Dude Where's My Phone

The other night I was up way past midnight searching for my cell phone. I had called the hubby earlier in the evening wondering if he was going to come home for dinner or not (I was hungry). He said yes, he'd be home at some point, but that I should fend for myself. Groovy. I ate, I was happy. I placed the phone on the coffee table so it would be within easy reach should I need it.

The rest of the evening I kept busy restocking the dog food, taking out the trash to the garage, ordering Toastmasters supplies, making a flip book for E's super-cool and awesome boss, wrapping said gift, making several loaves of banana nut bread, cleaning the kitchen... I was all over the first level of the house doing various tasks and chores.

Later the hubby arrives home. He watches a little TV then goes to bed. I start cleaning up and putting my craft supplies away. I go to grab my cell phone from the coffee table so I can recharge it. It's not there. I look under the coffee table it's not there either. I wonder if perhaps it got caught in a sofa cushion. I displace Karma so I can toss pillows and cushions in search of my cellular link to the outside world. Not there, but I did discover something disgusting that I shan't discuss here.

I search all the trash cans, recyclables, went through all my crafting supplies (which are plentiful), the Toastmasters files, the fridge (one just never knows), the garage, my purse, E's laptop carrier, ... the darn thing is nowhere to be found. I ask the hubby, "Hey, have you seen my phone? I left it on the coffee table and it's not there."

"Hmm, no I haven't seen it. Want me to call you?"

No ring. D'oh. I left my phone on silent again, dang it.

"Oh well, I don't know where it is honey. Sorry." He goes to sleep.

I want to go to bed too but wondering where my phone is drives me insane; I can't sleep. I'm so careful with my stuff, I usually know where everything is. How can my phone be MIA?

I retrace all my steps and search everything again. It's very, very late. I decide to continue the search in the morning. In the master bedroom closest, while changing for bed, I notice my phone on Erik's shelf above his hanging clothes, next to his dress shirts waiting to visit the dry cleaners.

Argh. I want to make mean pirate sounds and scream, but the hubby is sound asleep. T'would be quite rude to awake him just to let him know how displeased I am about his relocating my cell phone, I resist the temptation. Happy Festivus baby, I let you sleep that night. You can return the favor by never again misplacing my phone.

The Cost of Christmas

Since this holiday season always ends up costing us more than we plan on spending I thought it would be a good idea for Erik and I to make each other a gift. He immediately knew what he wanted to make me. I however hadn't a clue what to make him, so I asked, "Hey, what would you like me to make you?" Answer: a bench.

This should have been an easy task and probably would be except my whole plan was squashed when E didn't have to go to Florida as originally planned. That was when I had set aside time to design and buy materials. Instead we went to Home Depot together so he could get supplies to make my gift and while we were there it only made sense for me to purchase the items I would need. Since he was present I thought I'd let him have some input in the design since I hadn't a chance to draft anything yet. He decided on a bench with storage. Fine, I love storage, one can never have too much storage or be too organized.

I bought some wood, L-brackets, screws, etc. At this initial phase I only planned on making the frame and would figure out the rest the following weekend. Yesterday I built the frame and it looks decent. Yesterday we also went to Lowes because I didn't like the feet that Home Depot had. I let E choose the feet for his bench and he chose well. But the feet, the top, and the other needed incidentals to complete the bench are quickly adding up. Turns out it would have been way less expensive for me to just purchase something for the hubby... oh well.

Buying something isn't nearly as fun as playing with power tools. Oh wait, we don't have any real power tools. I don't count my cordless, electric drill as a "real" power tool. Sure it works and gets the job done, but a band saw, or a heavy-duty dual bevel sliding compound miter saw... now that would be cool! Maybe for next Christmas the hubby will make me a workshop with my own bench so I don't have to sit on the cold, concrete garage floor.

Race ya!

Whenever sirens are blaring in the Antelope Valley (California) vehicles pull over providing emergency vehicles with room to speed on to their destination.

I'm sure there are some people in the Knoxville area that move aside so the police, fire department, etc. can do their thing, but I never saw evidence of it. Instead in Knoxville if there is an accident almost everyone comes to a complete stop to rubber neck it: "Hey is the person dead? Almost dead? Dying? I gotta check this out!" However, if there is nothing to see: "Oh, it's just an ambulance. Well I'm not pulling over, I'll just speed up and race him!"

In Knoxhell when I pulled over for emergency vehicles I had to wait to get back on the road because all the people behind me just kept on driving and wouldn't let me back in. I wonder what the "racers" would think or feel if it was their loved one in the back of the ambulance trying to get the hospital. I have to think they would care... right? It just doesn't make sense to me.

Knoxhell is a rather small community. Most people know each other. The chances they either directly, or have 3 or less degrees of separation, with the person in the ambulance is probably pretty great. I would suspect they would want to get out of the way so their friend, family member, neighbor, fellow church member, etc. had a better chance of survival. But I'm just RONG. It's way more important to be the first one at the stop light.

Thanksgiving

This year, just as last year, we got to spend Thanksgiving with good friends! It was wonderful. We haven't been able to spend time with J & T since before we moved to TN. Being with them was like we never left! We had a fantastic dinner at J's parent's home (a.k.a. The Compound) and then we saw Stranger Than Fiction afterwards. All in all another wonderful Thanksgiving that left me happy to have such people in my life.

Happy E

Good news! The hubby doesn't have to travel to Florida tomorrow, Sunday, the last day of the "Thanksgiving Holiday" a.k.a. busiest travel time of the year.

I'm so glad he gets to stick around awhile longer before having to do the dreaded depo. Normally he doesn't mind depos, but this particular situation has just been troublesome.

I'm glad he caught a break on this. He was just miserable on Wed. when he first discovered he would have to book a flight to FL the day before Thanksgiving. This in and of itself was quite stressful.

Now... it's all just a distant memory. Yeah. I get to spend the WHOLE weekend with him (just as I did last weekend and the weekend before that). How fabulous. He's such fun to be around. I'm so very thankful to have him in my life. Thanks E for being YOU!

All Done (almost)!

I've got almost all of our holiday gifts under control. Most are already wrapped and just a few still need to be completed. Can't write too much about it since I want it to be a surprise, but I've been having a great time making them! Some of the presents I'm creating I like so much I just may have to make some for myself after the New Year.

P-Pod

I miss you Pam more than these mere words could ever convey. I got your voice mail message and haven't called you back because I suck as a friend. I think of you all the time and can't wait for your return to Cali.

I LOVE your Audrey Hepburn photo - you look fabulous! And on Andrew's blog he's posted some pics of you and my goodness your hair is long. I know E and I moved to Palmdale only 6 months ago but it sure seems like so much longer. Thank goodness for blogs! I look forward to reading more about your school experiences, fun with family and friends, and your thoughts, worries and dreams!

Just some stuff

Last Sunday I started to feel very, very lethargic. I thought perhaps I was just relieved to have one commitment completed so I could focus on the next. However when Monday hit I realized that I had caught the little bug that was flying around the office. Yuck. I still had the parade to contend with and sure as hell didn't want to have to deal with a cold.

I started popping over the counter meds to help alleviate the symptoms and went to bed between 8:00 and 9:00 pm every night. That helped but then Saturday's parade just did me in. The parade committee leaders wanted all the volunteers to show up at 6:00 am. Mind you the parade wasn't scheduled to start until 9:00 am. Anyway, there I was waiting for sun to begin its rise at 6:00 am. Weather was chilly 30-40 degrees. I had on many layers but it was still $#!%$!# cold. Nothing happened until at least 7:00 am. So for an hour all us volunteers just stood around waiting... and waiting... and waiting... I won't bore you with all the details.

Today when I woke up I felt as I did last Monday. Great, another week of feeling like crap. At least this week my hours will return to part-time. Last week we were super busy so I was coming in early, staying late... This week I should be able to recoup much quicker - I hope!

But speaking of work... they like me. They really like me. I took on a part-time temporary job just for some extra holiday cash and well, it turned into permanent work. Apparently the big boss liked me so much he's willing to bring me on as a real employee so as not to lose me. How fabulous! That lifted my spirits a ton. I really enjoy the work and the people. And, the part-time hours really help with that, 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm! These hours still allow me time to enjoy the volunteer activities that keep piling up as well as other endeavors. Anyway, being a real employee gives the hubby and I some much needed health, vision and dental insurance among other things. Yeah for benefits!

Next - AES

Whew, finally most of my big volunteer projects are done... for now. The Fall Conference for Toastmasters is over. The parade is over. Next up is the American Enterprise Speech Contest (AES).

AES is put on by the National Management Association (NMA). NMA is comprised of various chapters throughout the United States. The chapter in my area is working with local Toastmasters groups to sponsor high school students.

The primary purpose of the contest is to promote a better understanding of the American Enterprise System among high school students. Involving youth in researching, writing, and delivering a speech on American's economic system will increase their awareness of economics and serve as a reminder to the audience of the important role that a competitive economy plays in our ability to compete worldwide.

This contest also provides an incentive for the development of communication skills that are so vital to those entering the workforce.

My job is contact local high schools and educate and inform them of this opportunity for their students. There are four competitive levels and prizes of the contest:

1. Chapter - Competition between high school students sponsored by an individual NMA Chapter (in my case local Toastmaster clubs). Prize money is determined by the Chapter but not to exceed $500 for 1st place.
2. Council - Competition of Chapter winners. Prize money to be determined by the Council but not to exceed $750 for 1st place.
3. Area - Competition among Council and Chapter winners. Prizes (Savings Bonds): 1st place = $2,000; 2nd place = $1,500; 3rd place = $1,000.
   
4. National - Competition among the six area winners. Prize (Savings Bonds): 1st place = $10,000; 2nd place = $5,000; 3rd place = $3,000. $500 cash will be given to the 4th through 6th place winners.

This all started in 1988 (and I was a high school student at the time) but had never heard of it till now. It's doubtful that even if I had known of this when I was eligible that I would have entered. But all the same, I'm excited to be a part of it now. I think it's a fabulous opportunity for America's youth. I can't wait to see how this unfolds.

The Toastmaters club that I belong to already has a young member who is interested in participating in AES. I'm sure I'll get to work close with her to assist, guide and mentor in anyway I can. But I also want to be sure that other young adults in the area are able to be a part of this too.

What a chance for me to be more involved in my community! I'm sure I'll make a lot of great contacts along the way, maybe even some new friends.

Busy Day

This morning the hubby and I had a lot of errands to run so we decided to enjoy some breakfast first to get us through the day. I like Denny's so asked to go there. Erik is not as fond of it, but he agreed. We got our name on the waiting list and discovered that some friends of ours were already seated and had invited us to join them. How fabulous! Had a great breakfast: good food, great friends.

From there we went to check out Erik's office. New paint and carpet have given the whole office a fresh look. Erik choose a nice sage green. The lobby and hallways are white and most of the other offices are various earth tones.

Next we headed to Target for some sundry items. What a fantastic experience. Parking was easy and close to the door, only one screaming child that we were able to get away from quickly, and Target had the items we wanted, except for spray paint. Oh well, I'll take 2 of 3. But wait, we were able to get a ton of Greenies (really good doggie treats) for dirt cheap! They were on clearance?! Happy, happy critters.

PetSmart was next on the agenda. Since we were able to get all the greenies we could store and more, we only had to pick up some doggie food.

On to TJ's. There we got milk and other basic necessities. Finally homeward bound so Erik could watch football.

I headed back out to get the spray paint I needed for the table centerpieces I'm doing for Toastmasters. Wal-Mart, in comparison, to Target, was pure hell. LOTS of screaming kids, long, long lines, more screaming kids, small children running about as if Wal-Mart was their own personal playground. I sought out an employee to open the locked spray paint cabinet so I could purchase blue and silver paint. From there I went to wait, and wait, and wait some more in the check out line. Finally I paid my $4 bucks cash and change and ran for my life. Ugh, I do not like Wal-Mart.

My hand still hurts from all the spray painting I did yesterday - and that was with the hubby's help! I took today off from painting, but I will need to finish it up by this weekend.

This afternoon I worked on the various spreadsheets for the volunteer project I'm helping with. Still have lots to do. The friend I'm helping out gave me a very disorganized list of names and information that needs to be put into spreadsheet form. I'm doing the best I can but unfortunately I don't quite understand the thought process of how the information was sent to me. It was haphazard at best.

This evening the hubby and I walked the dogs. We walked about 3 miles. It was wonderful. No wind and the temperature was perfect. If only our mutts were leash trained. Hopefully if we continue to walk them they'll get better.

Now I'm blogging on Erik's laptop and hanging out in front of the TV just taking it easy. What a nice end to a busy day.

Just Say No

While I like volunteering and helping out... I can see I'm going to need to start using the word "No" more often. Yesterday someone asked for help in creating a spreadsheet and now I'm suddenly responsible for this person's work, in addition to my own responsibilities for this particular volunteer project.

Then today someone wanted me to help out with another event that I've already contributed a lot of time and money too. I was able to say "no" to that, so hopefully it will be easier and easier to continue saying no. I haven't made time to do the things I enjoy like stamping, reading, or being with friends. I need to find balance between good works, regular work, and some good ol' R&R.

Loving the AV

I figured by now I'd be bored with the desert landscape, but I'm not?! It is still very beautiful. The sun sets are amazing, as are the big open expanses of desert and the surrounding mountains. I like being enveloped by scenes unlike anything I ever experienced in Wisconsin, Missouri, or Tennessee.

The dryness here is quite handy too, especially on laundry day, when cleaning paint brushes, etc. as these items dry in just mere hours or less.

Now that fall is upon us it has cooled off quite nicely. The day time temps are in the 70s and just fabulous.

Life in the AV is better than I ever imagined, who'd have thought it?

Italy please take note

If only toilet seats and toilet paper were available in most tourist places in Italy. These are items not to be overlooked. A hole in the floor with tread marks on either side is NOT a toilet. Oh and while I'm at it... hot about a sink with hot running water AND soap! You are Italians not French!

Freedom

I got home from work, fed Sass and Karma and let them outside. A few moments later the doorbell rings and a young girl informs me that my dogs are running down the street.

The doggies were so happy for the attention and little bit of freedom that they actually came when I called, which is good since I didn't feel like running all around the subdivision chasing them. Thank goodness for kind neighbors!

I think the lawn care folks left the gate open today. I never know when they're coming as they don't seem to keep to any type of schedule and just show up whenever. Guess I'll need to check the gate regularly to ensure the critters don't get lose anymore.

Neophyte

I want to join the hubby in his Friday night pursuit of Battlestar Galactica. I've watched many episodes, with much pausing and asking of questions, and now have a better idea of what the heck is going on. There are many overlapping, interwoven complicated plots. There is also so much that the viewer just doesn't know, the possibilities and various twists of the numerous cylons and copies of the cylons, is mind numbing and fun. Trying to figure out what the writers have planned for upcoming shows is entertaining in and of itself. Last year I made fun of my husband for watching, this year I'm convert. Who'd have thought it?

Competition

Yesterday I competed in the Division contest for Toastmasters. There were seven (including myself) who competed in the Evaluation portion of the Humor and Evaluation Contest. I spoke last and therefore was not allowed to hear the evaluations of those six who spoke before me. As such I have no idea how well the other six performed. I did not place, so I don't know how well I did - if I came in 4th or last or somewhere in between. However, I've only been in Toastmasters for a few months so I'm very pleased that I even attempted such a thing. It was exciting to speak before a crow of 50-60 people. There was a microphone, which I am NOT used to, but fortunately it worked out fine. It was a great experience and I enjoyed listening to all the humor speeches, especially since 2 of the 8 speakers for the Humor portion were from the High Desert club of which I am member.

The Area Governor who ran the Humor and Evaluation Contest asked me to provide the breakfast fare for the event. I of course jumped at the opportunity to do this. I was given a $200 budget. When I told Erik I was going to providing the breakfast for this event he immediately said, "What do you need me to do? I can set up a "create your own omelette" bar or maybe make baby quiches." What a guy! He ended up making his world famous Danish Egg dish (which are scrambled eggs with chives and Havarti cheese) and a Country Hash Brown casserole with Sausage. Both turned out great! Together he and I made a HUGE fresh fruit salad. I make 2 loaves of banana bread (one with nuts, the other without), and we had some Nutrigran bars and store bought pastries. We have regular and decaf coffee as well as several other hot beverage options: tea, hot chocolate, and apple cider. In addition we had bottled: water, orange juice, and cranberry juice. It was a huge success! Everyone loved the food and Erik received many, many compliments for his culinary skillz. That's my man!

Aside from the fact that we were up till 1:00 am preparing the food, loading up the car, etc. It was worth it. The getting up at 5:00 am to get ready, drive to Mojave (about 1/2 an hour away) set up the food, get the coffee going, etc. by 8:00 am was grueling. But, I'd do it all over again. Not sure if Erik shares those same sentiments or not. We were both really sore from standing so long, all the prep work to make it happen, lugging all the food, bottled beverages, serving dishes, and what not. It was a lot of work for a 3-hour event. We were originally expecting about 40 people, then the week of the competition I was receiving e-mails daily explaining that more and more people were registering for the event than originally planned. This was exciting as far as the competition was concerned, not so exciting regarding the breakfast. We could have gotten more money for the budget (an additional $100), but we managed to feed the extra 20 people for only $11 bucks more than our original $200. I feel we did a fantastic job for only $211 and the short notice of discovering extra people were expected.

Erik also had requests from others attending the contest for his culinary skills at their events! Way to go babe! He's not sure yet if he wants to do this all over again... but I think he is at least considering it. As I understand it, this other event is NOT scheduled as early in the morning, but rather is an afternoon affair - much easier on our sleeping schedule. I told him if he decides to go through with it I'll be his little helper. Part of me hopes that if he is contacted for this other event that he takes it. I think it would be a fabulous opportunity to delve into catering/cooking which is something he already LOVES to do, so it seems like a natural fit, but it's his choice.

As for me and competing, I did not make it to the next level. This is actually fine by me. I'm helping out at the next contest, which is the BIG one, the Fall Conference, that takes place Nov. 3 - 5th. I'm heading up the Table Decorating Committee. I have what I consider a very UNREALISTIC budget of $100 bucks, to decorate both the lunch event on Saturday and the dinner event on Sunday. I am told there will be anywhere from 125 - 175 people per event! This translates into anywhere from 18 - 24 tables seating 8 people each - per event. I will need 36 to 48 table top centerpieces - which will be given away at each event. Thus, I am unable to reuse the lunch centerpieces for the dinner event the following day. The committee members and I are still trying to figure out how we're going to do this for only a 100 smackaroos! $25 for lunch and $75 for dinner? $50 per event? If YOU have any ideas or suggestions I welcome them! Please, I'm begging! )pen flames/candles, bird seed, rice, and other such items are not permitted.

First Place

Today I competed at the Area 4, District 33 Toastmaster's Humor and Evaluation Speech Contest. I competed in the Evaluation portion of today's event against another Toastmaster. The speech that the other contestant and I evaluated was that of Dana LaMon who is a World Class Speaker and has all the various letters after his name to prove it. I hadn't expected to evaluate such a renowned speaker! He gave a wonderful presentation that I really enjoyed. After his speech the other contestant and I had 5 minutes to prepare our evaluations and then present them to the whole room. There were about 20 people total at the contest. The 5 minutes to prepare were very helpful to me and I was thankful for the opportunity to organize my thoughts before speaking. When I was finally up to speak I was very nervous but somehow managed to not show it and instead just focused on doing the best I could. I managed to share what I wanted and hit most of my points from my written notes. I had the option of using notes but did not because points are deducted for use of notes. I found it easier to speak without the notes as my scribbles tend to be distracting. I felt really good about my performance. In fact when I had finished and was sitting down again I had more nervous energy than before I spoke! It was a really wonderful experience and at that point I didn't care how I placed I was just pleased I did well. I was very surprised and elated to discover I won first place. I've only been in Toastmasters since July of this year and the person I competed against has been in Toastmasters for 4 years. I had the occasion to hear her give an evaluation once before and I thought she did a great job. Her evaluation was organized and accomplished the "sandwich" concept: 1) positive comments, 2) area of improvement, 3) positive comments. At the contest today I was not allowed to listen to her evaluation and she went first. I had no idea if she covered the same topics as me or not, but I didn't have time to worry about it. I'm just happy that I did well and had the opportunity to compete.

This squirrel is on CRACK!

We tried this cereal and let me tell ya it's no Peanut Butter Crunch Heads, but it'll do in a pinch if you have a hankering for a peanut buttery taste. In TN we liked the store brand (Bi-Low) Cap'N Crunch knock off and here in Cali this is the best we found. The real deal is too sweet. This crack like substance pictured here is just right.

I can't believe this is at kid level in the Vons stores! What are they thinking? Are kids today just not hyper enough? Have a few yougnin's not yet been labeled ADD or ADHD?

Busy Week

Tomorrow night I'll be attending a networking function for Antelope Valley Business Women. I had some business materials printed up so I could distribute them. I'm looking forward to making new contacts .

Wednesday I have a meeting regarding a parade Nov. 11th. I was asked to oversee and organize some of the people, tasks, events, and details leading up to the event and of course on the day of the parade too. This will be an interesting endeavor and a great opportunity to meet lots of interesting folks.

Thursday night the High Desert Toastmasters meeting will be held at my house since our usual meeting location is not available. My sweetie has volunteered to make chili and other goodies. Should be a lot of fun!

Friday a few of us are trying to coordinate efforts to go to Mojave to check out the Sept. 30th Contest location. I'm in charge of the breakfast fare. I want to see the space before the 30th because I'll only have a 1/2 hour to set up. I want to know the layout and what resources are available before the big day so I can better plan for it. I need to be there about 7:30 am as things will kick off around 8:00 am. Unfortunately this is about 45 minutes from home so that'll be an early morning for me and Erik. He volunteered to help out with that too, what a guy! He wants to make little baby quiches. Whatever makes him happy. I like his quiches so I'm sure they'll be a big hit at the contest.

On Saturday, the hubby's birthday, I'm competing in the Toastmater's A4 Area Contest for District 33. That's from 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm. My poor baby will be left alone for a few hours, but then once the contest is over, he'll be stuck with me again. He said he'd attend the contest, isn't he the best?! I told him he doesn't have to unless he really, really, REALLY wants to. It's his b-day after all he should do what he wants.

I'm also gathering supplies this week for the upcoming events. The more I can do ahead of time the better!

LARRY!!!!

My buddy Larry from St. Louis stopped by yesterday to catch up and watch some football with the hubby. It was great to see him, the last time we got together was over a year ago... maybe even 2 years ago?! He's in CA on business and drove up from Irvine to see us.

It was fun to hear what's happening with him, his kids and life in general. He spent 3 weeks in Spain earlier this summer so it was neat swapping stories of European adventures.

He heads back to Missouri on Thursday and I'm afraid I won't be able to get together with him again before then... but at least I got to see him at all. I miss my friends in St. Louis. Hopefully someday the hubby and I can make our way East and visit them all.

Beverly Hills 90210

Last night the hubby and I attended a party in Beverly Hills. I didn't know what to expect and went with no agenda or preconceived notions (well, mostly). I have found that doing this prevents feelings of frustration and disappointment. Also, I usually have much more fun as I'm more open to just letting things naturally happen and occur as they ought to.

Last night was a blast! I met some incredibly nice and fun people. A hairdresser, personal trainer, a CSI, several lawyers, an interior designer, horse trainers/breeders, and many others. It was a very interesting evening to say the least. The open bar and food were great and the setting was amazing! Beautiful landscaped yard, cool blue pool, tables with candles, and soft yard lighting all came together to create a gorgeous scene.

I was initially nervous going to this party because I wouldn't know anyone there other than my spouse. After about 20 minutes we both mingled separately and found our own little crowds to gather with. We joined forces again late in the evening, not too long before returning to our Palmdale residence. We even met someone who also lives in Palmdale. Go figure.

DVR

I love our Digital Video Recorder (DVR). It's an evil contraption that I don't know how I lived without. The DVR allows me to record up to 2 shows at the same time?! Then, once recorded, I can fast forward, rewind, pause... whatever my heart desires. I can even pause live TV?! How crazy is that? Now I tape all the shows I like then watch them when I want - which is usually at 6:30 am during my 45 minutes of workout hell. However, my new best friend makes my morning workouts much more bearable.

I even tape shows that I think Erik will be interested in and sometimes we watch them together - or not, depending on the show.

I really love that I can just pause it whenever I want so I can ask Erik lots of questions. We did that last night during PBS's "Catherine the Great" which we watched "live." Since the hubby is such a history buff he tends to know lots about all sorts of stuff that usually I don't find very interesting. However, the History Channel, Discover, and PBS all seem to provide excellent and entertaining shows about historical events and figures that even I enjoy. Now thanks to DVR we can enjoy these programs together and rewind, fast forward through commercials, or pause at our leisure without having to record on the VCR or some other gizmo.

Of course now I'm probably watching more TV than I normally would... oh well, there are worse habits I could have.

Precious Stone

"A wise woman who was traveling in the 
mountains found a precious stone in a 
stream. The next day she met another 
traveler who was hungry, and the wise 
woman opened her bag to share her food.  
The hungry traveler saw the precious stone 
and asked the woman to give it to him. She  
did so without hesitation. The traveler left, 
rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the  
stone was worth enough to give him security
for a lifetime. But a few days later he came
back to return the stone to the wise woman.  
"I've been thinking," he said, "I know how
valuable the stone is, but I give it back in
the hope that you can give me something
even more precious. Give me what you have within
you that enabled you to give me
the stone."

-Author Unknown


A friend sent me the above and I thought it was too beautiful to not share.
"Precious Stone" is linked to this and other inspiring nuggets.

Surfin' Hippos

I like hippos. I think they're cute and who knew they liked to surf? O.k., me. But only because National Geographic had a special on surfing hippos. Surfing hippos! How crazy fun is that? Word to the hippo!

Wisconsin

This time next week the hubby and I will be in Wisconsin visiting the folks. I'm looking forward to it, it'll be a lot of fun. My parents are hosting a family reunion for my mom's side. I'll get to see my brother, who currently only lives about 1 - 2 hours away but it takes traveling out of state to actually "see" and visit with him. Oh well, if that's what it takes, that's what it takes.

Unfortunately we won't be spending much time in WI, just the weekend and there's so much I'd love show Erik. For instance Madison can be a lot of fun! And of course I'd love to be able to get together with friends, but that just isn't an option. Maybe next year we can plan another trip for a couple weeks to see the people and places that I miss.

Order Up

I've been working on my business plan and researching my new venture: Order Up.

I'm getting closer to being an entrepreneur. I'm so excited.

A friend is helping me with the website and soon that'll be launched.

Such a great opportunity and I owe it all to my wonderful and supportive best friend. Thank you Erik! I love you more than all the stars in the universe...

Say what?

This Thursday will mark my 3rd week of Toastmasters. I'm looking forward to it. It's a great group of people and the meetings give me lots of wonderful opportunities to learn and grow.

Last week I gave my first "official" speech. It went well. I spoke a bit too fast... which didn't surprise me in the least! But I seemed to do most other things well.

Apparently I have good facial expression, body language and hand gestures. Now if I can only figure out how to s l o w i t o n d o w n. I'm sure it'll come with time.

Today I attended a different club's meeting, just to check it out. It was run very similar to the Thursday night group. And being summer it seems to be difficult to get everyone to show up.

I helped out which was nifty since the "job" I had today is the same one I'll be doing Thursday night. Good practice! I was the Timer. My responsibilities included timing each speaker and giving them a heads up when a certain amount of time had expired. The speakers like to know how much time they have left, hence the purpose of the "timer" position. Each speaker has a time limit and if they do not make it or continue speaking beyond the limit they are disqualified. For each speech the audience votes on their favorite and the winner is awarded a ribbon. Therefore each speaker tries hard to not be disqualified - it is a competition after all.

Time

For some time now I've been hitting the elliptical machine for 45 minutes each morning. We do not currently own a scale so I don't know if I'm losing, maintaining or gaining weight. My clothes fit just as they did before I began my 45 minutes of pain so I guess I'm just maintaining my current weight.


Unfortunately as a result of this discovery I've decided I must ALSO watch what I eat. Ugh. I was hoping that just working out would allow me to indulge in chocolate, cookies, ice-cream, etc. but alas that's just not the case.


This diet and exercise thing will hopefully start showing some real results in the up coming months. I'm not trying to fit into my high school clothes by any means (heck I don't even own anything from that time period - and good thing, we sure had a strange idea of what stylish clothing was all about!), but if I could just have a little extra room within my current wardrobe that would be just swell, um, actually the opposite of swell, but you get the idea.


Kids, don't do this at home, school, work, anywhere! 1980s early 1990s fashions need to stay in the past. The time has come and gone, just let it go. I know some designers are trying to bring some things back, like leggings and such, but don't do it. Just say NO!

I Love Palmdale

I didn't think such words would ever escape my lips... but there they are: I love Palmdale. So far so good. It's a tad hot, but aside from that it's really beautiful here. Ritter Ridge just makes me so happy when I gaze at it. I love all the ripples and folds of the landscape, dotted with desert brush. Spectacular!

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I've also joined the High Desert Toastmasters International, Club 3647, Area 4, Division A, District 33. Such an official name. I feel like I'm an undercover agent or something?! Tonight I attended my second meeting. Right now the group is small 7-8 people (including me). Usually more folks attend but the summer is a busy time for many people.

I'm excited about meeting more new people and working on my public speaking skills. I'm surprised by how comfortable I feel speaking and yet how nervous I get when doing it. It's very bizarre, but a lot of fun. The materials I was provided by Toastmasters say that the more I speak the better I'll get at it. I'm sure that's true, that's typically how it works. It'll be exciting to learn and grow.

Hopefully someday I'll be able to speak as eloquently as the hubby. I love when he talks or "practices" what he'll say in court. He's got his act together. His thoughts and ideas just flow in such an organized manner. I can organize any physical space, files, etc. but my words and thoughts... not yet. Hopefully soon. Is it soon yet? I'm ready!

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Palmdale City Library. Today I applied for my library card and got it. I feel like a real city of Palmdale resident. I even checked out 7 books! The library is located next to where the Toastmasters meetings are held, very convenient.

When I was just a lass me mum would take my brother and I to the library at least once a week, sometimes several times a week. Libraries have always held a special place in my heart. So many fabulous memories were created at the library. Mom would let my brother and I each select several books and she of course would check out a bunch herself. How she carried them all home, goodness, she must have had the strength of Wonder Woman!

When we returned from the library Mom would read the books to us and when we were older we would read to her. The family room had Dad's favorite reclining chair and a little 1970s brown floral loveseat. Mom would sit in the middle with us on either side of her, this helped to keep Zak and I from fighting (well, mostly).

I can't wait to go back to the library next week and to Toastmasters. Of course next week it's official for me as I'll present my first prepared speech. Yikes, wish me luck!

Brawny Man Delivers!

Today's show was just as entertaining as the others. Thanks Brawny Man, you're still my hero (right behind my hubby of course!).

My Hero

Brawny Man is my new hero. He’s manly, yet tender; strong, yet gentle. Sigh…. what a fella. I’ve been hooked on the Brawny Academy and can’t wait for the next installment on July 24^th. Ladies if you haven’t indulged in this yet, you really must, it’s well worth it. Even the hubby found it entertaining. Go Brawny Man!

I.D.

My CA Driver's License arrived today. In Wisconsin, Missouri and Tennessee you get your license at the same time you apply for it. Only in CA do they mail it to you in 4-6 weeks. Fortunately it took less than 2 weeks, but all the same, it's weird that they mail them. I was told years ago when I first applied for my CA driver's license they mail them for safety purposes. I still haven't figured out how it's safer to mail me my ID than to just hand it to me in person. At least this time around I didn't have to hand over my TN license. Last time CA took my Missouri license so I had difficulty proving my identity. I couldn't open any bank accounts, use my credit cards, etc. It was very frustrating. But it's all past me now.

Crazy Puppet Girl

Some of the real joys of adulthood, aside from responsibility, paying bills, and working for a living, include figuring out what crap from childhood needs to be purged so that the true essence in each of us can come forth.

When I was a little girl powerful people (parents, teachers, older kids) would impart wisdom and sometimes sundry comments without realizing that perhaps I was tucking that particular remark away and would make an important decision that would influence me for years and years.

One afternoon when I was in 2^nd grade the teacher had each student make a paper bag puppet. We were provided with small brown paper bags, glue, bits of paper and scrap material, buttons and other odds-n-ends. I made a girl puppet with long brown hair that I braided out of some silky strand material, big blue eyes of velvet with long black lashes, satin pink lips, and a lovely pink dress with a white collar and white matching buttons down the middle. There was some pink tulle so I made a cute little hat with a veil of the tulle. I was having so much fun being creative that I didn’t realize the teacher was going to have a contest to determine the best boy and best girl puppet. All of the students voted on their favorite. Mine won for the girls. I was shocked and amazed. When it finally hit me that I won something I was ecstatic. I hadn’t ever won anything before. When school was out I ran home to tell mom my very exciting news. Her reply, “Nobody likes a bragger.”

If there was a black hole that I could have thrown myself into I would have. I was devastated and felt so stupid. Why didn’t I know that if I was good at something that nobody would like me? Oh my God, I was going to end up a lonely old lady with nothing but cats to keep my company. No one would ever be my friend or want hang out with me. Kids at school would beat me up. Life as a seven year old ended and I knew from that moment on I had to be just o.k., average. Heaven forbid I ever do something that I could “win” at again. Goodness is that punishable by death? I sure didn’t want to find out. What if I accidentally did something well? Would that be o.k.? I wouldn’t tell anyone, not ever! I promise.

I found religion in the back yard under the pear tree that afternoon. I spoke to God, inside my head of course, lest someone heard me and figured I was “off” like Mrs. Miller down the street. Bad enough no one would like me cause I made a puppet, so I sure wasn’t about to become crazy puppet girl. I asked God, begged, pleaded, promised and made many deals to please, please just let me average, simple, ordinary, easy to overlook. I figured that was the only way I’d be able to survive. I had many friends and I liked them. I wouldn’t dare risk losing them all cause I could make a pretty puppet. Much better to just be a puppet. God must have heard my silent pleas for I lived a very ordinary adolescence.

I was a good student, but not too good. When it came to art class I tried so hard to just do what everyone else was doing. If the other girls were drawing ponies, I drew a pony, but just an average pony. Who needs unicorns or a beautiful flying Pegasus? Castles in the background, big fluffy clouds, and magical trees with happy dancing mice in them would only win me a life of isolation. Nope, I saw how miserable Mrs. Miller was and she didn’t even have any cats! I refused to end up like that, friendless, petless, with only green grass to keep me company. No thanks.

Years later in high school art class I forgot my deal with God. I also had forgotten about God too. Monday morning we’d be given a task and we had till Friday to complete it. That particular week’s project was the: Telephone. How boring is that? Mind you, this was long before cell phones existed or even the internet. I had to draw a phone and yet make it interesting as per the teacher’s instructions. All week I asked my friends what they had drawn, “Nothing. How do you make a phone interesting? What a dumb assignment. I’m not even sure I’m going to do it.” Dang, it’s Thursday night and I haven’t sketched a thing yet. Finally in a mad dash I drew a phone in the center of the page with a curly cord cascading down into the right hand corner. The rest of the page I dissected into little cartoon like scenarios. In each scene was a different person having a conversation. Each scene had a bubble: “Guess who I saw kissing!”

“I’m on the phone!”

“No! He didn’t. Really? With her?”

“What did you draw for this week’s art assignment?”

And other such silly things. As was custom every Friday morning in class we had to turn in our assignment on the main table so the rest of the class could see. For some reason everyone was commenting on mine. They LOVED it; they even thought it was cool. The “cool” people even thought it was cool. For a moment I felt excited and proud. Then my mind raced back to 7 years ago when I was 7 and… the dreadful puppet moment. I quickly closed the note pad and handed it to the teacher and went to work on my in-class project in the corner, alone.

Fortunately this was high school and once your clique, or as in my class lack of a clique, is established you can not ever transgress the lines of popularity. My moment of glory was soon forgotten and everyone started working on their in-class projects and completely forgot the drawing and me. Whew, that was a close one.

However, now as an adult I want to move past mediocrity. I have finally come to understand that when someone says something they may not realize the impression it is making on another. More importantly I now realize that I don’t have to let some silly comment from over 20 years ago continue to hold me back. I’m no longer crazy puppet girl. I’m just a girl.

We've got mail

Well finally the mail Gods have smiled down upon us and given us mail box keys that work. Apparently the mail Gods were on vacation and just got back. They've been busy reading their mail. But today, finally, they bestowed upon us the little keys that unleased four weeks worth of bills. That's right folks, working mail box keys. Incredible. I could just break out into song except that I can't sing. So, I'll just type my happiness here. Happy.

Get that man a Klondike Bar

I don't know how he keeps doing it but every time a special event comes up (anniversary, birthday, etc.) the hubby presents me with a wonderful gift. Typically it is something that months and months ago I commented on. Like yesterday's birthday present was a kit that's organized for all my beading supplies, includes a special tray, and a zippered pouch for handy-dandy tools that he also procured: various pliers, wire cutters, etc.

I think we were living at The Estate (over 6 months ago!) when I mentioned that I sure could use a tray for beading. Then *poof* 2 houses later, 3 time zones ago, and many miles after the fact he hands me the perfect gift that he purchased just the day before. How does he do it? It's like he knows me, or he's just a really good listener or both?!

He also prepared a luscious dinner of my choosing: lemon crepes. His lemon crepes are the best on the planet, one of my very favorite dishes he makes. Though it’s a tough call since everything he makes is wonderful. I’m one lucky gal to be married to not only my best friend, but such an incredible human being. He listens, he understands, he’s patient, thoughtful, considerate, “Polite,” loving, kind, caring, sensitive, witty, charming, funny, adorable, and so much more.

Thank you sweetie for being you and for being in my life! I love you!

Paint Please

As the pictures below show the new place is in desperate need of some paint! All the walls are completely covered in the same color white as all purpose white flour. If you’re a baker this is great. However, if you like variety these plain walls can be oppressive. Hopefully someday when we can afford paint the owner/landlord will give us the go ahead to add a little life to these dull walls.

I’ve not included pictures of the offices, guest bath rooms, the laundry room, or the eat-in kitchen area. The offices are still works in progress. The bathrooms and laundry room are rather boring since they’re all monotone white, so I’ve not included them here. The eat-in kitchen just looks silly since the room is huge and our table is tiny in the room.

Pics of the New Place - Entry Way

Pics of the New Place - Living Room

Pics of the New Place - Guest Bed Room

Pics of the New Place - Family Room

Pics of the New Place - Kitchen

Pics of the New Place - Dining Room & Bar Area

Pics of the New Place - 2nd Floor Loft Area