Life Style Change

I'm getting old, er, um, I mean older. Older. That's what I meant to say. I have noticed that I'm getting some lines around my eyes and a deep one in between them. This sucks.

I've also come to the conclusion that this weight that I keep carrying around isn't going anywhere unless I kick it out. This sucks.

I've decided to make a "life style change". I can't call it a diet, I cheat on diets, so it's a "life-style change". I need to health myself up. I was thinking about it and if I lose weight it'll drop my blood pressure and help with my stress level. Doing one thing will accomplish multiple items. WHO KNEW?????

So I ordered my Zumba Exhilarate (from zumbafitness.com) because it's the only form of exercise that I like. It doesn't feel like exercise, really, except that you get hot (YUK!!!) and sweaty (DOUBLE YUK!). I expect it to be at my house on Tuesday. I went to the grocery store and didn't buy any ice cream products what so ever. I skipped the sugary cereal and bought Special K and bananas to put on top. Last night I made enough salad to take some for lunch every day this week. I'm trying.

Wish me luck. My lack of will power has made the Guinness Book of World Records.

Have you made a life style change? How'd it go?

E-Mail

You know all of those annoying e-mails that your friends forward to you? The ones that make you cry, the ones that make you laugh, and the ones that make you take stock of your situation in life and realize it's not so bad after all? You know the ones?

I received an e-mail today that put things back into perspective for me. I've been struggling with getting older. I'm not OLD, I know it, you know it. I'm only 37 years old, but I've been struggling none the less. My daughter is only 3 years away from heading off to college and my son is getting older and doesn't have a whole lot of uses for me unless he's hurt or hungry. So I've been wallowing a little bit. My friend Donna sent me this e-mail, I don't know who originally wrote it (duh) but it put things back into perspective for me and I wanted to share it with all of you.

Happy Reading...

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become kinder to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend.. I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant.

I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60 &70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love ... I will.
I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set.

They, too, will get old.
I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.


I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face.
So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.
As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore..
I've even earned the right to be wrong.

So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever,
but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day(if I feel like it).

Validation

Merriam Webster defines validation as: 1 a : to make legally valid : ratify b : to grant official sanction to by marking c : to confirm the validity of (an election); also : to declare (a person) elected
2 a : to support or corroborate on a sound or authoritative basis b : to recognize, establish, or illustrate the worthiness or legitimacy of
synonyms see confirm

Who doesn't need validation every once in a while? I know I do. When it comes to my job, I don't need constant praise but a "good job" every once in a while goes a long way. The majority of people that I've worked for have lived (and died) by the "no news is good news" philosophy of supervision. I disagree with this. Everyone needs to know that they're doing a good job once in a while.

Of course, not every one feels this way...

Our dependency makes slaves out of us, especially if this dependency is a dependency of our self-esteem. If you need encouragement, praise, pats on the back from everybody, then you make everybody your judge.

Fritz Perls
American, Psychologist Quotes

But hey, they're entitled to their opinion right?

When I learned I was pregnant with my daughter I promised myself I would try my best to be a good mom. My mom and I have an excellent relationship. Now. When I was growing up that wasn't the case. I promised myself that I wouldn't be the same kind of mom mine was. The problem that I kept debating in my head though, was how to do this. How do you balance being a good mom and being a responsible one? You hear terrible stories of "those moms". Moms that are so busy being friends with their kids that they forget to be a parent as well. Moms that are so over protective of their kids that they go out into the world unaware of the realities of our society. Moms that are so ashamed of their behavior as a child/teen that they assume all kids behave the way that they did and don't allow their children the freedom that they probably deserve and have earned by their own behavior.

I didn't want to be any of those moms. I wanted to be the kind of mom that laid down the rules and didn't falter. The kind of mom that could be counted on to be at recitals, award ceremonies and such and could also be trusted to confide in. I didn't want their to be any subjects that were off limits. I wanted my child to be able to discuss anything with me and feel safe while doing it. I set pretty high goals for myself and thought I had done a good job of sticking to my ideals.

This past Mother's Day I got a letter from my daughter. I would love to share the whole letter with you, but I think she would be upset with me, so I'm only going to share bits and pieces of it. She told me...

...you're aren't just my mom, you're like a best friend. I know that I can trust you with anything, and I know that you'll always stand by me.

It was/is the best Mother's Day present in the whole world. One of the people that I love more than life itself is proud of me and thinks I've done a good job. Everyone needs validation.

Happy Friday my friends.

Seriously?

When I was in junior high I saw a girl wearing a button that said "Stupid people shouldn't breathe" and I remember thinking that she must not be a very nice person. To this girl, I owe an apology. You were right, I was wrong, please accept this most sincere apology.

In case you haven't heard, Arizona passed an extremely controversial immigration law recently. (I am not going to discuss the law or my opinion) The Phoenix Suns played the second game of the second round of the NBA Playoffs tonight against San Antonio (GO SUNS!). Suns General Manager Steve Kerr made a comment on the news that the Suns were going to wear their "Los Suns" jerseys tonight to show that they do not support this new law.

Prior to the start of the game tonight TNT announcer Chris Webber made a comment along the lines of not being surprised that Arizona passed such a law because we didn't want MLK Day to be recognized either even when John McClane was in office......

Seriously? John McClane? The guy from the Die Hard movies? If you're going to rant and rave about our politics you should at least get the names of our politicians correct. While John McClane was a kick ass cop in the movies, I don't think I'd want him as Senator. Also, I feel the need to point out that Senator McCain didn't have anything to do with not making MLK Day a holiday in Arizona. It was Governor Mecham (who was impeached in 1988) who rescinded MLK Day in Arizona as his first act of office in 1987 until 1992 when Arizona voters brought it back. Maybe someone should tell the TNT guys to stick to sports. I hope someone slapped Chris Webber up side his head when they went to commercial.

Happy Hump Day my friends!

Audio Books and their Readers

There should be rules.

1. If you have a lisp, you can't read an audio book
2. If your S's whistle, you can't read an audio book
3. If you can't read the words correctly, you can't read an audio book
4. If you can't read it any better aloud than I can, you can't read an audio book
5. If you think this is a speed reading competition, you can't read an audio book

For those of you interested in checking out audio books, there are good readers and bad readers. A short list of some of the best readers, IMHO are:

1. Anna Fields
2. Dick Hill
3. George Guidall
4. Frank Muller
5. Joyce Bean
6. Susan Ericksen
7. Sandra Burr

There are lots of good readers out there, but some people, even actors who I won't mention here, shouldn't be allowed to read audio books. There should be rules.

Is there anything that you think there should be rules for?

Movies Movies Movies

My family and I are movie addicts. When in doubt, anyone who knows us, knows you can get us a gift card to Harkin's Theaters for any occasion. We prefer Harkins over AMC because Harkin's has souvenir cups which you buy at the beginning of the year and can refill for the entire year for $1.00. That's it. $1.00 to refill a 32oz cup. Pretty awesome right? And if you're a super big dork, like we are, you can buy a Harkin's t-shirt for $20, at the beginning of the year, and if you wear it to the theater you get a free popcorn pass. The pass is excellent for one person, or for $1.00 (that's right just $1.00) you can upgrade to a large popcorn, which can be split between you and your teenage daughter. Unfortunately for most of you, Harkins is only the southwest. Arizona, Colorado, California, Oklahoma and Texas. If you have one near you and you haven't checked it out, you should.

Okay, so on to bigger and better things. I DVR'd the Oscars and have yet to watch them but I understand Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin were awesome. Did you watch? What did you think of the two of them hosting?

So, without having watched the Academy Awards, my favorite movies of last year were The Blind Side (loved Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw); Boondock Saints II All Saints Day (did you see the first one? Must see movies!); Fast and Furious (I thought Vin Diesel did an excellent job with this sequel, it was the best one made) and Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (I cannot wait for the final two movies, SO EXCITED!!!). Of course I saw a lot of movies last year, but these are the favorites that stand out in my mind.









































So spill. What were your favorite movies of 2009 and why?

Inquiring minds and all that....

OUCH!

My feelings are hurt. I've been told that I'm good, just good enough. It's not that I'm not spectacular, because I am, I'm just not spectacular enough. I am great at what I do, just not good enough in all the right ways.

My feelings are hurt. I was unable to accomplish a goal set before me and now I'm a failure. I have failed. I don't fail. Okay, I hardly ever fail. But I failed at this. UGH! SUCKS! I don't know what to do about it or with the knowledge that I wasn't good enough.

My feelings are hurt. I'm going to go hide somewhere and lick my wounds...

Such is Life....

Mark Twain once said, "It is not likely that any complete life has ever been lived which was not a failure in the secret judgment of the person who lived it".

What does that say about the human race? I know what it says about me, but I'm going to keep that to myself for a bit. Do you think it's all human beings? I think it's probably the major of human beings.

What is it that makes people want to accomplish more than is humanly possible in a short amount of time? Okay, what is it that makes me want to accomplish more than is humanly possible in a short amount of time? I'm trying to figure it all out, trying to make it all work and I'm failing pretty badly at it. :)

I don't think I set unrealistic expectations. Initially. For example, my friend is having a baby (yeah, I'm so excited) and I wanted to make her something for the baby. I found this really great growth chart that I could cross-stitch for the baby. It's super cute. She's due in May, I might have it done by the time she's in college.

At the beginning of the year I signed up to read 100+ books in 2010 on J. Kaye's book blog, audio books count, re-reads count. I figured I could do this without a problem, not so much the case. I need to read 10 books a month (or so) and I'm only at nine books between what I have completed and what I have in progress. I'm running a little bit behind.

I also have multiple characters from two different stories that are running around in my head begging me to be written but alas, I am ignoring them. I can only hope that they don't give up on me and leave before I make the time to get their thoughts down on paper.

Did I mention I have two kids, two dogs, a husband and a house? They all want a piece of my time too. Maybe instead of focusing on the things I haven't finished I should focus on the things that I accomplished. For example, I made my son breakfast this morning, I followed up on some phone calls that I needed to take care of and I went to work today. I made dinner. While I was at work, I listened to Dogs and Goddesses and think I'm only a couple of chapters away from done. I blogged and I spent time with my daughter catching up on some televisions shows that we watch. These are all positive things. Wow, I was really busy, no wonder I'm exhausted! :0)

So spill, what did you accomplish today?

FINALLY! I'm back

The fabulous IT guy, Scott, has finally come through for me and I'm back up and running.

It's been an interesting week (past 7 days). The Cardinals blew it on Saturday against the Saints in the Playoffs. The defense didn't realize there was a game and stayed home and the offense got a really bad case of Can't Seem to Stop Dropping The Ballitis. I must say though, if we had to get knocked out of the playoffs, I'm glad it was to the Saints. Go Reggie!

My car broke down and spent last week and the weekend in the shop, it is also back home with a new alternator and A/C compressor. Thank goodness for the extended warranty.

And the third thing that went wrong, (you know these things come in threes) I lost my job. I have two part-time jobs to replace the one full time job I was laid off from in January 2008, but now, I am sadly down to one. These things happen. People are still trying to save money and I'm a luxury item. How many people really need a personal assistant? Not many.

It's all good though. Until I can find something else to do on Tuesday & Thursday I'm going to try to put more time towards writing on those days. I'm currently working on an outline based on a true story from my teen-age years. I don't want to get into too much detail, but suffice it to say that I need to schedule some interviews with the people from that "adventure" that I am still in contact with. I want to spend some time and get their side of the story. I think I'm going to be basing it from a couple of different perspectives. I will definitely be discussing this with my beta blogger friends, looking for advice and such.

So what do you do to get over something lousy? Me? I try to redirect my focus. I try to not put too much attention on something I can't change. Everything happens for a reason and I'm sure something awesome is out there waiting for me.

Happy Reading!

Vampires

I just finished watching the series premiere of The Vampire Diaries. Let me preface this post by saying, I loved Ian Somerhalder in Lost. Boone was one of my favorite characters and I was sad to see him go.

Did anyone else watch this? I know it premiered last week, but I did the whole DVR thing and just watched it on Tuesday night. I love this show. I would like to give respect where respect is due, this series is based on a series of books by L.J. Smith called, what else, The Vampire Diaries, and while I did think I might want to pick these books up, cause the show is so totally awesome, I think I'm going to pass. I'm already reading comments from readers of the books, that while the show is great, they changed a few characters, a few characteristics to make it work for TV. I hate it when they do that even if it works, so I'm just gonna go with, I love this show!

SO! In honor of The Vampire Diaries, I'm give you some of my favorite vampires. Some new, some not so new, but favorites nonetheless. . .

Leo Wyatt A.K.A. Brian Krause

My name is Erika and I'm in love with a fictional character.

HOW SAD IS THAT?????


I have always wanted to watch the television series Charmed. Thanks to Netflix I now am. I just finished watching the 2nd disc of the 3rd season. It's official. I'm in love with Leo. Forget the fact that he's dead. A World War II hero killed in the line of duty (I think), the fact that he's a white lighter, we just push that aside. Let us not forget that he's head over heels in love with Piper. Oh and how about the fact that HE'S NOT REAL!

The actor on the other hand, totally real, totally hot and according to his website, a bachelor. *grin* I may have to move to Orange County. Think my husband will mind???

Okay, then. Now that I've gotten that off my chest, I leave you with some pictures of Leo Wyatt, er, I mean Brian Krause. Happy Friday my friends!

Nothing comes to mind . . .

I have tried to not be a big huge blog slacker. I've tried to think of witty ideas or subjects that I could write about and we could all sit back and have interesting dialogue about. I've thought about reviewing a couple of books that I've read, but I'm not a very good reviewer. (Is that a word?) I've thought about talking about my favorite new female character Bobbie Faye Sumrall, but I don't know that I could fill that much space. I was going to post an interview with Becca but I haven't gotten around to putting it to paper yet. So, instead of one more day of white space I would fill some space with a couple of quick ramblings before I have to head off to the day job.

First off, I finished Girls Just Wanna Have Guns by Toni McGee Causey. I cannot say enough wonderful things about these books. They're fun, adventurous, well written and laugh out loud funny. Toni McGee Causey has a way of delivering her characters that makes everything they do believable. Her male characters are hot, hunky and desireable. Joe and Ranger have nothing on these guys. (I can't believe I just said that, I love Joe & Ranger.) If you haven't put Charmed & Dangerous and Girls Just Wanna Have Guns on your "to be kept forever" shelf you need too. I know that I will be reading these books over and over and over again.

I found an old high school friend on Facebook. We're getting together for lunch on Sunday and I'm super excited to see her again. I haven't spoken to her since I was 17 or 18 years old. So much has changed in both of our lives. I can't wait to sit down, catch up and get reacquainted. So thank you to all of my friends who convinced me to sign up.

I have quickly run out of time this morning and need to get my rear into the shower. Happy Hump Day friends.

OMG ROLLER BABIES!!!! TOO CUTE!!!!

Useless Information About Me

I was over at Jill Shalvis' blog the other day and she was sharing information that you may or may not know about her and I thought, this is a good idea.

Here are a few things about me that aren't important, but help make up who I am:

I love to drive fast. It's a compulsion. I'm one of those people. You know the ones I'm talking about. You're driving along doing the speed limit or 5 miles over and that jackass pulls up behind you and can't get around you fast enough, only to have to stop 3 blocks ahead at the exact same light that you had to stop at. You sit in your car and think, good thing you raced to this red light, jerk. Yeah, that's me, I'm not trying to be an ass, I just like to go faster than you.

I am addicted to video games. When I was a kid it was Ms. Pac-Man and Donkey Kong. Now I play things like Chocolatier, Supermarket Mania and CSI.

I love ice cream. I can turn down almost any dessert except ice cream.

I like to play tennis. I took lessons when I was a kid and didn't do much with them, but i still love to play. Now if I could only find someone else who would play with me I'm sure it would be much more entertaining.

I like fresh cut flowers. I don't care if they die shortly after you get them, for the time that they are sitting pretty in a vase on my kitchen table or counter they brighten up the room.

Finally, I can hold a grudge forever. It's not something I'm proud of, but it's true. I'm trying to get over it. Really I am.

What about you? Anything you'd like to share with the entire world wide web?

Jon & Kate Plus 8

OH. MY. Who would want their entire life displayed on national cable television for the whole world to see and judge?? Not me.

I will admit I have never watched this show until about two minutes ago. I decided since I was going to blog about it and take a side I should be informed. I watched this episode where the dog Nala had to go to the vet because she ate one of the kid's toys. A stuffed pony.

I don't think Kate is all that bad. She's a woman who is taking care of 8 kids, count them EIGHT with little or no help from the man she's married to, who by the way, doesn't seem to have a job. I didn't see anything wrong with her parenting skills or the way she treated her husband. He does step up to the plate when she goes out of town on business trips, but when she was home I didn't see him helping out, of course I only watched one episode, I could be wrong.

Also, I'm not sure Jon has a ton of common sense. The vet told him the dog had to stay calm. Not chasing the kids or being chased by the kids. Calm for two weeks. When they get the dog home what does he do? He lets the other dog out of the kennel and let's them both go run around outside to play, chasing and jumping on each other. This is not calm.

As far as I can tell Kate is an ordinary wife and mom. What mom doesn't lose her temper? What wife doesn't wonder what the heck her husband was thinking when he did X? What mom doesn't tell her kids to sit down and be quiet? Kate found out her husband was cheating on her about the same time the rest of the world did. If your husband cheats on you or my husband cheats on me it's a private matter. We deal with it privately, we cry privately or we beat the crap out of him privately. She doesn't have this luxury. You can say she asked for it when she allowed her life to be aired on television, but do you really think she thought that was going to happen? Do you think she thought this would be part of the story America would follow? Or do you think she thought it would be a show about the happiness of her family. How she and her husband band together to raise EIGHT children.

This is what I know, if it were my life being aired on national cable television you all would be giving my husband an award for putting up with me. You would be calling me names and criticizing my every move. You all would have a say on what you thought was best for my children and I would have to tell all of you to bite me. No one has a perfect life. No one. What's that saying about walking a mile in someone else's shoes?

Summer Vacation

Do you remember when you were a kid and you didn't think summer vacation would ever get here? I used to count down until summer vacation, usually starting around winter break. Finally summer would arrive and I was SO grateful. FINALLY! When I was in grade school/middle school I would go to a sleep away camp for a couple of weeks every summer. I always had a great time but finally got too old (or too cool, I can't remember) to want to go. Once I got into high school I spent my summer vacations sleeping in (until noon), watching education specials on television (MTV, Bon Jovi videos), and eating gourmet meals whenever I felt like it (cereal). It was totally awesome for about three weeks, then I was completely bored. *sigh*

I grew up in a neighborhood that wasn't close to anything. There wasn't a movie theater, mall or video game arcade within walking distance. The bus didn't travel that far north yet and none of my friends had cars because none of us were old enough to drive. So guess what we did during the summer. Go ahead guess. . . . We hung out with the boys!I got my first kiss the summer of 7th grade with a boy named Rogers. After that, well, I was hooked.

My daughter is going into high school this fall. Am I worried that she's spending her summers with boys? Nope. Wanna know why, even if you don't I'm gonna tell ya. Because she has a little brother at home who will totally tell.

What do you remember about your summer vacations? Do you have a favorite memory? Were you home alone like I was or was your mom a stay at home mom?

So You Think You Can Dance

So I'm now watching So You Think You Can Dance. I heard that Chelsey Hightower and Lacy Schwimmer both came to DWTS from this show so I thought I would check it out. Last night was the Las Vegas Top 20 results.

My pick Brandon Bryant is in. Did any of you watch this? Did you see the way Mia and Lil C laid into this kid? Check it out on the video below, he starts at 8:03 into the video, I think you can fast forward. It continues on the second video at the begining.





Do you think when the judges are harsh like this it only puts more fans on the contestants side? Like when Len laid into Ty Murray on DWTS and told him it was time for him to go and yet, the fans kept him in it. What do you think, do you think this will hurt Brandon or increase his votes?

Monday Rambling

So I've been thinking all day today, yesterday and possibly even the day before to think of something fun and original to blog about today. Then I gave up on original and have been blog surfing for hours trying to snake an idea off of one of my fellow bloggers without any luck. I've read blogs about organization, snippy library managers, muses being taken hostage, sex in strange places and book reviews just to name a few. I've come to the conclusion that I'm either brain dead or really ready to be on vacation.

Tomorrow the family leaves for Disneyland, 3 days of park hopping in the Magic Kingdom. No computer, no work, no writing and no school, just 3 wonderful days with my two awesome kids and my wonderful husband. I'm SO ready. I haven't been to Disneyland since I was nine years old or somewhere in that vicinity and I've never been to California Adventures. Is it wrong that I'm probably more excited than my kids? ANYWAY - it's been tough to find time for vacations recently. The last time we had a "family" vacation was March 2006. I know this because I was looking through the photos and that was the date stamped on the bottom. We went to Sea World and the San Diego Zoo and had mucho fun. My legs were so sore after the first day of walking all over the SD Zoo that I could barely walk across the hotel room, thank goodness they were usable the next day. I've been walking on the treadmill and doing the eliptical machine so hopefully I won't be dying after a day of cruising around. I can't wait to get out of town!

So do you have a favorite vacation spot or maybe a vacation that you want to go on again?