It's my life! It's now or never...

My wonderful BFF gave me this framed poster for my birthday and I love it!  Every day I've read it as I walk out the door and there is something new each day that I see that speaks to me.  Yesterday it was, If you don't like your job, quit.  Hmm...may be words to live by....  Today it was when you eat appreciate every last bite.  Hmm...that sounds great, especially when these days I'm eating lots of fruits and vegetables and would rather have cupcakes and ice cream.   I love this Holstee Manifesto document and truly think that it will be some wonderful words to live by.

Smile:  What have I smiled about lately?

As I mentioned in my last post, I took last week off to rest, relax and recharge.  It was a great week filled with spa treatments and catching up on all my TV shows!  Wow--travel for a few days and get in the weeds big time!  One of the adventures I took this week was to go to the Dallas Arboretum, something I had only done once when Bonnie and I got our Bon Jovi fix watching the faux Bon Jovi group perform in the concert in the park.  It was a beautiful afternoon, warm, but not too warm, and the park wasn't too crowded since I went on a week day.  I loved watching all the kids climb on the pumpkins and all the moms trying to get the perfect shot for a card or memory album.  I thought I'd get in the action and tried to take a picture of myself...this is what being single looks like when you're trying to capture the moment--it cracked me up and I had to share it with you:

I love being single, except when I'm trying to
capture the memory! Don't you love my bag?

I finally resorted to the picture below that I quickly took before someone rounded the corner so they wouldn't feel too sorry for me not having any friends to come with me on this adventure.

check out the pearls.....
I'm quite the sophisticated lady huh?

Celebrate:  What have I celebrated lately?

This last weekend I had the opportunity to spend time with my sweet niece, who turned 9 years old.  I watched her cheer at her game and then got to spend several hours helping with her sleep over.  She has a lovely group of friends that were so sweet and kind.  I'm so glad that she is hanging around some nice girls.  Nine years ago when she was born, I prayed that she would be a strong, confident, nice, sweet, kind girl.  That she would be smart and goal oriented and think that she can take on the world.  I wanted her to be all that I wasn't and hope that life treats her kind.  Well, I can say that she's got a lot going for her.  She's a good girl, who is smart and wants to do the right thing.  I hope that she continues to face life head on and not hide from things.  She's got a good head on her shoulders and I'm proud to call her my niece.  Happy Birthday Sweet Hart!  Auntie loves you!

Love:  What do I love?

I love the new  Oprah Lifeclass show.  Each night it's Oprah pulling out some of the lessons from her shows over the past 25 years.  You may learn how to age gracefully, how to keep your ego in check, how to find passion in life, how to live your best life.  Once again, she's teaching me new things as I continue my journey in life.  I'm so happy to get my Oprah fix each day again!  I've missed her greatly!  Check it out...weeknight at 8 EST/7CST only on OWN!

Thought for the day:  Be the yardstick of quality.  People aren't used to an environment where excellence is expected--Steve Jobs

And another thought...my theme song for this evening:



enjoy your life!

Another Adventure in the {scrap} books...

I can't tell you how many times I saw this sign welcoming me "home"
when I lived in AZ...it was nice to see as a VISITOR and not Resident!

After a nail biting wait in the airport we heard our names called letting us know that our adventure to Arizona was definitely on for that evening!  We made it hassle free to the hotel (well sorta hassle free...once I moved from AZ, I totally forgot all directions to anything!) It was a lovely resort and we were so thrilled to finally be away for some wonderful R & R.

North Scottsdale, AZ
Great buy for the weekend!

If you ever get a chance to go to this wonderful resort and spa...do it!  It was heavenly--and I can definitely say that after all the hotels I've had a chance to stay in during all my travels!  We got a great deal and the $150 hotel credit made it even more worth the trip.  After a great sleep...and I mean GREAT sleep, we got up went to breakfast, then drove to find my old house...

a VERY expensive mistake

Yes..folks...this small Patio Home costs more than you can imagine...one of the biggest mistakes I've made thus far in life...great learning experience, but a costly one at that!  After a visit to Trader Joe's Grocery, we finally settled in back at the hotel for an afternoon of floating on the river and just total relaxation.  This was my view from my chair:

My view from my chair...I do miss this sight...
Beautiful Arizona!

Me and My BIG hat!  Great find to keep the sun away

Resort decorations

I spent the day reading a book and enjoying the shade...
It was actually fairly decent in spite of the temperature

view of the lazy river...so relaxing...when the kids weren't around!

The lazy river was lovely, in spite of all the families there and just what we both needed..a great chance for us to catch up with each other, solve each other's problems, coach each other on work issues and just be ok with not talking at all so we could be alone with our thoughts.  It was a great afternoon!

Pretty resort!

Bonnie and the pretty trees

Palm Trees at night..so pretty--so peaceful!

After getting cleaned up, we ventured out to dinner...note to self, don't eat Mexican Food outside of Texas...just not the same regardless of the menu!  We got another great night's sleep then hit the lazy river again until the pool got way too crowded and it just got too hot to be outside.  We cleaned up and went to a movie (not sure that I'd recommend "Cowboy's and Aliens" but was a good way to spend the afternoon).  After that, we hit the lazy river for one last time before we called it a night.  Had another anxious wait at the airport, but we made it home safe and sound...another adventure in the record/scrap books!  Once again...thank you SWA for a great trip!  So needed and so lovely!  Go buy a Southwest Airlines Ticket today...they are a GREAT airline!

Smile:  What have I smiled about?
I read..cover to cover the Wall Street Journal both days on vacation!  It was so wonderful and I found myself quoting several facts throughout the day.  While I would love to think that I could find this much joy every day it's just not something that I can do regardless of how much it made me smile!  Did you know that mortgage rates are at an all time low?  Did you know that we are afraid of boredom? Did you know that Mellon is charging some of it's top investors a fee due to banking regulations?  Well...those were all the things that I discovered/learned in the WSJ!

Celebrate:  What do I celebrate?
I celebrate that I've been in quite the learning mode lately.  I love reading some new articles from blogs that I follow on Twitter that help me grow in my knowledge of leadership styles and management challenges and training updates.  It's been great to be in a state of learning mode and I feel like I'm growing more and more each day!  I love to learn and gain knowledge!  

Love:  What do I love?
So...I think this about sums up where I'm at with my love life and Mr. Nice Guy:

Note: I'm not giving up on all Mr. Nice Guys...
Just the one that I've been blogging about lately!

Today I got a text saying: " I would like to talk to you about our "friendship."  I have prayed and soul searched.  I want to be honest with you.  I respect you too much to waste your time.  Can we talk tonight?"  So....that's never good!

While on vacation, I had some time to really weigh the pros and cons about this myself and although I was excited to see him this week, I was also wanting to spend some time asking questions and trying to determine if this is something that I want to pursue or not.  I'm glad that he brought it up first because I think I would have come to this same conclusion.  I will admit that I'm a little confused at his sudden change of heart.  Based upon text messages from the previous week, this was a bit out of the blue...not something that I, myself, wasn't thinking, but a bit out of the blue from where I thought he was with me.

Bottom line to this whole thing, we don't live in the same location and I think he's wanting to have someone that he can be around continuously and given my locale, that's not possible to do at this point--or ever.  So, I'm not sure if he's jumped to another person or what, but something changed in the course of a week. Maybe I've got myself together too much and he wants to be the rescuer ...I don't need someone to rescue me.  Maybe I'm too career oriented and he doesn't want someone to care about their job or what that brings to them..I love what I do and find much joy in it.  Maybe he's looking to fix someone...I'm pretty solid and don't need much fixing.  I don't really know what changed his mind, but  what I do know is that God has answered prayers...the right thing worked out in this situation and that's comforting to know...God did answer both of our prayers and I've got peace that the right thing for both of us occurred.  I wish him well.  He's a great guy and he deserves much happiness --I hope he finds what he's looking for...and I hope I do too.

My Mr. Nice Guy is out there...I know he is.  I've "dated" some great guys and if they were the ones that didn't work out, then I KNOW that there is one that is fantastic out there just waiting for me to cross his path.  It will happen, I believe it will and trust that God will provide at the right time, right place, right moment.  Somewhere out there, he exists...

So for now...the thought for the day is:

I'm willing to keep waiting on the RIGHT one...not the one that's there right now.  I'm willing to keep strengthening myself and building upon my relationship with God.  I'm willing to continue loving who I am, where I am, totally and completely.  Being single has some perks and I have come to love this place I'm at in life....all isn't lost, in fact, I think it's moments like these that make me find myself even more!

Cheers...

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!

It's the end of my tour as I know...and I feel fine...

Just so happened that the picture above was on my page a day calendar on Friday and have to say, was a great way to begin the weekend.  As you know, I'm obsessed with Bon Jovi.  In the last 14 months, I've been to 5 shows and can't get enough.  I know this doesn't sound very practical to many of you, however they put on such a great show and for 2 1/2 hours you forget all the troubles in the world.  I love their music and find such comfort and optimism in it, so I think it's ok to be a little obsessed.  

Me and Bonnie in Houston airport waiting to hear
if our name is called for the flight!

Well, they've been touring since February 2010 and this past weekend were their last shows in America before heading over to Europe to officially end the tour in July.  I had gone to a show in San Antonio in March and thought that was going to be my last, but it just didn't feel right to end on that note...I had to find another (once again my obsession kicks in!).  So, I asked my trusted side kick and BFF, Bonnie if she wanted to go on another adventure with me.  She has flight benefits and so we had to choose somewhere that SWA flies, so Milwaukee seemed to work best with our schedules and flights.  I bought the tickets, she got a hotel and off we were to the nice state of Wisconsin!  Never been there before...I like cheese and enjoy a good beer every once and awhile, so seems like a good place to visit!

As it got closer it seemed that flying directly into WI wasn't such a good idea so we came up with plan B..fly to Chicago and drive almost 2 hours.  We prayed that we wouldn't get stuck somewhere and would be able to complete our adventure.  As luck would have it, Dallas got bad storms on Friday so we were a little freaked out that we wouldn't make it there, but prayers were answered and we made it on flights to Chicago...didn't get in until after midnight, but hey, it was free, we got on the flight and all was well.  So lucky!  

Got into Milwaukee around 4pm, checked into our nice Hilton Garden Inn near the airport (highly recommend!) and just rested for a little while before heading out to the big show.  We had heard that the end of the world was coming at 6pm local time, as  Mr. Harold Camping has expressed, so we were ready for the big event...although were secretly hoping to see my Jonny baby one last time before meeting my God!  Luckily, Mr. Harold Camping was wrong and we all are here to share another day.  While I'm happy the world didn't end, I'm also confident to say that I'm ready to go...should that great day happen!

So happy to be there! Lovely place!

What a nice welcome note!

And one final time...I love Bon Jovi!

We got to the concert and found our seats...great seat selection!  We walked around and found an opportunity to get out picture taken with the band...who knew they'd be hanging around before the show???  You'd think they'd be warming up or something...what a moment!

Yep...this will be a Christmas Card Picture!

Enjoyed the show...sang our lungs out (yes Bonnie got video/audio of our lovely voices!--no that won't be posted anywhere publically!).  It was an awesome night!  The crowd was so into the show, didn't see anyone sitting down at all, very loud..even the boys were amazed at the noise level!  Was a great event!  Loved every minute of it and so glad that I went out with a bang!  So, my tour is over, unless I figure out a way to get to Greece or Turkey in the next few weeks...too bad SWA doesn't fly there....would be something I'd consider though, if I could swing it!

And now...the good part...the pictures...

Lost in the powerful words he was singing...
"I'll be there for you..."

Guitar....

Band...minus Richie (he's in rehab...miss ya Richie!)

I think he's thanking God that this tour is almost
over and he can go home and spend time with his family!

And that's it folks...till next time...hopefully
there will be a next time!  

Jon was happy about the fact that we survived the threat of the end of the world and chose to sing part of the REM song "It's the end of the world as we know it.."..enjoy:




Thought for the day:  Anything is possible if you've got the nerve--JK Rolling (Harry Potter Creator).

Cheers!

I'm back from my trip to Funky Town...

Feeling much better after being taken to Funky Town for the past two weeks.  I think working out, getting some new clothes and spending time with some good friends have helped quite a bit.  In all actuality, I think turning it over to God really was the main factor to feeling better!

Smile:  What have I smiled about lately?

• Getting a nice email from someone in our office saying that she's heard about me from others and that I have a great reputation within our organization
• Helping someone else smile when feeling down
• Laughing at my new found love of late night TV--Jimmy Fallon.  He's hilarious and really makes me laugh out loud...so much so, I don't think that I fell asleep before midnight any time this week!  YIKES!

Celebrate:  What do I celebrate?

At Bon Jovi Concert Oct 2010
(We need a new pic)

I celebrate the birth of my dear BFF! Happy Birthday to you! I am so blessed to have her in my life.  God really did right when he brought her into this world and ever since we became friends almost five years ago, my life has been filled with joy and happiness!  I hope that she celebrates how wonderful she really is and how special she is to so many people!  Love you sweet Bonnie!  And...the thought for you is...you're not old, just older--as Jon says:

Love:  What do I love?

As I said in previous blog post, I'm supposed to meet up with Bryan sometime next week.  More on that.  Haven't had much time this week to go to E-harmony much, so I'll see tonight if there are anymore selections out there since I last logged into it.
I love my new haircut that I got today, although I was trying to grow my hair out, I think the good ol' Bob is the best.  I think I look younger with it and feel much better--certainly not stretching me (my word of the year) to try something new, but if I can appear younger, then I can let go of stretching in that area.
I love being confident enough in myself to share my life with other people.  Didn't reveal anything too crazy, but fun sharing a little more of who I am with others and not caring what they think about me!
I love that tomorrow, I'm heading to Maryland so I can work and more importantly, see Bon Jovi in concert.  You know that posts next week will be fabulous!  What fun!

Thought for the day:  when you send out love, joy will come back to you!  

Full Moon Rising

Smile:  What made me smile today?

Seeing a full moon in the sky as I was driving home tonight.  While I truly believe that the moon does affect people's moods (if you don't believe me, work in a customer service call center and you'll quickly change your mind), it still is brings me peace every time I see it in the sky.  I love how it lights up the sky and love to say a prayer to that man in the moon and feel like I'm speaking directly to God.  Truly magnificent!  How Great thou Art!

Celebrate:  What do I celebrate today?

I celebrate my BFF, Bonnie getting an exceptional rating on her performance appraisal.  Much deserved!  I'm so glad she's recognized for her efforts!  Nice to know that good things REALLY do happen to good people!  Way to go my friend!  Way to go!  Congratulations!

Love:  What do I love today?

I love that hope really is something that exists and is a strategy to help pull people through some difficult times.  Love that hope is helping the right things work out!

Thought for the day:  Love is a decision--choose wisely!