Alrighty then!

So the new place is up...still under construction but working as of now.  If you landed here, go over there and check it out.  I will have more loveliness to put up as I chug along...:)

www.qoftu.com

Catastrophic #FAIL or Why Texas Weather Hates Me



if you look closely, you can see the bug who met his maker after eatting all my leaves



Admitedly, it has been a crazy weather season.  I think anyone who may watch television any where could say this year has already been nuts.  This has wreaked havoc with the Beekman seeds I planted.  While my onions and potatoes have done well (except for in this picture where you can see a nasty fat catapiller stripping the leaves) but in the bins further out, the Beekman seeds, well, they got the hell beat out of them.  We, for several odd weeks, alternated between ridiculous hail storms out of no where, then tornados, culminating in a storm that combined the two.  The first four seeds planted, grew to various heights and one by one died a glorious death.  Only the French Breakfast radishes eeked out tiny little bubbles of what they could grow to be...sad indeed.

Now we are facing record breaking temperatures and severe drought.  I am debating planting the next four batches.  We have been trying to move for some time to a more moderate climate and lately, there is finally a bit of action on that effort so I may hold off.  Surely there is some where on the planet thats not over 95 degrees everyday? 

For next year, regardless of where I am, I know I will need some sort of shelter, even if temporary to keep them safe.  So the experiment continues!

I Am Partial to the Fifth

This is brilliant.  The End.

Happy June!

Cutest Cat Twins in the Universe

This is the official anniversary of my time here on Blogger.  It has been a long strange trip these past three years for sure.  I am hoping this month that the great nuggets from this blog are archived in my Volume 1 over on Blurb.com and then I will be moving to QofTU.com.  I am shivering with antici...pation.  I hope you move over there with me and I am working on all sorts of odds and ends to make that experience so much richer.  Forever grateful that some of you tend to stick around.  You rock.

Dallas Comic Con 2011



My favorite thing ever from Halo

 WOW is the only appropriate word to describe the feeling walking into this years DCC.  Living in a household decidedly on the geeky side, it is surprising that we have not attended one previously.  I have long lusted after the potential of heading to San Diego one year, but this was a nice substitution for a few hours. 

Little Monkey has oft requested a trip to a comic store over the past year and expressed her desire to start a series and collect on her own.  Boy did she get a great start!  She bought for her first book a Fantastic Four #44 The Gentleman's Name is Gorgon.  She was pretty excited. After that, she met the great guys at Red 5 Comics and fell in love.  These guys have a series called NeoZoic featuring a strong female lead (of which she bought the first series) and one called Atomic Robo (of which she got four) who is a robot created by Tesla to fight evil.  I will say the issue in which he fights Edison's ghost is greatness.  This morning, she burst out of her room, exclaiming:

"Mom! I was reading one of them last night and it was MADE JUST FOR ME!  There is a character named Emma AND a dinosaur with GUNS!  How cool is that?" 

I think they have a fan...LOL The have a great app if you are interested in checking out first issues of their titles for free.  You can locate it here at Comixology.

After that, Little Monkey scored the sketchbook and autograph of the great and wonderful Todd Nauck. He was quite kind to the 10 year old and that would make every geek mom happy.  Little Monkey keeps drawing, writing and creating her comic strips so who knows where that will lead one day!

Mandatory Spock ears when entering DCC




                                                                

Meet Joe Dalek

            



While Little Monkey was going comic crazy, Middle Monkey was loading up on all things Doctor Who.  I have been a fan most of my teen to adult life.  This is a habit I firmly planted in the minds of my children, mostly because they see me wrap up in my Tom Baker scarf every time its a little cold.  They snagged the card for Kevin Leen from whom they intend to amazing purchase sketches from online.  We bumped into The Brother Gromm and their Farbis Tardis that bordered on brilliant.  Middle Monkey wanted to buy it.  When meeting D. Wilborn from Urban Gallery, they commissioned sketches of the 11th Doctor which turned out great. He was incredibly kind to them and graciously provided two sketches for them of their beloved Matt Smith.  (IMHO this should be Peter Davidson but what do I know?) 

From the great and wonderful Oz, oops, I mean David Wilborn



Both girl monkeys loaded up on buttons from Kristin Hogan who was so sweet to my girls as well as Halo.  As you see the first pic in this post is Halo's and too good to wait until the end.  As a food geek and Doctor Who nerd, I can not imagine a more perfect combo in a piece than this.  I am frame hunting today and this is going some where in my kitchen.  I will throw shit out to make a space if I have to...she happens to be super cool as well.  All in all, an awesome experience for the girls and them getting to witness kick ass girl power in action.  Even Kman loaded up on Zombie t-shirts and Conan comics and I scored a Wonder Woman pendant (priorities right?). 

Thank you so much Dallas Comic Con for making it such a great experience for girl nerds!  There are a lot more of us out there than you think...:)

Consorting with the Dark Side

One person CAN make a difference

I was watching TV this morning and again, energy company commercials are running trying to scare people into forcing elected officials into keeping subsidies in place.  Seriously, people, get with it...an industry that posts BILLIONS in profits can afford to pay their taxes!  Jobs won't be cut from it but if they do, I would be okay with it being this guy:

Chairman and CEO, EXXON MOBIL CORP (XOM), Headquarters: IRVING, TX


In 2010, R. W. Tillerson received $28,952,558 in total compensation. By comparison, the median worker made $33,190 in 2010. R. W. Tillerson made 872 times the median worker's pay.

Seriously, its time for Americans to be outraged.  Click here and search for ANY of the corporations that operate here and see what they are paying the guy in charge and then explain to me why they can't pay taxes.  I just don't believe it.  Vote for candidates willing to end corporate welfare.  This is a way to help our country by ending subsidies that could pay our debt!  Tell a friend, write a letter to your Congressman, DO SOMETHING!

I submit a much better way of spending a tiny amount of money...feeding people:

The Comforts of Home

Cross posted at Vet Voice and Daily Kos

I love my home.  Although I wished I owned my own, no matter where I live, I make it my own.  After years of living in large places, downsizing allowed me to choose only the things I love and cherish them.  In today's society that thrives on reality television, I think the idea of this has diminshed a great deal.  So many people need crisis as a distraction and things as comfort.  I hope that people wake up this morning and look at this squarely in the face and recognize the shift that needs to occur, both in themselves and this country.

Last night, I received a call from my brother and I was instantly transported to a call from my sister on 9/11.  Living in Hawaii at the time, I was not yet awake to have knowledge of the most horrific sight I have witnessed in all of my 42 years.  That day, it took me eight hours to get in touch with my brother, who was to have been working in the Pentagon on a contract.  I can not ever remember being more frightened in my life.  My entire family worked in Federal or Local government buildings at the time and the lines to all of them were jammed.  Waking up to another call, yet on the other side of the emotional spectrum, was surprising.  I can honestly say, I never thought I would see this in my life time.

Most of my life I have lived as a military dependant and now, sharing my home with a combat disabled Veteran and former Gitmo guard, I have never more acutely aware of how much I love my home and its comforts.  The love of my life lost much of his hearing, his ability to sleep at night and friends he worked along side.  Outside of being an operator myself, I believe I am supremely aware of the sacrifices made by service members as well as the greatest asset we have; I am so grateful for our intellegence community and special ops groups.  THIS is how you get something done.  This is the best of the best and it is great to see when it works.  I also am thankful that our Commander in Chief was willing to commit to the decision and its execution.

Too often Americans go through our lives, focused so narrowly that we do not do enough.  I know I am not one of those.  I work to feed and clothe the homeless, to help facilitate elections and educate the populations.  I have given up days of my own to ensure fair and accessable elections, I write letters to members of government, corporations, and organizations.  I say the things that other people are frightened of.  One day I hope that in some small way, I inspire others to do the same.  As impatient as I can be, I am not going to sit around waiting for that to happen.  In the spirit of some peoples new found patriotism today, I ask you to do something, anything, to make your country a better place.  If everyone would pitch in, even just an hour a week, we could restore our country to its former glory.  This cannot happen without all of us.  Stop relying on someone else to fix our economy/community/government.  Do something.  NOW.

Need a suggestion?  Too easy:

Volunteer--Teens can get busy right now. Go to Do Something and sign up today!

GOTV--No matter your political party, you can help get people to the polls on Election Day. Just one day to volunteer is not a lot to ask. Contact your local Party office or Candidate of choice and tell them you want to participate in the GOTV events in your area.

Register to Vote--If you aren’t registered to vote, please do so now. As a grown up that lives in this country, there is really not an excuse for not being responsible enough to exercise your civic duty. If you still don’t, then please don’t complain. You sign away your rights to complain about any politicians when you decide not to elect responsible representation.

Give money--Not everyone has millions to give to charity, however did you know that 40 meals can be provided by a food bank on approximately a $10 donation? Each pay day, I find the extra $5 or $10 to give, even when times are so tight for us. There are many charities that could do so much even with such small amounts, find one in your area.

Teach--Change the world. You could be the teacher that inspires a child that cures a disease, develops cheap renewable energy or engineer’s world peace. It could happen.

Write a letter or Make a call--What is an issue that is important to you? It takes less than 20 minutes for most organizations to make a call or write a letter of support/complaint/request to legislators that can be influenced by their constituents. Many causes will have letters that auto-populate so that you don’t even have to write the text which takes less than 5 minutes. While it may seem trivial, even in 2011, this is how things get done. Don’t believe me? Ask the folks in Wisconsin who are slowly getting recall petitions filed against many of their state politicians. This started one signature at a time and now it’s in the thousands. Each one makes a difference. You can make a difference.

You already do stuff? You got this covered, you are on top of this? Consider sharing then with people that don’t. Information and education. We can change the world this way, I believe it!

Ch-ch-ch-check it out!

My love for this can not be described but the shear number of stars in this video make me believe wholeheartedly in how awesome everyone thinks these guys are.  I have missed them so!  ENJOY!

 I love this man.  That is all.

eat local: CSA week 2



nom nom nom



On my second week of CSA, the farmer brought to me:

U choy, Bok Choy, Pok Choy, Pole Beans, Parsley, Red onions, Tomatoes, Red Leaf Lettuce, Fingerling Potatoes, Squash, my Egg Share and I bought a Cantaloupe

It’s been a weird week. Because of the storms, they have had issues with any of the greens that normally would have been available and a large portion of this list, I would never have used. Nonetheless, we got busy. I failed to get the name of the squash but one of the volunteers told me that they are best used like cucumbers and boy was she right! I have used the mandolin to slice them for salads and some nights we have had them drizzled with balsamic vinegar…YUM. The parsley, tomatoes and one of the baby onions were used up in my favorite bucatini recipe from Rachel Ray that you can get here. The choys have freaked me out but at the suggestion from the CSA, we opted for grilling them. I took the baby bok choy and split them down the middle, rubbed them with garlic, sprinkled with salt and pepper drizzled with olive oil and threw them on the grill. I didn’t leave them on long and turned them back and forth frequently until the leaves just began to wilt. Pretty tasty business…some where in between celery and lettuce in taste and texture. I think I would actually use them again.

I feel like the Iron Chef and I am enjoying my cooking challenges. What are you cooking this week?

Good Morning

In greeting the sun,

I find my day begun,

It’s just as well.

Resolute in my plan,

Where previously I ran,

It’s just as well.

Do what I must,

My decisions I trust,

It’s just as well.

I know that I am okay,

My vision no longer gray,

It’s just as well.



eat local: CSA and Cooking

This week was our first pick up from our CSA share. I wasn’t sure what to expect or how we would like it but overall I am mucho impressed. Aside from being a foodie and loving to cook with fresh stuff, I found the quality far better than the organic I buy in the store. I also calculated out how much we are spending and this came in as cheaper for us (a family of four). Definitely will be doing this again!

Bubble, bubble...

I have some pics to share and some ideas for what to do with the things we picked up. I love to cook so this isn’t a big deal for me but I recognize everyone needs some inspiration from time to time. My biggest piece of advice is it isn’t really that hard. Some things you get right, some things you mess up. I am constantly evaluating “how can this be better” when I eat. Don’t be afraid, branch out. 

A pasta sauce is always a great place to add loads of veggies or use up some you may have over ripe or wilting in your "crisper" drawer.  You also don't have to always make it from scratch.  There are a couple of great canned sauces and a few jars of them that make acceptable bases for whatever you can dream up.  For these meals I was looking for both fast and incorporating fresh ingredients.  My leftover sauce became topping for home made pizza another day!

This was more tasty than I can describe!

TURKEY BOLOGNESE


One pound of ground turkey, browned

One jar of your favorite marinara (I love Mario Batalis!)

One red tomato, chopped

One yellow tomato, chopped

Two Tablespoons of chopped garlic (yes, I add extra to everything)

Through all of this in a pan, stir; simmer on low for 30 minutes with the lid on. Stir every couple of minutes. This can stay on as long as you need if you want to throw together a salad or finish a load of laundry. When you are ready to eat, heat water in another pot to boiling, adding a couple of teaspoons of EVOO and a pinch of salt to it. Once the water is at a good rolling boil, drop in the fresh pasta (bought a couple of packs at the pick up), stir to coat with the olive oil and boil for two minutes. Drain and plate. YUM! (Yes, it’s that easy)

Love the color of free range eggs!

OMELETTE

The secret to good omelets is one Tablespoon of cold water per egg you are using. Have anything you want to go on the inside chopped in advance (at this point I also put meat and veggie ingredients on a small plate in the microwave for 20 seconds to take the chill off from the fridge). Drizzle the pan with EVOO and let it heat up on medium for a bit. I pour in the beaten eggs when I can feel that the bottom of the pan is warm. You let this coat the pan, swirl it a bit and when it begins to look cooked around the edges, use a small spatula to pick up the edges. Once the omelet is released on the edges, shake the pan a bit and the entire piece should be able to slide back and forth because of the EVOO you put in. At this point, I break small holes with the spatula into the base and let the remaining runny egg fill these places so it will cook. Once it begins to look cooked BUT NOT DRY I put the contents on. Using the handle of the pan as a guide, place your meat/veggie/cheese combo along one side of the egg base. When this is done, use the spatula to gently fold over the empty side and cover the contents with it. Leave it in for a bit to heat/melt it through and slide it out on a plate. This also takes practice and if you want a super stuffed omelet, sometimes it breaks. This doesn’t matter because it’s tasty and you can use some extra bits of the stuffing to cover any tears. Eat up!

In progress, wild boar sausage and fresh made pasta

Finished product, weird color but SO tasty!

WILD BOAR ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND PESTO PASTA

Aside from being a hunter extraordinaire, my man tends to load things on the grill for me once or twice a week because he is awesome like that. I find if I have everything selected that I know I will use as ingredients during the week, the actual cooking during the week is faster AND gets done instead of reverting to the “eggs and toast anyone?” This week, he grilled 6 chicken breasts and 6 wild boar Italian sausages in advance. The chicken breasts were consumed with a great salad and I took two of the sausages to prepare with the pasta. For the sausage, I sliced these in circles and put them in a pan with a bit of EVOO on medium low with the lid on. Periodically, I flip the slices over. This allows them to heat through and get a crusty exterior while waiting on the pasta. I put on water in another pot to boiling, adding a couple of teaspoons of olive oil and a pinch of salt to it. Once the water is at a good rolling boil, drop in the fresh pasta, stir to coat with the olive oil and boil for two minutes. I grabbed two plates and divided the sausage between them, returning the skillet to the eye quickly. I used a pasta fork to pull the pasta from the boiling water and put it into the skillet with the drippings, adding about 2 Tablespoons of pasta water. I dropped in 3 Tablespoons of basil pesto (Whole Foods 365 brand is great to have in the fridge but you can make your own). Stir quickly here to incorporate the pasta water with the pesto and coat the noodles. I divided this between two plates and got to the eating part. This whole process was about 10 minutes since I had pre-cooked the sausage.

All in all, it was a great experience and I am looking forward to future boxes. This is just two days of stuff so I will have another post later with more stuff.  I think this has made the eat well and in season thing MUCH easier. Find a CSA in your area and try it out. Remember, cooking is not about being perfect, it is about experimenting and learning about things you didn’t realize you could do! (And you can do it, I know you can!)

Enough Said

Mr. Harvey Pants

Today

Today I exhale
I have no more worries
because my path is clear

Today I exhale
my mind turns from restless wander
to one of focused calm

Today I exhale
and breathe deep the wind
the light, the rain

Today I exhale
marrying my purpose
with my joy that fills my heart

Today I exhale
resolute in my path
and viewing happiness as a welcomed friend

The Good Life

I hope I live my life as well as my cats.  If I can be this happy, I have done something right!

Set Your Intentions for 2011

It’s that time of year again and I am here to ask, have you set your intentions for 2011? I have talked about this before and have had a great deal of experience with how resolutions don’t work. I just don’t think it is the right way to create a change you are looking for. I mean, you will “try” to do better? I can hear Yoda telling me now, on some far off planet that there is no try, only do. Trying admits you might fail. My solution? Set intentions!


The great thing about intentions is that it’s almost like a continuing bucket list. I have some great adventures planned (the hike to Machu Picchu) and some little victories (finally learning to sew) and some in between (being back in graduate school). I made most of my Christmas decorations and gifts (which wasn’t planned) and started a letter writing project (which I have come to adore). This has helped me set myself on a path to actual accomplishment. While 2010 started with me despising a certain fitness celebrity, it is ended with me losing weight and setting a daily exercise goal. Am I perfect? No, but I am on the path to where I want to be. This year I set and met my intentions of learning to bake artisan breads, canning and pickling and reading more. As I start on my list for the next year, I am wondering, what are your intentions for 2011?

My intentions list for 2011:

I will learn to sew

I will learn to make pasta from scratch

I will learn basic cake decoration

I will visit Machu Picchu

I will further my study of meditation

I will complete my second NANOWRIMO

More Money Saving

As I mentioned before, the sites Opinion Outpost and Swagbucks continue to produce well for me and are worth repeating again. Currently my budget on books/cookbooks/CDs/DVDs is gone, I don’t get them if they aren’t free. Since both sites allow you to purchase Amazon gift cards (where I found the Prime deal to be too good to pass up) I get everything shipped for free. I am also finding Amazon to be a great place for deals on cookware and other kitchen stuff so if you have never compared prices before, it may be your quickest way to save a few bucks with virtually zero effort.

While we talked a bit about couponing, I have had questions, often followed with the “I just don’t have time” statement. I am busy too but I promise, once you learn how it works, it will take no time at all. To help, I thought today I would provide an example of my effort yesterday. While I tend to go straight to Coupon Geek or My Dallas Mommy (great for local stuff in DFW but A LOT of little kid stuff that doesn’t really apply to me), I have learned to do searches weekly as well. Yesterday it took me roughly 20 minutes to go through the list of three stores, opting instead to get everything at Target that I needed this week because the price was comparable. I do a search for “Target weekly deals 4/4/10” and get my list. First rule of thumb, if something is free, grab it. (Even if you don’t use it nor know someone that will, it can always go in a box for food bank/shelter donations). Second, if it’s cheaper than $2 and you have enough for multiples, stock up. Currently, I am stocked up on cleaning supplies and Lysol from sales several months ago. This is important for items that are at times pricey or stuff that you use ridiculous amounts of. The great thing about Target these days is they offer their own web coupons in addition to the manufacturer coupons you may already have. This was my haul yesterday:

2 lbs of Butterball Healthy Turkey sliced fresh at the deli
4 cartons of Tropicana 50
3 pints of Archer Farms Ice Cream
4 GE Energy Smart compact fluorescent bulbs
1 No Touch Lysol soap dispenser
1 Air Wick I-Motion oil dispenser
1 Dove antiperspirant
1 Right Guard antiperspirant
1 Fusion razor

If you are a regular grocery shopper, you will notice that those are some of the most expensive items at the store. My total came to $78.96 before I handed over my coupons. My only error in this trip is for whatever reason I did not have a coupon for Butterball deli purchases (I try to never buy anything that I don’t have even a small coupon for). After coupons, my total was $36.84.

Basically, I got $42.12 for free. So let’s add this up and calculate it in terms maybe everyone can understand—20 min of time researching deals and pulling coupons in advance, 5 mins of drive time each way, 30 mins in the store paid me $42.12. How many people do you know that make $42.12 an hour? Just imagine if you can pull that kind of savings in on each trip to the store? I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I can afford not to. It allows me to have things that normally would be out of the question on my budget and allows me to spend more time with my kids than if I was working 10 hours a day out of the house. The benefits are endless.

Along the same idea is saving money by taking care of yourself. If you haven’t heard about the NeilMed sinus nasal rinse, go get one. If you can tolerate the sensation, you will have no allergy issues this year and get rid of colds as soon as you feel them coming on. I cannot overemphasize the effectiveness of these. The idea of going drug free through allergy season is reason enough to try them. To complement that, I would highly suggest the addition of supplements to whatever you are already taking in the form of garlic capsules, Emergen C and chamomile tea for the same reasons. We escaped flu season in this house, I believe as a direct result of the use of these products which is always remarkable to me with a little monkey still in elementary school.

For women and your business and professional development, the best singular source I can mention to you where you can get tips and free, quality advice is from Tory Johnson. A long time contributor to Good Morning America, Tory has a great site and social networking that’s out of this world. I participated in a call I found out about on LinkedIn this week in which she handed out GREAT information for a 45 minute session. Of course, she has a great book and retreats that you can participate in but for your initial bump of information and inspiration if you are looking to start or expand business, you can’t get better information anywhere.

Finally if you are still part of the “I must eat out every week”, My Dallas Mommy has a great list of places where kids are free or half off on a regular basis.

Save a few bucks this week, you will feel better and it gives you room to breathe!

Money Making Madness

So, amidst all the New Year's intentions and learning to make exercise a self-loving habit, I have also been busy learning new ways to have the things we want without the cost. The prospect of being a full time graduate student, aside from the work, brings about visions of the ridiculous expense. While it is temporary, I thought I would share what I have learned over the last six months in case you are looking for ways to afford more of what you want during these tough times:

Swagbucks This one has been completely effortless. While there are many, many ways to earn points here, the easiest is by using it as a search engine ALL THE TIME. I have begun even putting in my favorite sites or even those I book marked because it goes towards my points tally AND moves them up in the search results. These point can be traded for all kinds of "swag" as they add up but I turn them into Amazon gift cards. I started this in November along with Opinion Outpost and paid for about half of my Christmas gifts between the two. This year, I am saving both up and using them to pay for Christmas gifts exclusively. Whatever I accumulate will be my budget for those items and I will not spend out of pocket this year for that. What a concept right?

Opinion Outpost I have loved this one for several reason. Unlike Swagbucks, this is CASH folks. You can turn in into Amazon gift cards immediately (Swagbucks posts on the 16th and the 30th) but instead, you can get a check cut directly to you. I have earned $70 since November and its super easy. You will get email notifications as soon as something matching your demographics pops up and the faster you can complete them the better (once they have enough applicants, it closes). I have gotten to see preview of new movies, video games, foods, etc. and voice my opinions on my everyday purchases all the way to public policy. It allows me to contribute on a larger scale to influence the things I would use anyway. I can't gush enough about this one.

Coupon Geek This is my favorite money saving blogs. She compiles SO much good info on all the sales and where she cant, she finds the links to folks that do. I used to think I could not afford to spend the time to do the clipping and research but now I simply pick up the paper, clip on Sunday and check in with Jaycie on Monday or Tuesday. I am also on her mailing list so I don't miss any free samples! I stock my pantry and organize the weeks meals based on what is on sale. I regularly get approximately $40 off my bill each week and am working to cut my already small grocery budget even smaller. It is now a fun challenge instead of an overwhelming task.

House Party This site is cool. You can throw parties for you and 10 friends and receive free stuff and coupons for free products for you all. My first one is for Oscar Meyer Turkey Bacon. Free is always good!

Vocalpoint This site is great because it is a place where you can voice your opinion and doing so puts you on the list for special offers to purchase before items are available in stores, coupons, contests and loads of other things. I got the new Tide sticks and wrinkle release this way at a discounted rate.

W Originals This is one of my favorite magazines and most of them have a similar program so check the website for your favorite. I am part of a reader panel where I complete surveys for a variety of things. Last year I won $500, a study of Lancome eye cream in which I received a full size jar and a new skincare trial of something not yet on the market that I am currently participating in. Totally worth the time.

Recycle Bank Similar to Swagbucks this site allows you to earn points for free stuff. I am currently stocked up on pistachios for a couple of months because I combine free bag and $2 off coupons with a BOGO sale at Kroger netting me bags for 99cents a piece (these are normally $6.99). Great deal and healthy snack.

Kashless This site is great. Put in your zip code and find things in your area people are getting rid of for free. There are appliances, furniture and more, just for your willingness to pick it up. A great way to find treasures.

There are a TON of other things. I am thinking about doing this weekly. Hopefully you find something here that will help you too!

Lator gators. :)

I'm not MIA, I had an MRI

Which for the record is probably the reason that people with claustrophobia actually realize they have claustrophobia. Geeze Louise, I felt like a sardine (except alive and less salty). So now the waiting begins...::taps nails on table::

Its kinda weird, the process by which you find out if you are a little sick, or a lot sick. I imagine everyone has different levels of freak out and were I not a parent, I think my freak out level would be decidedly lower. Lots to think about and some things on my list that will bump up in priority but I came to one STUNNING conclusion.

It's all good.

Seriously.

It's totally fine.

Being sick, no matter what kind of sick it is, sucks. I will give you that. But I am insanely lucky to live the life I have. I have such funny friends. I have the best kids on the planet. I do things I want and don't wait for permission. I have been working on a "TO DO" list for over ten years, places to see, things to try, goals to accomplish and the stellar thing is, I am constantly rebuilding my list. It's awesome, I get to live a life where I don't regret ANYTHING.

Not many people can say that.

So make a list of your own. Those of you that have skydiving on the list, I am thinking August sounds like a goal to shoot for, who's going with me?

Peace!

June Year's Resolution

I flippin love Urban Dictionary, if you aren't on their word of the day, you should be. So today is a phrase really that signifies you readjusting your expectations and going over failed resolutions. I always set intentions, rather than resolutions, because if you don't intend to actually do it, what's the point. This is part of my blog from December on what I "intended to get done this year":

So my dear friends, I set my intentions a few days early this year...I will loose at least another 30 pounds followed by a couple of surgical enhancements (LOL), spread the peace in my life into the lives of others, get promoted early this year, try to see more bands this year than I did last year, find someone brave enough to ride all the coasters at Six Flags with me in the same day, jump out of an airplane (okay, not by myself but in a tandem jump), complete an improv class, road trip to see Mt. Rushmore, begin to learn French and HOPEFULLY travel to a minimum of three different countries this year. Oh, and that's just for the first nine months of the year...I am still working on what to do after September but maybe you can give me some ideas? My question for you is:

WHAT DO YOU INTEND TO ACCOMPLISH THIS YEAR?

Well, I am 12 pounds down, working on finding enough peace in my life so I can share, completed the improv class and starting the next one, I've seen four or five new bands already this year, working on skydiving by August...geeze, I am EXHAUSTED!

Have you given up on yours or held fast to those resolutions from six months ago?