Guns don't kill people....people kill people.

I've always believed in the right for people to legally bear firearms.
I've always subscribed to the concept in my title line that it's not guns that kill people - it's the people using the guns. 
But I strongly believe that certain guns should not be allowed.  Not assualt rifles.  Not automatic or semi automatic, military style or police issue guns. (And while I understand that there are people who are life long collectors and truly avid enthusiasts - they fall in the minority.  This rant is regarding the average person who has never owned a gun or had anything to do with guns, ever.)

And my thoughts have changed a little bit regarding ownership as well.  Does the average person really have a need to carry one?  It's probably doubtful. 

The concept of "I'll have one, incase someone pulls one on me" - is nothing short of foolish.
Let's be honest, if one is to pull a gun on you - you are not going to have time to pull out your own weapon.
This isn't the wild west, and there are no "showdowns" at dawn.
(Oh, excuse me Mr. Criminal - you have a gun?  Let me draw mine too - because after all, what's fair is fair....)

Isn't that almost the epitome of "crime begets crime"? (Hello point - I was wondering when you'd arrive!)Last I knew, two wrongs didn't equal a right.  At least that's what I'd been taught.

Listen, I'm all for smaller government in regards to being in our taxes, our personal lives and our religious beliefs.  But I am for a bigger, stronger and more strict government regarding violent crimes and those who commit them, and maybe if there were tougher penalties that fell upon those who commit violent crimes (with and without guns), the consequences may not be worth the crime.  Of course, there are always going to be people who just don't care, but the majority of the crimes that are committed you don't hear about and trust me - many of these people do care, especially after spending time in prison.  But it shouldn't be a multiple offense situation where a person gets punished after being reprimanded multiple times. (Sort of like a parenting "threatening" to get out of the chair and punish their child who's misbehaving....why say it over and over and over again....?)
There's something to be said about putting the safety of those around you first. And generally speaking there's really no need for the average person who isn't running drugs, or a street gang, or carrying thousands of dollars on them at a time (and even then it may not be a qualifier!) to have to carry a gun.

If you aren't a cop - what's the point?

While we may live in difficult times, and often violent locations - we are not in post apocolyptic times ala Mad Max.

So what's the solution?  I'm not really sure, outside of our Big Brother government stepping up to the plate and telling the NRA to settle down.  Like I started with, the right to bear arms - I'm all for.  But there has to be ying with the yang.  While it seems that the laws to obtain guns legally is relatively strict, assault weapons should be banned in my humble opinion - and most importanly, tougher punishment for those who obtain and use these guns illegally. 

I look at it like the death penalty.  If we punish more people by death - will it stop murder? No, of course not.  But it may drastically reduce the amount of crimes that are committed, because generally speaking most people don't want to die.  I'm not suggesting the death penalty for guns - but if a person gets caught with an illegal weapon and they have to spend serious time in prison for it on the first offense - they may take the illegal ownership concept and bit more seriously and think twice. 

We will never eradicate violent crimes.
But we do need to take stronger steps towards reducing them.

And in this corner....the heavy weight champion of the world....

Iron Mike Tyson....
And
Miss "I'm just a girl" and her husband G.

So funny, we both look a little shell shocked in our pics.
But still, frameworthy.

( I LOVE LOVE LOVE my dress, except for the fact that it wrinkles the minute you wear it - and then, it looks like crap.)

bigger better faster stronger

So my lease is up in a year.
While I enjoy driving my Lexus - I really need a 7 seater and I can't see spending the money that they want for their Big Daddy SUV.

So I think I'm going to be test driving in the next few months.
Anyone have any suggestions for a good 7 seater SUV?

Anyone....anyone.....anyone?
(Bueller, Bueller, Bueller....)

Monday Mashup....

Much ado about nothing.  Or rather, I ain't got much going on.
(Now that's not actually true.)
I do have an appointment with a medium on Thursday; she's someone I went to see about 10 years ago and she was quite good.  To prove that she was good, since I'm ever the optomistic skeptic - none of the messages I received were for me.  They were all for people around me, so others were able to validate the information - and that was pretty darn impressive.  We'll see how it goes this week, I'll keep you posted....

My father was down (or up, to be accurate...) for a couple of weeks and while he was here, we did a few things around the house together - like putting up a canopy tent on one of my decks, and moving my birdfeeder to the railing of the deck so while I'm out here relaxing (like I am at the moment) I can see the birds eat.  Bright yellow finches, Cardinals, and other birds that I don't know what they are but they are really pretty - come darting out, playing in the air and feeding on the seeds.  It's one of my favorite places in my house to be.

Speaking of birds, I just discovered we have a male & female hummingbird in the trees in the front of my house!  Bright green - they seem to love my equally bright pink impatiens that are hanging on the farmers porch over the deck in my backyard.  I've never seen hummingbirds before, and they're so dainty and delicate - you almost can't resist the urge to try to catch one.

When we were in NYC, the cab was only able to take us to the street that the theatre was on, but not the correct cross street; so we briskly walked three blocks to get there - no biggie.  But then, our dinner reservations were about 7 blocks away, not a huge walk truly, but in 4 inch heels that weren't meant to be walked so briskly in -- my poor little toesies are killing me today.  They blistered I guess, and though I injured them Saturday night, for some reason they aren't hurting me until now.  Yikes!

I took the kiddies Raspberry and Blueberry picking today after work.  It was a nice way to end the day, especially since I made breakfast for dinner with fresh blueberry pancakes.  If only the bacon wasn't so greasy....but hey, it wouldn't be good if it wasn't, right?

Manhattan - my home away from home....

Yes, if you were to ask me where I would live aside from Boston - I'd say Manhattan. 
It may tie with LA, truth be told - but it's a heck of a lot closer.

We went there last night to see the Mike Tyson show "Undisputed Truth".  Being that G is a boxer, to say that we're already up on his life is probably a semblence of understatement; but it was a great show, we had 2d row seats and VIP passes for a "meet and greet" which was not quite the meet and greet that G would've liked (translated into a heart to heart conversation about boxing in general, not just his career) but it was a good take and a great show.  It's always endearing and good to see a person tell their story in the first person and not twisted by the media.

Here are a few shots of the night - with pics of and us and the champ to come shortly - as soon as they email them to us!

(Yes, we were absolutely melting in the 98 degree humidity waiting to get in....esp. after walking two blocks to get there.  Not that two blocks is long, but in 4 inch heels and 98 degree humidity, you can work up a little sweat!)

Young and the Restless....

Last night I watched the Olympic Gymnastics Team win the gold medal.  How fortunate we are to have On Demand; back when I was younger you just had to schedule your life around watching the games.  There was no immediate tweets, 24 hour news or On Demand to replay everything for you.

Watching brought me right back to my very first Olympic memory, and the little girl we all were in awe by - Nadia Commeneci.  Who didn't love little Nadia and her coach Bela Karoli?  You didn't have to be Romanian to root for that little girl.  And what little girl didn't want to be her?  From that point on I used to always say I wanted to actually be her when I grew up.  Of course, I meant I wanted to be a gymnast, but....clearly, that did not come to fruition.

I remember the day my parents brought me home posters to put on my walls.  For some reason, I think it was McDonalds who was the sponsor of the Olympic events that year, because I seem to think I had to wait until my parents got something there before I could get a poster of my girl to hang on my walls.  And when they brought it home - I couldn't wait to hang it up.  I had two - one of her on the balance beam, and one of her on the floor.

So it would suffice to say that at the tender age of 6, little Nadia was my first hero.
And that is a piece of Olympic history that I'm glad I got to witness first hand.

Fee, Fi, Fo, Fum: I smell.......nothing.

Dear Yankee Candle:
Why did you have to go and ruin a good thing?  I spent a small fortune on my favorite candles of yours, just to find they have no scent.  The large jars, for some reason aren't fragrant at all anymore.  Not even a little.  However, there is a new candle jar - supposedly the same scent but admittedly according to your clerk - these newer candles are "a little stronger".  A little?  It's the same size jar, but more expensive (because $25 or $27 a jar wasn't expensive enough...?).  Why is this?  I don't understand.  When I buy a Cranberry Chutney or Pumpkin Pie candle, I expect my house - or at least the room the candle is in, at a minumum - to be fragrant.  And yet....not even a little.  So very disappointing.

Ben, the two of us need look no more....

Our house has an area we refer to as "Kidtown".  It's a "teen suite"  with a den, bath, bedroom and closet - but we're utilizing as a kids play area.  The closet has all their toys, the den area is their video game set up, able to fit a room full of kids, and then of course the bedroom would be if there's a bunch of kids sleeping over and they don't feel like sleeping on the pull out sofa (though that's typically where they end up!).  But when we first moved in, one of my Father in Laws (multiple marriages on G's side) was staying with us up there so the kids weren't able to use it really.  He just left in the beginning of July so they're now really getting to enjoy it.

Now, rewind to before we moved in....before we knew the FIL was going to move in.  The kids had been hounding me for a rabbit.  No. I was no way going to do that.  And we already had hamsters and they're sort of grumpy....and I don't love guinea pigs because they bite a bit too.  So I had told them they could get a rat.  They make excellent pets, they love to be handled - they're relatively clean and seriously - how cute are they!!!  And "Kidtown" is the perfect place for a not terribly smelly, but their responsibility pet.  (Considering I take care of the cats and the dog - oh and their fish....).

So, they remembered this idea this week.  And they have been relentless about getting one.  Besides, Princess Petunia got money for her birthday so she can afford it - and T has money too so he wanted to split the expenses.  How can a Mom say no?  Well, when a Dad says no....G wanted no part of it. 

But relentless the kiddies were.  And G relented and said okay.  Besides, I was on board anyway - and who's going to take care of the rat anyway?  Me.

So we came home with not one...but two rats!  They're very social and best in pairs.  Both males - no babies in this girl's house!  But the kids love them!  They're very friendly, love to be handled and held and really so very sweet.  One is gray, the other is white.  Their names are Snake and Flake.  My son picked Snake for the irony of snakes eat rats, so he thought it was a good choice.  And my daughter picked Flake, short for Snowflake.

I'm pretty darn psyched personally because I've always wanted a rat. 
They really are so flipping cute!  I have to share pictures...soon!

It's been a whirlwind of fun.....

So, I'm chillaxing at the moment. 
It's been such a busy summer so far - and yet still very relaxing -- but then again, I feel like I haven't stopped!

I'm thinking back to a post I wrote last year about "sitting in the morning sun...." and all the things I'd said I wanted in a new home -are the things I've got at the moment.  Right down to my Cracker Barrel rocking chairs.  I'm feeling very content and blessed to be here.

This past weekend we had Princess Petunia's 8th birthday party.  Tons of fun.... all she asked for was to have karaoke there because it was a disco themed party, and fortunately I've got a score of a DJ who's very inexpensive and very good -- so the good times definitely rolled!

This coming weekend we have a family reunion where we are guests, and then we have a bbq slated for my house on Sunday because it's my father's birthday.  He's in from Florida and leaving to go back next week (I think??) so we're going to have a little cookout for him on Sunday.


Tomorrow, the kiddies and I are off on a road trip!  I'm off with them the next three days before they go to their respective cheerleading and basketball camps next week.  So while the weather isn't exactly beach weather, it's definitely good animal watching and adventure weather.  So I've got a few tricks up my sleeve for the next few days coming up.

But for the moment, it's coffee in my cup... the unusually cool breeze through my hair, and the birds chirping.

Good morning!

A little celebrity look alike fun!

Words and music....words and music.

I was browsing YouTube and thought I'd share some of my favorite songs that I haven't heard in so long, that I almost forgot about them.  Check them out - you just might find a new song to like! And of course, in typical fashion - I'm presenting the rawest of acoustic versions for you because truly, a song is in it's purest and simplest form when it's stripped and just honest.  Enjoy!

Life is like a box of chocolates....you just don't know what you're going to get

Cats vs. Dogs
Boys vs Girls
First born vs Baby
Athletic vs Book Smart
Jock vs Nerd

There should be no blanket association or labels for people. We can associate different behaviours and the way people act;we can blame it on birth signs, the cycle of the moon in the month, hormones, over indulged, gifted, neglected, middle child....the list goes on and on.  There are a million things that we can say to justify our need to define others.  By defining others and outlining their flaws, we feel better about ourselves and our own flaws that we try to suppress.

But the truth of the matter is that we're just all different.  No two ways about it.  There can be no passing of judgement, no titles handed out, no lines in the sand drawn because someone doesn't act in a way that someone else is used to  - or deems to be acceptable to what their idea of "normal" is.

We weren't born with textbooks outlining our quirks and moods - just as parents aren't given guides as to how children are -- or are not -- going to behave.

There is no "normal".  We're all abnormal in our own way and that is what is perfectly normal.  I think the beautiful thing about perfection is that there is nothing truly perfect.  It's life's imperfections that make life perfect...the beautiful disaster of it all. 

 We all have misgivings in things we say or do from time to time in life.  That's what makes us human.  Our flaws and mistakes are what make us unique and special; the hope is that we learn from those mistakes so we don't repeat them and we grow as time goes on.

That is why you can't have blanket associations for individuals.  A child who may be book smart may not opt for college and may work with his hands; a naturally gifted athletic child may decide to turn away from sports to do something else; a mischevious child may turn out to be the straightest arrow as an adult.  Who we are at 10 is different than 20, is different than 30, is different than 40.

We are constantly growing and learning and evolving who we are....and that is probably the most perfect part of life. 

Man: A figment of God's imagination....

Last night I started watching the 20/20 special on Heaven.  (We have it on DVR because naturally we were too tired to finish, so I'm looking forward to watching the rest of it tonight.).  I watched the first hour which showed the Christian, Catholic, Evangelical, Islamic and Jewish perspective on what Heaven is, and how you are to get there.  They all sort of varied a bit on what you will find once you arrive - but of course, I suppose that's subjective to a certain extent.  We all have our own personal visions of what Heaven is or isn't.  What I found interesting is that most religions, even those who conflict on who their personal Saviour is -- all agreed that you should be a good person in life to gain entrance through the pearly gates.  All except the Jewish religion, who believes in what I thought was sort of the most practical, at least from a parental perspective - and that's you should be a good person period, not just because you're doing it to gain access to another lifetime.  That should just be a bonus.  (Sort of like what we say to our kids - don't behave just to get the promise a reward; behave always and you will be rewarded because that's what happens when you behave.  At least that's what I tell my kids anyway...)

Be that as it may, what I find the most confusing are the more radical Christian views of not being allowed into Heaven unless you accept Christ as God's son.  Now, you'll have to forgive me - I'm much more spiritual than I am religious; I tend to have a relationship with God on my own personal level and I prefer to not follow a school that is laden with hypocrisy in any form so I take what I like from all religions and apply them in my day to day life.  I practice being a good person, using probably the most basic principles of all religions (where they're all sort of the same anyway, right?) and leave all the other stuff behind.   But I find it interesting that when asked the question on how people who don't practice Christianity would allow entrance to Heaven the basic answer is "well, everyone has the choice to accept Jesus..."   Surprisingly, the most honest answer was from Joel Osteen who is so very polished and artificial - yet his kneejerk answer didn't have quite that finesse when he said something to the effect of "I can't pass judgement, only God can make the final decision".

And there folks, is my point.

We can all agree or disagree as to who is the Saviour, Messiah, or any other prolific figure in one's religion.  But we all agree that God is God.  And he is the MAN.  Jesus, well that's his son -- so I'm a little confused as to why there's so much discrepancy about getting to Heaven if you don't necessarily believe Jesus rose?  And I understand the whole "Father/Son/Holy Spirit" where it's all encompassing, but prior to Jesus rising - we all agreed that there is GOD. And doesn't HE get the final say? So why is there so much controversy about whether you get to Heaven.  So long as you believe in God, you should more than likely have access to the afterlife - but that's just this girl's opinion.

Speaking of which... the whole Heaven vs. Hell thing -- while I totally believe when there's Ying there's Yang, and every action has an equal and opposite reaction (Religion & Science truly can go hand in hand..!), I have to say that I'm starting to think that there really isn't a Hell.  I hope there's a Heaven, and I believe that there is at minimum another dimension that we aren't able to preceive here because after all, we are all energy and energy never dies; but the truth of the matter for me at this stage of the game anyway, is that I don't believe there is a Hell.  While I'd like to think that awful people in this world who do terrible things are banished to eternal pain and suffering, I just don't think that's the case.

I think God is a loving and kind God.  I think he is a forgiving God.  And whether we like it or not, I think God forgives us all -- even those of us who might not deserve his forgiveness.  Because after all, that is what God and Jesus and Mohammad and Elijah and every other prophet that every other religion has - would more than likely do.  I truly believe that God does not forsake in the afterlife, even when we have felt forsaken in the present one. God is not angry or wicked, he is not vengeful.  He has compassion and love for us all, even those who have lost their way. 

And I don't know what kind of religion that would be a part of, outside of my own personal thoughts.  But it will be interesting to see if my perspective changes any after watching the rest of the show.  Though I highly doubt that it will.

What are your thoughts on Heaven?

Call me... on a line, you can call me any day or night...

Back when I was a kid, the quote was "video killed the radio star".
While it seemed to be true...the truth is - fortunately, not quite.

The new quote of this generations is "social media killed the telephone call".
And this my friends, is very true.

Gone are the days of the long phone calls with my girlfriends...no one wants to actually talk anymore; if you can't get your point across in 140 characters or less, clearly it's useless information.  We make plans via Twitter, Facebook, EVITE, and God knows what other social forum out there.  We don't send thank you cards -- we post it.  Or text it.  Or Facebook it. If you didn't get it on the social status feed, oops - sorry!  It either didn't happen, or you just weren't quick enough to find out about it.  Hit refresh.

We don't even get emails anymore -- or at least I don't.  My emails are all sales related, work related - or spam.  I don't even get the chain "meme" emails anymore.  No one says "hi, how are you" or anything anymore.  I remember when "everyone" (the collective name for the powers that be that we don't really see or hear -- but their opinon matters and they are clearly the end all...) thought that emails were going to be the downfall of the future, as it was often composed of abbreviated words and acronyms; no one would actually write "ha ha ha" when they could just write "LOL".

Imagine the horror they must feel when they see the young kids writing things on social media such as "yesssssssss I loooveeee thattttt".  (Which, to be truthful I must be getting old because I don't see the point to drag all those letters out.  If you spoke the way that's written, you'd be the most annoying person on the planet - maybe even more so than Kim Kardashian or Kendra Wilkinson  - and that's a tough thing to pull off.  But I digress....)

How sad is it that if you don't see the caller id when a call comes in - you don't recognize the voice that's calling; and forget about it if they're calling from a number other than their own. 

I don't know about you, but I miss my phone calls.  They were my social interaction without having to leave my phone.  We'd catch up after a girls night out or a family party... we'd call to express condolences if a friend or family member passed; we'd call just to chat about the rain.  Now, it's all about texts. 

And here's what I don't get; we'll have texts that are conversation strings.... why don't we just call each other?

Listen -- I love when my phone rings; it's like getting the mail.  It's fun and you never know who will be on the other end with interesting things to say.  So if you know me in real life my friends -- call me!!

Things I love, love, love today...

My brand spanking new Trex decks....the Groth Chardonnay in my glass...the sounds of my children playing in the den at the moment ( so much better than fighting!)...my new hair salon....the dress I'm wearing Saturday night to the North End.... the new Spanish red wine I tasted today...the flowers I know I'm going to love when I hang them on my farmers porch now that the deck is done...my solar skimmer for the pool...the fact that I took the 4th of July off....watching my very big Maine Coon Cat try to capture a very small fly with big leaps and bounds....the upcoming and pending heat wave....and of course -- my life.

Lyrically speaking....

What you want baby I got
What you need
You know I got it
All I'm askin' is for a little respect
When you come home
Baby when you come home

Respect
I'm out to give you all my money
But all I'm askin in return honey
Is to give me my proper respect
When you get home
Yeah, baby, when you get home

I ain't gonna do you wrong while you gone
I ain't gonna do you wrong
'Cause I don't wanna
All I'm askin' is for a little respect
When you come home
Baby, when you come home
Respect

Ooh, your kisses, sweeter than honey
But guess what, so here's my money
All I want you to do for me
Is give me some respect when you get home
Yeah, baby, when you get home
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Find out what it means to me
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Take care, T-C-B
A little respect

I'm gonna knock you out...Momma said knock you out...!

I can't believe I forgot to blog about this.
So here's my second post in one day - and only the second time I've ever done that!

Guess where G and I are going in August?
Guess....!
Give up?








To see Mike Tyson's Undisputed Truth Show in NYC!  Front row and VIP Meet & Greet to meet Mike Tyson.   Holy canoli...!!

So much fun.  I can't wait.

What doesn't kill you makes stronger....

I'm just ready.
Done.
'nuff said.

Today I had a hair appointment at a new salon that a friend who has hair that is always gorgeous - recommended.  Now, the stylist she uses was booked - so they booked me with someone else, whom the person who booked it didn't mention was the lead stylist - aside from the owner. 

So imagine my surprise at the cost when checking out.
( I went to a salon in the town where I live.  We moved to a rather affluent North Shore community where everything is more expensive just because of the zip code; so I knew I was in for a bit of an increase but oh, my....)

However, I am not disappointed with the results.  Not even a little bit.
As a matter of fact, I think it was worth every dime.

I can't remember the last time I went to the salon and really loved or felt like I got what I wanted.  But I did today!

Did I mention that we may be building a third store, in the aforementioned affluent North Shore town?  Yes, we have an Internal Design Review with all of the town players in two weeks.

Hopefully, the sales generated will justify the cost of my salon visits....!
Somehow...I think it will.

Whew - it's been a while!

I've been MIA so to speak - it's been a busy time of year!!

Most of it has happened in the realm of the kiddies. Here are some of the highlights:

Princess Petunia had a Flag Day ceremony at her school that was so nicely done and incredibly touching.  The whole second grade put on a concert for the school and families which included local veterans from as far back as WWII to as recent as the current conflict.  They all spoke and gave their feelings on patriotism and the flag.  The children sang, some spoke - and this girl was moved to tears by this poem, read by one of the veterans.  I have always been patriotic, and working for the military for so many years I'm sure heightened that to a certain extent; but 9/11 affected me in a very profound way, and I tend to get emotional and choked up when I hear certain songs or poems regarding our country.  I was fortunate to have worked side by side with many men and women who choose to serve and protect our country.  And while I don't miss my job, I do miss the environment and the good people I met along the way.

We've had art night and ice cream social night; Field Day and Field Trip day -- and of course, Class Trip. 

My son graduated 5th grade today!  Both kiddies have their last day of school tomorrow, but he had an actual graduation ceremony today.  When I was little - I had no graudation outside of high school.  And it was a beautiful ceremony, complete with each child speaking their favorite memory of the school. I asked him tonight if he was sad that he was going to be leaving the school and moving onto Middle School and he said he was a little -- he liked the school.  I can see why; while I'm happy that my daughter will get the full experience of it, I wish he could've been there for a longer time.  But it's okay, I'm glad he experienced what he did.  I just sort of wish that we moved here sooner than we did; this school system is head and shoulders above where we were before. All that mother's angst for not....

I am sick with a stupid freaking cold.  Ugh, who gets colds this time of year?  Oh, a word to the wise - don't take Mucinex DM.  It made me dizzy, nauseous and just gross. It made me actually feel worse than I already did!  So, me with the typical Demi Moore raspiness of barely having a voice and a cough -- fun fun.

And hopefully, tomorrow we'll get the hot weather we're hoping for, and we will all enjoy being out in the yard.  Because this girl - is taking a half day off!  And it's not to lay in bed like Monday....my cold damn well better be half way gone by tomorrow at noon.  Or else....

Opposites Day....

Since I normally post the warm and fuzzies of my favorite things - let's shake it up a bit, shall we?
These are a few of my least favorite things....

Ignorant Mercedes Drivers.  Selfish and self centered people.  Narcissism.  Laziness.  Disrespect.  The smell of rotten lettuce. Bad movies that take up 2 hours of my life that I'll never get back again.  Shallow & superficial.  Wasted energy on jealousy.  Anything with raisins.  Liver and onions.  Sweet drinks.  Mean spirits.  Bad Karma.

Saturday something or other....

Sunshine.  Sleepovers. 
Poolside.
2 Nephews.  2 Nights.

Wine -- clearly a necessity.

Neighbors dog.
1 Houseguest off....1 down to go.

Supper?
Not BBQ.

Cause that's tomorrow......

Wine -- clearly, a necessity.

Duck, duck, duck....GOOSE!

Today was Princess Petunia's acting debut.
She was the lead in her class play of Charlotte's Web. 
Literally the lead -- first name in the credits even!
(And to those of you in the creative world, you know how important credit placement is...just sayin'.)

She was so prepared....she knew her lines, the other kids lines -- she even would prompt the other kids when they didn't know who was next on cue.  She LOVES this stuff! 

I was so very proud of her.

(Maybe, she got this bit of the acting bug from her mother??
I'm always wondering what the heck she did get from me, because it certainly isn't her looks --she is all her Dad --  or her spunk!)

She was sooooooo good.
So good!!!

Definitely up there as one of my top Mom moments, for sure!

Oh how I miss my Grey's Anatomy....

It's been quite some time since I watched Grey's.  I miss that show.

I did manage to catch up on a few episodes from last season (not the one that just ended, the one previous) and it wasn't a challenge to figure out what was going on.  That's part of the beauty of soap operas -- years can go by and so long as a few of the characters are still the same, you can pretty much piece all of the parts together to figure out where they're at in the storyline.

But I do miss Meredith's imperfections and McDreamy's perfection - and McSteamy's lack of caring about perfection.

So here's a little tidbit from the show, from an earlier season.  I love, love, love the monologues that open and close each episode.  The writing of these really pieced each weekly escapade together, and even when seperated from the script as I've done here -- they truly hit home for msot of us, at certain times - on so many levels.

"We all get at least one good wish a year, over the candles on our birthday. Some of us throw in more, on eyelashes, fountains, lucky stars. And every now and then, one of those wishes comes true. So what then? Is it as good as we’d hoped? Do we bask in the warm glow of our happiness… or do we just notice we’ve got a long list of other wishes waiting to be wished.

We don’t wish for the easy stuff. We wish for big things. Things that are ambitious, out of reach. We wish because we need help, and we’re scared, and we know we may be asking too much. We still wish though, because sometimes… they come true."

A woman is like a tea bag - you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water.

Okay, so not so long ago I was talking about the Real Housewives of the OC and how I didn't like any of them - not even a little bit.  I started watching LA, purely out of curiousity of how the insanely wealthy live, and I ended up liking them.  

This show, I started watching because I figured "what the heck" - and found them all so pretty but so catty - that it was almost uncomfortable for me to watch.

Well, here we are 16 or so episodes later and I do like some of them -- at times.

But there's one girl who I really like.  Really, really like.  I think she's the real deal, mature, and while sure she's funny and fluffy a bit - the truth of the matter is, she's a real person.  She's grounded despite her wealth and I just like her. 

Mrs. Heather Dubrow.

Cheers Sistah!

(I'm holding on tight to the resolution of NOT watching New Jersey or Atlanta.  Ugh, way too much drama...they're just c-razy!)

Everybody's workin' for the weekend....and other random thoughts.

Ah yes, how I love my Fridays.
A glass of wine in hand...dinner cooking...classical music playing...and all this insane pollen making me oh-so tired. 
It's all good.

I'm feeling a little less blonde than I'd prefer these days.  I'm so not digging the new ombre hair style - it's like, when your roots are growing out so the dark is heavy and the light is at the ends.  It's so not a good look.  I'm sort of the reverse; lighter on top, darker underneath.  While cool, I still would prefer to be brighter.

On the upside, my hair is definitely long again.  It's like all of a sudden...it grew!  By my one year anniversary of cutting it short, it should be pretty much where it was when I cut it.  Unbelievable, right?  That's what I'm thinking....

I really and truly can't be growing old.  I just can't be.  Today at Starbucks, I ran into a married couple who are friends of mine from high school; for the 5 minutes we spent catching up, it was like we were right back in school.  I mean, I see them from time to time anyway - but today for some reason, it was like we were kids again.  And even though we were talking about our kids, and how it's fun being a parent and challenging at the same time -- it still felt like we were the kids.  It made me feel very nostalgic for when I was young, and truly didn't realize just how much life I had ahead of me.   It's funny how when you're "in the moment" of life, you really just don't know all that you think you do.  Anyway, it was a good visit....It was good to see them, and I look forward to the next time I run into them again.

I can tell you what I am not looking forward to -- all this flipping rain we're supposed to get.  What is up with cold and rainy?  Ugh, so not what I was hoping for.  But you know, with the ying is the yang - and the upside to all this lousy weather is that tomorrow I can look forward to just hanging in and catching up on laundry. (I know, crazy to be happy about catching up on laundry, but truly - there will be nothing to distract me from it which is a good thing!)  Pajamas, a good cup of coffee and warm, cozy smells of laundry.  Little people running about and hopefully a day of relaxation.  Best of all, all of this horrible pollen will hopefully be washed away!! 

And then maybe....this girl will be able to wear mascara once again.....