Yesterday was a fun-filled day, I got my new glasses, I look amazing in them, then buying cookie butter for myself, Elizabeth, Jeffrey and Alex. Then picking Tess up from school, we went on an adventure, we went to the duck pond, where there were so many ducks! I had never seen that many ducks in one place. She played on the playground, then it was off to McDonald’s for some food and more playing on the playground. We went back to her house for playing with the dogs and, well, on the swing set out back.
Then it was dinner and Target with Elizabeth Anne, always love spending time with that girl, at our favorite place, Taco Bueno, of course, then Target.
I had an amazing conversation this morning with my friend Shanon, I cannot wait to be able to fill you all in on that. However, it is not time, just know I am going to have a major, amazing announcement soon.
I have cleaned the kitchen, done laundry and watched Hercules, I miss that show, the bad outfits, the bad acting and the fun. So much fun on that show! Alright, going to have a diet coke, thank you Irishman, and watch The Avengers, again.
Politics
Yesterday I was talking to Alex, I reminded him the Vice-Presidential debate was on later and he said he wasn’t going to watch it, however he is going to vote. His mind is already made up and he doesn’t need to watch anything. He then said, “Mom, does it really make a difference in the country who is president?” I sat there for a moment, gathering my wits, and said yes son it does.
I then told him of the days when Jimmy Carter was in office, the country was dismal, it was as if the sun had ducked behind a cloud, for four years. Gas lines were everywhere, the economy was in the gutter, the whole country was depressed. Jimmy Carter was the worst president we had ever had, up to that point, Obama is giving him a run for that title.
I explained that when President Reagan took office it was like the sun was shining again, people had hope, people became more patriotic, there was pride in America again. Little by little the economy strengthened, the attitudes improved and our country began flourishing once more.
It makes a difference, however, I am going to say this, I don’t care what your politics are, if we disagree, we disagree. That does not make anyone less of a friend, it just means we have different views on things. I am seeing so many heated debates on Facebook, it is crazy, its politics people, is that what your friendship is based on? My friendships are not based on that, they are based on mutual respect, admiration for certain qualities people posses that I might not, it is not based on how someone votes.
I do believe everyone should vote, it is our duty, our right, it is what our forefathers fought for, it is important we honor their sacrifices for us.
Dream State
Ok, so, on Monday night I got no sleep, it wasn’t that I couldn’t sleep, I could sleep, however when I would fall asleep I was having the strangest dreams.
I was dreaming the apocalypse was upon us, in all dreams that was the recurring theme. So in dream number 1 the end is imminent, Jess calls me and says “listen, the apocalypse is coming and I need to run some errands, come over here and watch my dog.” So of course, being the good friend that I am, I go to his house to watch his dog. Now this is no ordinary dog, it is huge, pure white with green eyes. While Jess is gone on his end of the world errands it begins to rain, rain is too mild a word, it was torrential. The dog runs out and will not come back in, I have to go out and get soaked trying to get this beast back in the house. I wake up before I can convince that animal to come back in.
Dream b, it is the end of the world, I decide I am going to Bonham, so I tell the Irishman “listen, it’s the end of the world you go find your kids and be with them I am going to Bonham.” So I load up the car with canned goods, blankets, pillows and my shoe collection. Oh and dog food, I put Nacona in the car and we go to McKinney and get Jeffrey, Alex and Tessa. Off to Bonham we go, the roads are congested and it takes us over two hours to get there.
When we get there I tell Elizabeth I am taking the bedroom off of the kitchen and Tess decides she wants to stay with Gigi. Then I inform Elizabeth Anne I hate the outdoors so I will do all of the cooking. I wake up at that point, I guess we were going to live off of pancakes. I don’t know what my great cooking plan was, these dreams were so weird. I think I am watching too many shows about the end of civilization as we know it. Reading too many books about it, I don’t know, but I know last night I slept and don’t remember anything I dreamed about, so it is all good today.
A Life Well Lived
October is a traditionally hard month, it is the month I lost my first son in, it is the month I lost my dear friend Sandi in. It seems to be a month for mourning, however I know Sandi would not be happy with anyone being sad. Her life was one well lived, she was a warrior, battling a beast for over 20 years; she fought with such calm assurance. We all knew the last time she battled she would be victorious, in a way she was, she went home. I know without a doubt in my mind and heart that God met her at the gates of heaven and said welcome home, we’ve been waiting for you. I know there was much rejoicing and a celebration that such a warrior had come home.
Hers was an honorable death, a life well lived, filled with friends, laughter, love, family and graciousness. I can only hope that my life is lived half as well as hers was. I still miss her, it has been two years and I can still hear her voice at times.
I urge all of you to live a life that when you are gone people will know the kind of person you were. That you were above board, honest, honorable, a joy to be around, that was my friend. I work on it daily, the joy to be around part, This year the Ladies that Lunch will be meeting on the anniversary of Sandi’s passing, I imagine there will be laughter and a few tears. However, when I see Sandi again I hope I will be able to tell her I lived a life that she would be proud of. When I hear her voice it is when I have done something good in my Mary Kay business.
So, on October 20th, please say a healing prayer for our group, for her friends and family left here to remember her.
Contacts
Well I did it, my prayers and wishes have finally come true, boot season is upon us, the cooler weather has hit North Texas and I could not be more thrilled. Actually, I could be more thrilled, if it snowed here in October it would make my life complete.
On Friday something so spectacular happened, I can’t talk about it yet, at least I don’t think I can, but when I get the OK to talk about it here you will all know what is going on. Just know it was unexpected and amazing and surprisingly does not include Dean Cain or Starbucks. Imaginations you may now run wild.
Weekend was quiet, I did go for an eye exam or Friday afternoon, long overdue, and guess what, well you are never going to guess so I am going to tell you, my eyesight has gotten better. Shocking! That is why I was not able to see out of my glasses. My Optometrist was not available so I saw another one in the practice and he and I discussed contacts. Since my eyesight has worsened I have given up wearing contacts on a daily basis as they are not comfortable and do not correct all of my vision issues. However, Dr. Deloach, at Plano Eye Associates (go see them), said he thought he had the solution. Monovision contacts, it is where they correct one eye for one issue and the other for the, well, other issue. He said it takes some getting used to and it is really a matter of fooling the brain, I have been trying them all weekend and while it does take some getting used to, I think they may work. You may all be seeing me sans glasses.
Today I will be test driving them at work to see if I can actually see the computer monitor, wish me luck. On Saturday I thought I was getting what the Irishman has had for the past two weeks, the congestion and coughing, so I stayed in, stayed in my pj’s and doctored myself. I am happy to report that whatever it was has passed. I am right as rain today, I have had copious amounts of coffee and am raring to go.
I don’t want to talk about the Real Housewives of New Jersey yet, as I am still stressed from the show, next week is the last one, so I am sticking it out.
So, that’s all I have for now, will see you tomorrow. Peace out.
Helping Hands
Life is an amazing journey, it is not an experiment, it is not something you barrel through, it is a journey, that if taken in the right manner can lead to adventures, joy, love and endless possibilities.
I am constantly amazed at this place and time God chose to set me down in, at times I have thought perhaps He had gotten the timing off. I am part old-fashioned, and new fangled, at times I don’t fit in anywhere and other times I fit in everywhere.
There are times I am positive I am God’s comic relief, I have said it often my life could be a sitcom, when the wars and pestilence and bad behavior of humans gets to be too much, God switches the channel and has a chuckle. He is not the only one amused by the happenings in my life, Elizabeth Anne finds comic relief in a lot that I do.
The one thing i can say about my life is that it is never without surprise, that it is rarely boring, that I am surrounded by amazing humans.
I am often amazed at what I see happening in other people’s lives and how they handle it and how they turn it around and make something positive out of the negative. I know one woman who has started a foundation that helps women who want to get out of the adult entertainment business. It is called ROTH, Reach out to her, she is amazing, reaching out to these women, finding safe havens for them, getting them job training and teaching them by example and by word about the amazing forgiveness that is God. It really makes me think about how we should all be reaching out to each other and lifting up instead of pushing down. I can only hope and pray that if I ever am called to help someone I will be there and be positive.
Heady thoughts for a Friday, but there you have it folks. I hope everyone has a fantastic Friday, in the words of my dear friend Sandi, Go out and make it happen.
What I Really Think
Well the first Presidential debate is behind us and we have a clear cut winner. Mitt Romney take a bow, you totally dominated the stage. I love a man who takes charge, knows his points and keeps on track. This is a man who knows finance, who knows about giving as well, for those of you not familiar with his giving to charity record, please take a moment and look it up.
I woke this morning to twitter being filled with R.I.P. Big Bird, really, that is all you people got out of that? Do you know what I got out of that, for those of you lamenting the possible ending to Big Bird and PBS, I would ask this, when was the last time you donated? The majority of PBS funding is not the government, it is the public sector, so, if you want to keep this great thing going, open your pocket books, quit relying on the government to give you things.
I am so sick of people relying on the government giving them things, that is my money you are getting! I want you to get a job, my daughter said it best, if you have never worked then you don’t deserve Social Security or Medicare. If you have never paid in, why are you taking? I don’t have an issue with people getting those things that they have paid into; I have issues with people getting these things when they have never paid into it.
I work hard for my money, I am tired of being crushed, and crushing me you are President Obama, I am paying for your programs. But you don’t think about the middle class, that we are the ones paying for your constituents.
Speaking of Obama, the man we saw last night is the real deal, the fumbling, inarticulate mess that was on that stage is who went around to foreign countries apologizing for America. Is that really what you want for another 4 years? I don’t’, I want someone who takes charge, who is prepared, who knows his stuff and can be forceful when necessary. That man is Mitt Romney.
It is not the moderator’s fault that your man can’t answer a single question without a teleprompter, what was he even reading. What was he looking down at all the time? I can hardly wait for the Biden-Ryan debate, now this is going to be good.
You know what else I’m tired of, people saying things about how Romney has money, thank you Jesus he has money. Do you even understand what that means? That means he knows how to handle money, he is good at managing funds, balancing a budget. Give me a president who has money, who gives more to charity than he takes for himself, who thinks of others, who doesn’t drink, doesn’t smoke, doesn’t curse and is devoted to his religion and his family.
He is not wishy washy, he is firm about where he stands, he can take control. Amen and hallelujah, let’s get this party started.
Narcissism
Facebook has brought out the narcissist in me, I feel a need to point out I have always been vain, and slightly photogenic, however with Facebook I am taking it to the extreme. I have the urge to take pictures of myself and post them. The face only, mind you, but still, I took a look at it the other day and just stared in stunned silence. I have to get a handle on this; no one wants to stare at that many photos of me. It’s insane, then I started looking around at other peoples Facebook pages, I noticed something, others have the same affliction. Why are we so obsessed with ourselves?
When did this happen? Has it always been there and social media has amplified it? I know within myself, it has always been there, I can stare for a long time in the mirror, and as a matter of fact I have to have my mirror time. Of course I have a tendency to just look at my face, nothing from the neck down. The urge to post a photo of myself is overwhelming and when someone clicks like or makes a comment what a heady feeling. I am sure I am not the only one whose ego feeds upon this; I wonder if anyone else has had the realization that this obsession with ones self is not healthy.
Emotionally it can really mess with your head, if no one likes your photo, is it a bad one or am I losing my looks. Those are thoughts I have, I know no one else will probably admit to being as vanity driven as I am, but I think you all know I feel a need to put everything out there. Well almost everything. I am going to go cold turkey and post no more photos of myself unless others are in the photo with me. Such as Tessa or if I can ever get Elizabeth Anne to take a photo with her dear old mom.
Talentless
My day has not started off good, first of all, I am on my second day of no sleep, secondly I fell going to my car to come to work and then I spilled coffee on myself. Not good so far, I do not see it getting better, on an up note my team at work won 1st place over all for creativity in our decorating contest. We were Brazil, I have pictures posted on my Facebook, so if you know me you can see them, if not, well I guess you are kinda out of luck.
Luck, there is a word I despise, I am not what one define as lucky, I never have been, I tend to believe people make their own luck. That you take advantage of the opportunities God places in your path, or you were born lucky. Ugh. What a conundrum, I believe I was born not so favored, seriously, the clumsiness, the weight issues, the needing plastic surgery issues. Man, I got the short end of the stick, oh and no talent, let’s just add that in there.
If I had one single talent I think I might consider myself favored, however, I have nothing. Not one thing, I can’t sing, I am so not an artist, I wish there were one thing I was really good at. Let me think, I can roller skate, however, as I get older that will no longer be a viable talent, brittle bones of the old don’t you know. I can type 95 words a minute, however as I get older I am sure that will slow down, I can read fast, naturally, however as I slowly go blind I am sure I will lose that ability as well. Can those things really be regarded as talents? I can’t parlay them into a lucrative career, are they really marketable? I mean how many job offerings are there for roller skaters?
So here I sit, talentless, losing my looks (quickly) and overwhelmed by life at this point. Needing direction for my life, any suggestions totally welcomed. What do you think I would be good at? Do you think I have a talent?
Real Housewives of New Jersey Stress
Well, another weekend is gone, another three day weekend is gone, I got to spend Friday in Bonham seeing Jeffrey, Elizabeth and Alex. A great day indeed, I spent time at the shop with the boys, and then I went to Elizabeth Anne’s office and got the grand tour.
She has so much Office stuff, from Dunder Mifflin Paper to a Dwight bobble head, so cool! I took pictures and posted them to Facebook, so if you really know me and are friends with me you can see the items there.
Then it was off to pick Tess up from school and take her to Jump Street for an adventure, we jumped and ran and had a ton of fun. Then it was McDonald’s so she could eat and play some more. She made friends with some girls on the playground and had a ton of fun there as well. A good afternoon indeed.
On Saturday, it was Avengers day, I watched everything, from the gag reel to the extended scenes to the one narrated by Joss Whedon. Then I watched the movie again, for the 7th time, yes you are reading correctly, the 7th time, no I did not assimilate into the movie yet. I don’t believe that happens until like the 30th time. So I have plenty of time to pick out my outfit that I will be wearing for all eternity in the film.
I stayed up last night and watched the first part of the reunion show for the Real Housewives of New Jersey. I am so stressed out by that show; Theresa is either living in such denial, is delusional or is a pathological liar. I can’t decide, even when confronted by the fact that she does not write her own blog and doesn’t even know the meanings of the words used in the blog she will not give it up. She put down Caroline for being overweight and not having any plastic surgery. Ok, what kind of world are we living in when women are put down for NOT having plastic surgery? I know I talk about it a lot, wanting to have it, but I would never put down anyone for not having it. My mother and grandmother were beautiful women and they never had plastic surgery. Shame on you Theresa for putting someone down for being natural, shame on you for saying your husband could get more phone numbers at a bar than someone else’s husband. What? Who would brag on something like that amid the rumors of your husband cheating on you? Seriously? I believe Jacqueline over you, it is that simple, as does most of America, I do believe you are narcissistic on a level that is beyond comprehension. I do not believe you were that way the first season, you were more into your daughters and your home life, yes to some extent your looks, however we are all to some extent into our looks, but now you have surpassed everyone on a level that is just scary. Stop putting others down to make yourself feel better and know that when a parent has passed you do not EVER say anything about them that is derogatory in nature. I don’t even know if I can stomach watching the other two installments of the reunion, but I probably will.
Angie World 