• Seeing some friends haven't seen in a while
• Doing a little scrapbooking

Mom, Sister and I in San Francisco July 2010

Celebrate:  What do I celebrate?

•  Snow melting
•  Having a wonderful, understanding Mom!
•  A good hair day!

Love: What do I love?

• Going back to an office where I can see people and not the same 4 walls
• My sister for her courage
• Coming home to a nice clean house--I love housekeepers

Some thoughts for the day:

"Listen with your heart."

"Do something spontaneous."

"Go where your heart takes you."

"Hold hands firmly, hearts gently."

"Exercise your heart today."

"Make someone melt today."

"Believe in those you love."

I just haven't met you yet...

Will I find love online?  Stay tuned....

Happy Sunday! Had a week of travel to Maryland and enjoyed a weekend catching up with some good friends.  Trip was good and I was thankful that the weather behaved so I could get there and back in one piece!  I'm a much better traveler when ice and snow are not part of the picture!

Smile:  What's made me smile lately?

Coconut Cupcake--YUMMY!

• Georgetown cupcakes in Bethesda:  Love the coconut cupcake so much that I can't get anything else when I go there!  This place has the BEST cupcakes and I love them so much I can rationalize and justify breaking my diet to eat one!  You must try if in the DC/MD area!  
• Watching movies with good friends:  I'm very blessed to have special people in my life that can also enjoy a quiet evening watching movies and allow me to be a bad hostess and fall asleep on the couch during the movie.  It was a great way to relax after a busy week of travel and meetings.  
• Getting a call from my niece and then finding out that my brother didn't even know she had taken his phone.  I love that she chose to call her Auntie to say "i love you"--so cute!

Celebrate:  What have I celebrated lately?

• That the weather held out and that the east coast has the tools to keep the roads and sidewalks clear when there is even a hint of snow or ice in the forecast.  It was so nice to see the salt pellets on the ground after eating dinner and helped ease my mind for the commute the next day!  Thank you MD taxpayers for putting your tax dollars toward my safety!
• Choices:  we all have a choice to be as happy as we want to be and I celebrate making the right choice most of the time. Life is good and I'm happy to say that I'm making good choices to see the world a little brighter and a little more positive.  Are you making good choices?
• Finally, I celebrate that I'm one of the few lucky ones that has not had to suffer too many bad things in life.  Today in church, we learned how Jesus suffered on the Cross and how God was there by his side, listening to him and how He is there for us as we go through our suffering.  I praise God that while life hasn't always been peaches and cream, I have been very lucky and am blessed to have all that I have, however, I also know that no matter what, HE is there willing and able to help me through whatever it is that I'm going through!  Praise God!

Love:  What do I love?

So, I did it...I finally got myself together enough to try online dating again.  I'm trying to have a good attitude about it and am hopeful that I will meet someone to spend some time with and who knows..perhaps fall in love with.  I truly believe he's out there..I just haven't met him yet!  Stay tuned for more updates on this project!  I'm sure that it will be quite exciting to follow--at least, let's hope that it is!   Enjoy the video...I think it's pretty perfect for my situation!

Thought for the day:

We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy.  The amount of work is the same.  --Carlos Castaneda

Cheers to you!  Have a great week ahead!

Dream Big!

I had a long weekend this weekend and it was great!  Enjoyed time with my sister and nieces and then spent MLK day getting some much needed pampering.  It was a great weekend to smile, celebrate and love!

Smile:  What did I smile about these last few days?
So many things to smile about:

• seeing smiles on little girls at the American Girl store who were so excited to be in the very special store with lots of really cute things!
• laughing at my 5 year old niece who is just too cute for words.  She has so many cute looks, phrases, and zest for life.  There are too many moments to name that made me smile and laugh at her this weekend
• getting out of chuck-e-cheese in just under 2 hours without any tears
• seeing my friend, Penni today for a much needed facial!  Thanks Penni! My smile is a little more hydrated and a lot more exfoliated!  

Celebrate:  What did I celebrate the last few days?

This weekend we celebrated my niece's 5th birthday.  When asked how old she was going to be she said "16"...that's about right...cute kid! 

Saturday night WII "tournament"

I also celebrate that I am a really bad video game player!  We played the WII and I was really trying against the girls, and still lost.  I celebrate that I know my strengths and weaknesses and realize that video games is not something that I'm going to master.  

I celebrate that Martin Luther King stood up for his values, beliefs and cause in spite of the controversy and small minded people around him.  While we still have a long way to still go for civil rights, we are much better off and the hope is that his "dream" truly becomes a reality!  

Love:  What did I love the past few days?

I love my family!  I am so blessed to have my sister and brother in my life.  I am so blessed that no matter what any of us are going through, good or bad, we are there for each other to support, preach, lend a hand or just praise.  While we aren't without our drama, we are close and I'm very happy to be their big sister.  I am a very lucky person!  

Thought for the day:  Dream Big--while this isn't MLK's message...still a good thought to take away for this special day:

Enjoy!