God is Great.  Prayers are answered.   Life is good.

 I am blessed.  

Don't worry ....be happy

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.--Matthew 6:34

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds...Philippians 4:9

You have arrived...

This week, I was in a rental car that had GPS Navigation.  We used it to find a mall and upon arrival, the sweet lady said "You have arrived."  I chucked quietly to myself thinking about what a great message that was to hear.  "YOU HAVE ARRIVED."  We search and search though life only to hear those three words only to find that all that searching is really for naught...it's right in front of you all along, you just need the GPS lady to tell you.  I think I needed to hear that at that moment.  I've been feeling a bit like I'm chasing my tail and wondering what my purpose in life is.  Hearing those three words, kinda made me snap out of my head and give myself a chance to think about all that I've achieved, all the success that I've earned and reflect on the person I've become.  I have arrived.  Sometimes messages come to us in various ways...on Tuesday night, my message of affirmation and reminder came from the Hertz GPS lady telling me I was at the mall.

Smile:  What have I smiled about lately?
Last night I had a lovely evening with a co-worker who took me to a Mexican Restaurant in Laurel, MD, which I have to say, was quite good.  Flavors were good...would venture to say that I had a hard time reminding myself that I was not in Texas any more!  Dinner talk consisted of discussion on how we can find our passion for life, Pinterest finds, and of course...work. She shared with me a creative concept of 3 words..look for and write down three words that speak to you...like "Smile, Celebrate, Love" or "You have arrived" and how you can use these words to help start a journal, a picture, a poem, etc.  Cool concept....love the idea and will start opening my eyes to all the messages that come my way.

Celebrate:  What do I celebrate?

I celebrate the Veterans!  I honor and respect them and the courage they had to keep this wonderful country I live in safe and secure.  I appreciate those that gave their life so that we could be safe and free.  I can't imagine doing something so selfless to serve this country and all it's causes.  I'm quite humbled that there are people who would truly give their lives for us.  So, while I do have the day off tomorrow in celebration, I am taking a few moments to reflect on the reason for the holiday and say thank you to all that have given so much for all us!

Love:  What do I love?
I love massages!  I traveled home tonight and made an appointment to get a massage shortly after I got home.  The poor therapist didn't know what she was getting into when she got me this evening.  I've had a knot in my shoulder for about a month that won't go away, so while I wasn't expecting her to work miracles in one quick hour, I was looking for some amount of relief.  She did a great job and I feel so much better now--at least until I check my blackberry and see what work I have to do.  Ugh...

Thought for the day:

Excellence in one area is the beginning of excellence in another area.  Starting today, strive for excellence in all that you do—Robin Sharma

Work...that four letter word that we can't avoid

Work. A four letter word that can bring about happiness and stress all at once.  I find much satisfaction in my job, and am looking forward to the possibility of new beginnings.  I'm truly hoping that I can find greater fulfillment in a new position soon.  Fingers are crossed that this all will work out so I can love what I do and not settle for anything less than that!


Smile:  What did I smile about?
I have friends who take care of me and that makes me smile from ear to ear!  After having a dinner party the other night, I mentioned a story in which I was convinced someone had come into my home and left random bubble wrap in my bathroom sink.  Not remembering that I had previewed some training DVDs that morning that had bubble wrap around them, I was absolutely convinced that someone had been in my house...and perhaps was still in my house.  I told my friends this embarrassing story and so my lovely friends took pity on my and two of them bought me things that will allow me to have some type of light on when coming home to a dark house.  I appreciate that they are taking care of me!  Glad to know that I have good friends who care so much!

Celebrate:  What have I celebrated lately?
It's coming up on year end appraisals and as I consider all that me and my team have accomplished this year, I celebrate the successes we've had.  May not have gotten lots of kudos or extra attention, but I know that I've done small things with great work.  I'm proud of what we've done and while may not have a lot of appreciation, I know that I've made a difference in my area.

Love:  What do I love?

I love that the weather is getting crisper and we can wear sweaters and fun coats.  I like this type of cool, and am dreading the freezing temps that we will get in February.  I'll worry about that another time, but for now will enjoy the nice breeze, the nice cool mornings and wearing light jackets over cute sweaters!  Yea Fall!
Not so happy about the darkness that comes so early these days (we just had the end of daylight savings), but love the nice weather and changing leaves.




Thought for the day:  Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony." —Mahatma Gandhi


Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also...Matt 6:21

Today in church, the sermon was about how riches can take the place of our relationship with God and giving generously to others.  Money is our "idol" and takes the place of using our good judgement and clouds our thinking which doesn't allow us to fully devote ourselves to letting God provide for us wholly and completely.  This verse was mentioned a few weeks ago and spoke volumes to me then.  I asked myself, "what is my treasure?"  "What am I idolizing and not giving my life fully over to God?"  While it's not money completely...yes, I appreciate all that I have and what I'm able to do with my earnings, I think I've put my treasure in my work.  I've given my heart ( and soul) for my job and while I am successful, in my opinion, I've given up a lot for it...babies, love, health, friends...and I've finally realized that I have to do things differently...i've got to have a different treasure to store in my heart.  So, I'm turning over a new leaf...I'm looking for a different job, getting healthy, and trying to take time for me and more importantly start working on my relationship with God and making sure that I'm following all his instructions for living the life that is glorious and reflective of how I should be living as a Christian.  I'm kicking around the idea of looking into adoption and perhaps even getting a pet.  Yes, success and doing a good job at work are still important, but they can't rule my life like they have in the past.  I have to start doing things differently so I can get different results...and must start living more Godly, so that there is no question where my heart is...and where my treasure is.  I'm happy to say that today is the first day of the rest of my life...thank you God for this beautiful opportunity to turn over a new leaf!

Smile:  What have I smiled about lately?
Out of the blue today my sweet 5 yr. old niece called me just to talk to "Auntie."  I love that she thinks of me and bugs her daddy enough to make him dial the phone to call me.  That means a lot  that I'm part of their lives...it's a big role to play and one that I don't take lightly.  I'm happy to be their for them and hope I can be a good example and influence to them as they grow.

Celebrate:  What have I celebrated these days?

Well, would like to say that I celebrate the Texas Rangers winning the World Series, but alas, it wasn't meant to be.  Some great games played during this series...yes, I did watch several games for the first time-- I think-- in my life!  Can't say I'm nothing more than a fair weather fan, but was fun to take part in all the water cooler talk over the last couple weeks!
Dear TX Rangers:  Thanks for being such good examples of teamwork and professionalism on and off the field.  You made it a pleasure to watch and stand behind you because of your fine sportsmanship.  Brush off these losses and go get 'em next year!



Love:  What do I love?
I love a few of the new TV shows that came out this fall that have made it into the rotation.  Some that I love the most are:

Lots of deception and intrigue...takes place in Hamptons
Perhaps I am hoping that they have a glimpse of JBJ on vacation

Story of Snow White- my favorite princess

Cute story...little town sorta like Gilmore Girls...good show

Thought for the day:  "Remember this, that very little is needed to make a happy life." — Marcus Aurelius


Have a great week!

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!

Home Sweet Home--Staycation in October

Today was day one of my stay cation and it was awesome!  I got a two hour massage, went to Hobby Lobby, found a new gift store and made a wreath for my front door. Oh..and I worked out and stayed on  my diet!  I am so looking forward to this week and am just going to take advantage of what there is to do in Dallas, try to see if I can find some deals on Groupon and Living Social, see a few movies and do a little shopping.  I want to plant some flowers and read a book.  I have quite the ambitious list this week...the main one being just completely relax and get renewed to face the rest of the year!  It's been quite challenging and very stressful lately at work, and I'm in much need of just getting away and forgetting what I do for a living for a few days.  I hope the week goes slow.

Smile:  What did I smile about today?
The wreath I made and hung on my front door.  I think it looks pretty professional, if I do say so myself.

Celebrate:  What do I celebrate?
I've done really well on my diet.  I'm making better decisions and working out more.  I feel better and have more energy to do some things.  So far, so good..I've lost about 6 pounds so far...24 more to go!  UGH!

Love:  What do I love?
I love that I have a job that will allow me to be away from it for one solid week and pay me like I was there!  I'm very blessed!

Thought for the day: