It has been a rough week so far, waking up at 3am; however, getting off work at 1:30 has been nice. I would love to be able to take a nap, but I have never been a nap person. So off to bed at 7pm it is for me. Then it is hard to get to sleep, it was an ambien night last night, even then, I fight sleep. It is crazy, of course by the time I am able to get back in the groove of things my new tour will start. I will be getting up at 7am instead of 3am, being at work by 9am of course the downside is getting off at 6pm. That will be rough, but I shall persevere.
I don’t know what words to put on paper right now, there is so much going on in my head, women are a huge disappointment lately. Yes, women, not all, just some, women not respecting other women. Messaging men that are not with them, in fact with someone else, calling them, texting, emailing. Shame on all of you, then there are the women predators that we see on the news, teachers preying on their male students. Then there are the mothers that are harming their children. I am thoroughly disgusted and saddened at this point. I consider myself lucky to have the friends that I do. I am very blessed to be friends with women of integrity, honor and dignity. Women like Jan, Linda, Wanda, Tammi, Shannon, Shanon (yes two) and Kim. There are many others, too numerous to name, the ones I am disgusted with are not friends of mine, I refuse to be associated with women who behave in such a manner, the sneaky ones, that feel the need to continue a relationship with a man even though they are engaged to someone else, they just like to keep that other one dangling. So sad, really, that they are that insecure. I have my insecurities however they are based on events that have happened to me, and I do not go behind other women’s back and message their boyfriends, fiancés or husbands. If you are doing this, stop, you are hurting another woman and you should be ashamed of yourself.
So yesterday at work, there was an email sent out saying that tomorrow (now today) was costume day, seriously, one days notice! I could not believe it, I was all like, are you kidding me, no one has time to get a decent costume together in that amount of time. And no I am not dressed in costume today, I am dressed like Angie. Maybe that is my costume.
My Review of Girl Power t-shirt by Junk Food
Originally submitted at 80sTees.com
This DC Comics shirt features headshots of Wonder Woman, Batgirl and Supergirl. The words "Girl Power!" are in gold foil below the ladies. This shirt is charcoal grey and is composed of Junk Food's super soft 50% cotton / 50% polyester blend.
Rockin’ T-Shirt
By Angie the Wonder Woman from Plano, TX on 10/26/2011
Pros: Soft, Stylish, Great Colors, Figure Flattering
Best Uses: Date Night/Night Out, Casual Wear
Describe Yourself: Sexy, Classic, Trendy, Career, Bargain Shopper
Was this a gift?: No
I am not a tshirt kind of girl and I love this tshirt. It totally rocks! I love superheroes and this shirt is a great girl version.
(legalese)
Favorite Memory
Yesterday was a memory lane day for me, for some reason my dad was heavily on my mind. I was thinking back to my first apartment, in Owasso, in the bad part of Owasso. Yes there is a bad part; it is about half a block long and very scary. You will have to take my word for this. For those of you that live in Owasso, or have been there, it was the apartment building that is across from what is now Fishbonz. It looks exactly the same.
My rent was $300.00 a month, a huge amount back then, it was one whole paycheck, I got paid every other week. The next paycheck was electricity and food, there was no talk of cable or a telephone, water was included. I remember my dad would come every Saturday morning and bring me groceries, mostly fresh fruit and vegetables he and my mom had grown in their garden. Then he would carry the vacuum up the stairs and say well I carried it I might as well use it. He would vacuum my apartment. I don’t think he trusted me with the vacuum cleaner. Then he would make me pancakes and we would have breakfast together. The very first time he came over, he was looking around my kitchen for a mixing bowl and of course I didn’t have one. He muttered something to himself, left, a few minutes later came back with a metal mixing bowl.
I still have that bowl; it is my favorite mixing bowl of all time. I can only hope that I have given my children some fond memory that when I am gone they can pull it up and feel comforted by the fact that I loved them beyond anything or anyone.
So what is your favorite memory of your mom or dad, or both? I would love to hear!
More Thoughts
Today is the memorial service for my former minister, I have struggled with going or not going. I have made the decision not to go, not out of any protest or because of the way his life ended. I made the decision based on the fact I have not gone to that particular church in several years. The family remains in my constant prayers, I simply cannot imagine their grief.
I read something on, of course, facebook that struck me. A person said that it is strange that someone is judged by their last act on this earth. She was speaking of people who choose to end their own life. What that statement made me think of was my grandfather, my most vivid memory of him is his last day on earth and how he chose to live it. He was 82 (I think), that morning he worked in the garden, then off to the church to work on the roof. Yes, the actual roof, he climbed the ladder and worked on the roof, a man in his 80’s. Then he came home and worked on the car, the came in and sat down and had a massive heart attack. His last day on earth was devoted to the church he helped build, it was devoted to making sure his family had food to eat and transportation. That is how I remember him and how I, for lack of a better word, judge his life. What I am trying to say, in my most convoluted way is that we are all judged by our last act. Whatever it is, it is not unique to that particular situation.
I can only hope that my last act on earth will be as equal to his, he was amazing and it is a hard legacy to live up to.
I am going to choose to remember my former pastor for his service to his parishioners and to the community. His sermons at times inspired me and frustrated me, I believe with my whole heart he tried always to do what he believed God was telling him to do. Frustrated due to the fact I believe he had an antiquated way of looking at women in ministry. I have said that before and I stand by it. I don’t believe in sugar-coating things. However, I always admired him due to his beliefs. I know he will be missed, by his family, the people in the church, the people he touched during his mission work in Russia. He truly was a man of God.
Somber Thoughts Indeed
This weekend I heard horrendous news, shocking really, I saw on facebook that the minister of the church I had attended for 20 years had passed away. I had not heard that he had been ill, there were no reports of an accident. So I contacted a friend and asked what had happened. That is when I learned the horrible, sad news, it was by his own hand.
In all of the teachings that I have learned over the years being Baptist, taking ones own life was a sin. A mortal sin. Once it is done, there is no coming back, no asking forgiveness, nothing. When you are Baptist, being in mental anguish is never taken into consideration in any teaching. So this is very shocking and has left me conflicted. If you have read me for any length of time you know I was raised in a very strict Freewill Baptist household. When I moved to Texas I attended a very strict Southern Baptist Church, where this man was the minister, and still was after I left.
I don’t know what to say to my children, two of whom he baptized, I don’t know what to say to my friends that still go there. I don’t comment on facebook because so many people are writing things like “he is looking down on all of you”, well according to what he himself taught, no he isn’t.
However, I don’t believe God is as harsh as I was taught as a child and adult, I believe he does take mental pain and anguish into consideration. I do believe he will be lenient with his child. I know I have no answers to give my own children at this time, I do know that his family is in great pain. They will never be able to reconcile this act with the man they knew, what he did has long-lasting, long reaching effects. He has left a wife, children and grandchildren who will struggle with this situation for years. My heart goes out to them and my prayers are for them, and the parishioners he left to wonder and grieve.
I think of Sandi, who fought a physical fight for over 20 years, only to lose her battle. She never gave up, never gave in and never contemplated taking her own life. I still miss her, even a year later I think about her every day. I miss her every day, last week was incredibly hard, but I muddle through. I am hoping for a better week this week, I hope everyone has a good week.
United Way Update
Today has been a strange day indeed; however I am not going to write about that. I am going to tell you about our United Way Fundraising efforts. We started on August 15, going to business begging for donations to raffle or to give as door prizes to encourage fellow employees to give. We started off with a bang of a food sale and it went from there. We had a specific goal in mind, $10,000.00 in a little under two months of fundraising. My team worked tirelessly, I am so very proud to have worked alongside some of the best people I know. We had raffles; we had food sales, lunch sales, breakfast sales and sales in-between. Brent smoked brisket and turkey legs like a pro and he and Jose both grilled till they were about toasted themselves.
We had four carnivals in four different locations within a two week period; our building on Lakeside in Richardson was the big winner raking in over $1,200.00 in one day. The other buildings were huge successes as well, Central, Glennville and Roundtable, everyone came out, danced to the music that our wonderful DJ Juan provided. It was an amazing turnout for an amazing cause.
At this point in time we are still counting the money, it looks like we are just shy of $200.00 of reaching our goal, if anyone would like to donate any cash, I will be accepting funds till Friday. Then it all has to be in the bank and a cashier’s check made out to United Way.
We had a whirlwind of a ride, and got to meet some pretty amazing people along the way. I never get tired of doing this, every year is a great experience and I hope I get to do it again.
Thank you, everyone, for your generosity of spirit, open hearts and open pocket books. I have said it before and I will say it again, you simply rock.
Musketeers and Other Things
Well, here we are, two days out from a new Musketeer movie, I cannot tell you how excited I am to see this movie. I remember the first time I read the book, I was in the fourth grade, and fell in love. I wanted to be the first female Musketeer. I practiced sword fighting the entire summer between fourth and fifth grade, my mother didn’t have the heart to tell me that there were no more Musketeers. No king of France therefore no need. I was heartbroken when I found out; I just knew I was going to make history.
It was my goal the entire first half of fifth grade, then I found out, then I read the Iliad, new career goal, Demi-goddess, was born. I just knew I could figure out a way to become one, I know what you are thinking why not full blown goddess, well, I didn’t want to live forever, just have the powers. The story of my life, no power, I think that is why I wanted to be a woman who had powers. Wonder Woman, a Musketeer, a demi-goddess, Batgirl, the list is endless.
Today I am just plain old me, just Angie, no super powers, not a lot special, well I do have great hair, and a great sense of style and an amazing shoe collection. However all of those things do not add up to being in a position of power, hmm interesting, a position of power. That just came out, the words just flowed, do I in fact want to be in a position of power? Or just a powerful person in control of their own life, these are interesting questions. I shall explore these in my mind and report back.
Yesterday was a stellar day indeed, we had our United Way Carnival at the Lakeside location and they blew it out of the water. Record breaking amounts were given and I have never been prouder of a group of people. They all worked their proverbial behinds off and just blew me away, my entire team is just made up of amazing, incredible individuals, when working together accomplish great things. We have one more tomorrow and I am expecting great things there as well. I am not going to wax on right now; I want to devote an entire entry to all of these wonderful human beings. Their hearts and generosity of spirit deserves more than just an ending paragraph.
United Way Carnival
I am not ready to write about the Real Housewives of New Jersey yet, I am still processing, was incredibly upset that Jacqueline was not there. She is my ultimate favorite; I believe she has taken enough from Teresa. Good for her for standing up for herself. Ok, I said I wouldn’t write about it and I am not.
Today is the huge carnival at Lakeside, I am very excited about this, it is a large building with great supporters. I am so happy we will not only be selling things but creating a fun atmosphere that will hopefully make their workday a little brighter. Friday was so much fun in my building, with the DJ, the food, the games and the atmosphere of enjoyment. I received many comments from co-workers about how much fun they had and how pleasant the workday had been. That totally made all of the effort worth it.
We have a great basket for raffle today; it is a pound of Starbucks coffee, a Fiat travel mug, with two fiat baseball hats. Come one, come all this great basket could be yours for the purchase of a dollar ticket! Of course we have our spa basket still selling raffle tickets, $195.00 gift certificate to a spa in Allen, TX. I am trying my best to win that one! That will be drawn on Thursday the 20th, so hurry and get your tickets.
The new schedule at work was announced, I did get my schedule change, I will be working 9am to 6pm Monday thru Friday beginning November 14th. It will take some getting used to; I have been doing the 5am tour for about 2 years now. Wish me luck! I am off to have a fabulous day, I wish the rest of you an amazing day as well!
Best Jeans Day
I am thinking of getting acrylic nails, my nails are doing strange things, they are folding inward. I have tried googling this strange thing, but am not coming up with anything concrete. I am thinking the only way to straighten them out is to have acrylic overlaid on them. Any thoughts, anyone else have this happen to them? Is it getting older? I don’t remember my mom or grandma having this. Any help is appreciated.
So this past weekend was pretty uneventful, except for the fact that I have found the perfect pair of jeans. I broke down and went jean shopping, actually I found them at Ross, yes, Ross. They are Levi’s and they fit phenomenally well, hopefully they will fit for a month or so, until more weight is lost. I really only have three pairs of jeans that fit now, two of them are Levi’s.
I remember as a teenager if you did not have Levi’s you were no one, and they had to be the button up fly, not the zip. The only way you could get the button up fly was in the men’s dept. I kept those jeans forever, they were the most comfortable and figure flattering jeans I have ever owned. The pair I found on Saturday is also very figure flattering. I look so amazingly good in these jeans, or at least I think I do which is really all that matters, what I think. I am still contemplating Botox on my neck region, I don’t know if that is possible. I know people get Botox all over their face, is it possible to get it in your neck? Or do I just need a whole facelift at this point? That is the question. My picture is on my last post here, you be the judge.
In this youth obsessed society I find I am not so much obsessed with looking younger, I just want to look my best. I have two fears in getting older, one is being bald and the other is being as wrinkled as my grandmother was. Don’t get me wrong I loved my grandmother beyond anything, she was my best friend, however, she was really wrinkled. It stemmed from years in the sun picking cotton, no sun screen back in the early 1900’s. I was a sun worshipper in the 1970’s and the 80’s, so yes I am worried. About skin cancer and wrinkles, both run in my family.
Positives
Since I am trying to get back to being myself, I am going to focus on one positive thing a day. Today is my new t-shirt. Yes, I said it; I actually bought a t-shirt, something that I never do. I am not a t-shirt wearing kind of woman. But this one, well this one caught my eye, Elisabeth Hasselbeck was wearing it on the view and I had to have it, immediately. I went onto Google, actually found the shirt and ordered it that night. It came Thursday, and I wore it on Friday. It says girl power and has a picture of Batgirl, Wonder Woman and Supergirl. It is amazing. I am actually going to post a photo on here, something I never do, but you all have to see it! I look amazing in it as well.
As you all probably have figured out if you have read me for any length of time, I am a huge superhero fanatic, and Wonder Woman in particular is my favorite female hero. I have dressed up like her, I have her boots, and I totally rocked that costume. Much to Elizabeth Anne’s embarrassment, but I figure as a mother, it is my job to embarrass my children at least once in their lifetime. Wonder Woman is strong, beautiful, independent, great clothes, kickin’ boots and let’s face it an amazing fashion sense.
Also, on an upbeat note, I won the coffee basket at work yesterday! Of course I only bought $15.00 worth of tickets, but it was totally worth it! So excited, it is a pound of Starbucks Iced-coffee with a Venti size re-fillable container, I cannot wait to go and get the beans ground and begin having my favorite iced coffee at home.
So many positives, so little time to report them, till next time peeps, peace out.
Angie World 