This is the BEST

I wish MORE Americans realized this!!

Haha

Haha, this picture makes me laugh. Is she faking that smile or what?

On the road again...

I'll be on the road again this weekend. My coworker and I area driving from Houston to Atlanta. It's a LONG way....should be a fun trip though!

Fake it 'til you make it

"Fake it 'til you make it"

Did anyone ever tell you that? I had a teacher in High School that said it each and every day. Not to anyone specifically but as a general reminder that life is full of crappy days, disappointments, and just plain old I-don't-want-to.

That's a huge relief to me these days...my life has been full of disappointments lately. I'm not where I thought I'd be and coming to terms with that is hard. I think each day it will get better and it often does, but there is no denying that I'm guilty of being too hard on myself...as if I have some magic power/control over how and when things happen. That's the illusion though isn't it? That we have some sort of cosmic control over our life? Truth is, very little is in our control. I find that highly annoying and extremely frustrating.

Being the Type A personality that I am (not to mention the annoying "People-pleaser") I find myself thinking that if I had just tried hard enough, been nicer, worked at it longer, or just pretended differently, then I would get the outcome I desired. That's not how it works though, sometimes that's just not THE PLAN. Always the planner, I have no idea how to proceed with my thoughts.

But this is the part where I really DO know....Trust in HIM.

(Sigh)

Meanwhile I'll just try to "fake it 'til I make it".

No texting and flying

A new purse will make it better

I came home from work one day this week feeling overwhelmed and exhausted....highly emotional and just DONE with the day.

My sweet husband looks over at me and says "Would you feel better if you went and bought a new Brighton purse?".

In my highly emotional thinking I nod my head no... All the while thinking to myself that wouldn't help me in the least.

....I've changed my mind in the last few days. It WOULD help...a lot. :) I think I'll tell him I've given it a lot of thought and he's absolutely right. It really WOULD make me feel better if I went and bought a new Brighton purse.

I love him!!!

Not what I wanted

I attended a Women of Faith conference over the weekend in San Antonio and it was exactly what I needed. God spoke through these women like no other time I have ever heard. I truly wish I could just cart them around with me for inspiration all the time. It was heart-wrenching, soul-speaking food for thought for 2 whole days. The theme was "Imagination" and trusting in God. Each of the women shared their struggles, both past and present, with trusting God in their lives. My first thought was DUH, of course I trust Him. But as the weekend progressed, I became more and more aware that I wasn't really trusting Him in the ways I should.

Luci Swindoll read a poem that I cannot get out of my head. Using the mighty powers of Google, I found it on another blogger's site. Please forgive me if the correct person is not cited for writing the poem:

It was Spring, but it was Summer I wanted:
The warm days and the great outdoors.

It was Summer, but it was Fall I wanted:
The colorful leaves and the cool, dry air.

It was Fall, but it was Winter I wanted:
The beautiful snow and the joy of the holiday season.

It was Winter, but it was Spring I wanted:
The warmth and the blossoming of nature.

I was a child, and it was adulthood I wanted:
The freedom and the respect.

I was 20, but it was 30 I wanted:
To be mature and sophisticated.

I was middle-aged, but it was 20 I wanted:
The youth and the free spirit.

I was retired, but it was middle-aged I wanted:
The presence of mind without limitations.

My life was over,and I never got what I wanted.

~ a poem from a book by Charles Swindoll

It really made me think about how I'm always wishing my life away....how I constantly wish for something bigger and better. And with that line of thinking I wasn't trusting. What part of the here and now can't I just be happy about? Nothing is so bad in my life right now, I have so much that I've always wanted. Why not just be happy about it? Why not trust that God will bring me to it and through it?

Thankfully I know I'm not alone in these thoughts. So many times I am too busy worrying about the future that I forget to enjoy the present. Not sure I can ever change that completely, it's just part of who I am, but I can be aware of it.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. -Proverbs 3:5

Black Sheet

I love Fall, er Autumn, um, cooler weather!

Actually, we don't have Fall/Autumn in Texas.

At least not that I'm aware of....The weather has been so nice this month though that I'm worried any day now I'll wake up from this dream.

Ha, actually it's still a little warm for me but I figure any time I can go outside in Texas and walk from the car to the door and NOT bust a sweat....well, I'm doing good.

Seriously though, I am ready for temps to drop about another 20 degrees during the day time. Already itching to wear my sweaters, I have moved them prime spot in the closet. Of course the first day it dropped below 75 everyone broke out the parkas and sweater vests....

Oh well, praise God the weather is cooling down no matter how slowly!!

Back in 1985ish?

From left to right: Kim & Bart, Kacy, Jamie, Me (little girl sitting closest to gray shirt), My Dad, My sister, My Mom

This picture makes me laugh so hard. I was cracking up at how my Dad still makes that same face. My parents were in their early 20's and had been married about 3-4 years? Not totally sure. I love the butterflies on the wall in the background... We had them at our house too. I think it was a requirement for home decor in the 80's.

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Do they speak Spanish?

Driving home from the park I show Scott a video clip of the famous dancing Cuban baby.

Scott: Do they speak Spanish?
Me: Who?
Scott: Cubans.
Me: Um, I'm gonna take a wild guess and say they speak Cuban?!
Scott: Oh, well how the hell should I know?
Me: (laughing hysterically)

Maybe he has a good point though, how should he know that?

I'm tired

I'm tired of:

• being last priority
• always giving more than I get
• always going first
• organizing
• dieting
• driving
• working
• listening
• lying
• not having answers
• not asking questions
• friends & family
• the litterbox
• the inconsiderate nature of others
• poor planning on your part
• ridicule for good planning on my part
• waiting
• high temperatures
• short tempers
• being blamed

But mostly, I'm just tired today. :)

Enchanted Forest

If idiots were trees, this place would be an Enchanted Forest!

My thoughts exactly...

Everything and Nothing

Everything and Nothing on my mind these days:

Does everyone realize that their friends are not what you thought at some point?

How close would everyone have to be at a left-hand turning lane to the car in front of them to get an acceptable amount of cars through?

Why do you put up such a fake persona in the elevator? Is it really that hard to ride in silence for 30 seconds without the chit-chat?

Why can't stores fine/charge extra for the morons having more than 10 items in the express lane? Maybe if they had to pay extra, they'd be more courteous of others?

I'm out of tape at home. Back-to-school month is NOT a good time to shop for home office supplies. I'll suffer without...

Does anyone really care to hear about how your day REALLY is going or are they just being polite? I mean, most of my friends don't remember to ask how things in my life are going. What makes me think anyone else does?

Why does the Post Office smell funny? Why are the workers there so old-looking? Stress?

Are "Smart Cars" really that smart to drive on the freeway?

I keep hearing crickets outside my bedroom window. Not something I expected in Katy, TX. So I asked Scott, "What eats crickets that's not doing its job lately?". He just laughed.

Do parents teach their sons to hold open the doors for women anymore?

I'd love to try roller derby but I don't have an "outfit".

Why do you drive the entire commute home without having to pee, but the minute you walk in the door you nearly have an accident trying to turn off the security alarm?

What do you mean you don't like chocolate?

I wish my car horn didn't sound so whiney. I'd like to really scare someone with an intimidating honk every now and then.

I feel pressured into using exclamation points in emails these days!! Two seems sufficient though...thank goodness!!

Will any other chain coffee company rival Starbucks in my lifetime?

Most days I really do quack myself up.

Why am I such a sucker for the Lifetime Movie channel? All the movies are the same, with the same plot, same ending....

Some guy in my office has the NFL theme song as a ringtone... I have anxiety attacks every time I hear it. I automatically say "I was watching that" and everyone looks at me funny.

Being a grown-up is not that much fun. In fact, my lack of denial about this fact as a teen somehow didn't prepare me for it.

Have we really not progressed technologically to have some machine to dress us everday a la The Jetsons? Bummer....

Reading is FUNdamental

Alexis turned 6 years old on June 18th. My sister took this picture the next day on her way to Schlitterbahn. She is obviously the most gorgeous child in the world but on top of that, she's smart! I mean really smart...I think maybe she gets it from Aunt Coco?

Doesn't matter really who she gets her love of reading from, the point is she loves to read! As in, the kid reads everything she can get her hands on these days. She just finished Kindergarten in May but she's already reading on a later First grade level. Isn't that wonderful?

I bought her 12 books ranging in levels 1-3 for her birthday and she had almost all of them finished within 1 week of her birthday. I am really impressed and so proud of her. Reading is so important and truly lays the foundation for so many other things in life. I see so many teenagers and young adults that really struggle with reading comprehension and spelling. It makes me really sad. I hope Alexis continues to have a passion for reading long after the novelty of learning to read wears off!!

Tutti Frutti

Have you heard about the new wave of yogurt? NO?

Well here in the Houston area (and probably all over) health nuts are happy to see a low-calorie alternative to ice cream. FROZEN YOGURT!!!

No, I know it's not the same....nothing compares to the yummy goodness of ice cream of course!

But, there's hope. I am in LOVE with Tutti Frutti yogurt and I promise after one visit you will be too.

http://tfyogurt.net/

Everything about the place just gives me that giddy school-girl feeling. The yogurt tastes nothing like the gritty stuff you get everywhere else. It's smooth and creamy with so many flavors to choose from. Seriously, the website boasts over 40 flavors!

But wait! That's not all. You also have your choice of toppings. Candy, fruit, nuts, granola, syrups, whip cream, cereal....you name it, they have it!

Don't believe me when I say it's the best thing ever? Try it yourself!!

Driving without a high school diploma?

I heard on the radio that Gov. Perry is trying to implement a new law that would prevent high school dropouts from getting their drivers license.

Sounds like a great incentive to me.

Isn't a driver's license the one thing that most high schoolers want more than just about anything else?

Conversations with Scott Part 3

While watching tv the other day:

Scott: Can you put it on the Home Run Derby real quick?
Me: What is that? Baseball?
Scott: (Looks at me like I have worms coming out of my ears) Uh yeah!
Me: Ugh, but I want to watch this show. (Pouty-lip)
Scott: Oh come on, just for a minute...please. It's really cool to see them hit that far.
Me: I don't care if it's the Super Bowl of Baseball....it's not that exciting to me.
Scott: (crickets chirping)

Zombie-be-gone

http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/37318/the-zombie-table-a-product-you-can-really-get-behind

Don't we all need one?

Love at first sight

Love at first sight is easy to understand; it’s when two people have been looking at each other for a lifetime that it becomes a miracle.

Believe

Maya Angelou said it best, Believe people when they show you who they are the FIRST time!!!

2 Daughters

My mom said she has 2 daughters...

One that flies by the seat of her pants. And one that plans when she's going to fly by the seat of her pants.

Bet you can't guess which one I am. :)

Conversations with Scott Part 2

Back story: On Sunday Scott and I were driving on the freeway. After seeing an ugly black Mercedes Van/SUV-type vehicle, the following conversation took place:

Scott: "Ugh, that thing is awful..."
Me: "Yeah, but it's a Mercedes."
Scott: "It looks like one of those hursts..."
Me: "A what?!"
Scott: "A hurst...ya know, the car that they put coffins in for funerals..."
Me: (Laughing out loud for real) "No honey, that's called a HEARSE!!" "There's no such thing as a HURST"
Scott: "Whatever...yes there is"
Me: "And just how do you spell that?"
Scott: "H-U-R-S-T"
Me: "No, it's spelled H-E-A-R-S-E"

Obviously he thinks I'm being a smart ass so he doesn't believe me. So I call my friend Vickie (the non-speller of ANY word) since I know she's home.

Me: "Hey, what's that word for the car that carries the casket to the cemetary?"
Vickie: "A hearse?"
Me: "Yeah, that's it...how do you spell it?"
Vickie: "Um, I don't know"

At this point I tell her Scott's version of the spelling.

Vickie: "Yeah, no, I KNOW that isn't right!"
Me: "Yeah me neither, GOOGLE it for us will ya?"

***clicking on the keyboard***

Vickie: "Yep, you are right...H-E-A-R-S-E"
Me to Scott: "I told you...I knew it didn't have a T in the word"
Scott: "Whatever..."

Conversations with Scott Part 1

Back story: I have 2 pairs of tennis shoes. Scott picked out the last pair when we first started dating because Aasics were "the best" shoes out there. I hate them...seriously if I walk/jog, I have horrible shin splints and the mesh lining doesn't help keep my feet warm.

Me: "I'm done with those shoes, I'm going to wear my old ones.
Scott: "Which ones?"
Me: "My old Nike's."

(I go get them out of the closet and I'm sitting on the floor putting them on at this point.)

Scott: "Um, those aren't Nike's..."
Me: "What?! Yes, they are... See, look!"
Scott: "Those are Newbalance you dork!"
Me: "What??? No way...all this time I thought they were Nike's...."

LOL....maybe Scott DOES know more about tennis shoes than me!

Question/Answer: The "Stink Eye"

Question: During traffic discourtesies, how long can you realistically give someone the "stink eye" before it is no longer effective??

Answer: Less than 5-7 seconds for sure.

"First Snow for Peoples"

I know this picture is a little late, but it was too funny not to share.

Alexis arranged all of her "peoples" (Fisher Price Little People and other misc. toys) on my coffee table one weekend during Christmas.

When I asked her what she was doing she said, "oh it's the first snow for the peoples, they are so excited!".

The coffee table stayed like that all weekend and I sent her home with her very own snow.

Bumper Stickers

While driving home yesterday I saw 2 bumper stickers that I thought were funny:

1) B.O. Stinks

2) God doesn't believe in athiests.

Clever huh?

I won!!!

Last week I won $40 on a $1 scratch-off lotto ticket...

Totally made it worth it to have to come in to the office!

The weather man knows...

I think the weather man must know that this lousy rain/humidity/gray skies are making people unhappy. The Weather Channel just forecast "abundant sunshine" for Thursday 1/21.

Really? "Abundant" huh?

Well thank goodness it isn't "scarce" sunshine.... No, really, THANK GOODNESS!!!