"Hello" Feburary

...and "Goodbye" January!

No "news" here. As usual I've been a slacker at blogging. It seems the only reality of my blogging efforts is to refresh the appearance of my blog with current "themed" decor.

I don't even know if my blog is read by others anymore, because I am a "Hit or Miss" kinda girl when it comes to writing down my thoughts. So bad so (I hate to even admit) that I had a difficult time remembering my own blog site link and had to start at "Blogger.com" to sign in first. Now that's just wrong - seriously wrong!

I have a very good excuse, though (don't I always?).

I've been without my laptop since January 1st. A great way to start the new year (not!). And I just found out that the board of all boards - the "Mother board" is Shot! Kaput! Finito! Dead! Done! Gone!

How does that even happen? Seriously?

Is there a timer that is placed inside these computers that sets off a chain reaction as soon as your "warranty" has expired?

Thankfully, I purchased my HP at Costco, which then added one year to my warranty, and then because I purchased it with my American Express, I had another year slapped on. So...Ha! to the end of warranty computer geek that tried to sabotage my poor laptop.

And now I am wondering what will Am Ex decide? Will they want to pay $784 to repair the "mother board"? On top of an addition $90 just to get the estimate for repair? Or will they merely refund my original purchase price of $1400?

And more importantly, "What do I want or hope they do?" And "Should I buy another HP?" Some have even said I should go "Mac". These are just a few thoughts racing around in my mind; along with more important thoughts like "How is it February already?" and "Who took my Egg-O?!" Okay, that last one I made up.

Besides, I've lived the past month using my husband's computer. Not that he's thrilled about that. But he tolerates me playing "Farkle" on Facebook. And checking my e-Bay sales.

I suppose I'd be doing more on his, but my Blackberry and iTouch have been good coverage while I'm waiting to hear about the outcome of my laptop's life or demise.

So, that was pretty much my January. I'm really looking forward to a better February themed blog now that I've gotten this all off my chest.

If you were a little girl in the 70's...

You had that Fisher Price Doctor's Kit with a stethoscope that actually worked. No



You owned a bicycle with a banana seat and a plastic basket with flowers on it. Yes - the seat was gold




You learned to skate with actual skates (not roller blades) that had metal wheels. Yes




You thought Gopher from Love Boat was cute (admit it!) Yes





You had nightmares after watching Fantasy Island . No





You had either a 'bowl cut' or 'pixie', not to mention the 'Dorothy Hamill'. Dorothy





People sometimes thought you were a boy. No - I was far too developed for that mistake





You had rubber boots for rainy days and Moon boots for snowy days. Moon boots - in California, seems silly doesn't it :)





YEAH! You owned a 'Slip-n-Slide', on which you injured yourself on a sprinkler head more than once. Yes - how funny how I forgot these silly little details.





You owned 'Klick-Klacks' and smacked yourself in the face more than once! Yes & No; Yes I owned them; but I hit my hands not my face.





Your Holly Hobbie sleeping bag was your most prized possession. No - Don't recall being into Holly Hobbie.





You wore a poncho, gauchos, and knickers. OMG! Yes I did to ALL.





You begged Santa for the electronic game, Simon. No - But I was into the Ouija board. Did I ever tell you that my birth mom is Betty White (the actress). Ha!




You had the Donnie and Marie dolls with those pink and purple satiny shredded outfits, or the sunshine family No - How did I miss out on these? Guess the TV show was all I needed.




You spent hours in your backyard on your metal swing set with the trapeze. The swing set tipped over at least once. No - Missed out again.




You had homemade ribbon barrettes in every imaginable color. No




(Oh yeah!)You had a pair of Doctor Scholl's sandals (the ones with hard sole & the buckle). Yes




You also had a pair of salt-water sandals. No - at least I don't think so?




You wanted to be Laura Ingalls Wilder really bad; you wore that Little House on the Prairie-inspired plaid, ruffle shirt with the high neck in at least one school picture; and you despised Nellie Oleson! No - I liked the show; but never wanted to be Laura; wanted to be her older sister, Mary - but did hate Nellie (I mean - who didn't).




You wanted your first kiss to be at a roller rink! No - but loved the roller rink!





PONG! ('video tennis' ) was the most remarkable futuristic game you've ever heard of ! Yes!





Your hairstyle was described as having 'wings' or 'feathers' and you kept it 'pretty' with the comb you kept in your back pocket. When you walked, the 'wings' flapped up and down, looked like you were gonna 'take off' . Yes! Feathered baby!





You know who Strawberry Shortcake is, as well as her friends, Blueberry Muffin and Huckleberry Pie. Yes





You carried a Muppets lunch box to school and it was metal, not plastic. With the thermos inside some were glass inside and broke the first time you dropped them. No





You and your girlfriends would fight over which of the Dukes of Hazzard was your boyfriend. Yes





YOU had Star Wars action figures, too! Yes - loved Chewbaca





It was a big event in your household each year when the 'Wizard of Oz' would come on TV. Your mom would break out the popcorn and sleeping bags! Yes & No - Yes to Wizard of Oz AND Chitty Chitty Bang Bang but No - to popcorn and sleeping bags.





You often asked your Magic-8 ball the question: 'Who will I marry. Shaun Cassidy, Leif Garrett, or David Cassidy?' Yes - scary how accurate this question is. My true love was Leif.




You completely wore out your Grease, Saturday Night Fever, and Fame soundtrack record album. Yes - and don't forget Thank God It's Friday, too.




You tried to do lots of arts and crafts, like yarn and Popsicle-stick God's eyes, decoupage, or those weird potholders made on a plastic loom. Yes - but had to look up God's eye (didn't know that's what it was called). And don't forget macrame hanging pot/plant holders. :)












You made Shrinky-Dinks and put iron-on kittens on your t-shirts! Yes - I had a blast with Shrinky-Dinks. Made all kinds of jewelry. Did the iron-on thing, too.

You used to tape record songs off the radio by holding your portable tape player up to the speaker. Yes - I had a hand held transistor radio. And my favorite radio station was KEZY (Anaheim).

You had subscriptions to Dynamite and Tiger Beat. No - But I did read Teen Idol / Tiger Beat / and Mad Magazine

You learned everything you needed to know about girl issues from Judy Blume books. (Are you there God, It's me, Margaret.) No - But I did read Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys

You thought Olivia Newton John's song 'Physical' was about aerobics. (?? its not??) No - But I wanted to be Olivia Newton John and played her album "Have you Never been Mellow" over and over and over again.

You wore friendship pins on your tennis shoes, or shoelaces with heart or rainbowdesigns. No

You wanted to be a Solid Gold dancer. OH YEAH!!!

You drowned yourself in Love's Baby Soft - which was the first 'real' perfume you ever owned. No- But I did use Avon perfume pots.

You glopped your lips in Strawberry Roll-on lip-gloss till it almost dripped off. Yes - and I also used Avon LipGloss pots.

Just For Fun

THREE NAMES FOR YOU - Nicknames too!

1. Melanie

2. wife

3. friend/neighbor

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:

1. eyes

2. smile

3. toes

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU DON'T LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:

1. tummy

2. fanny

3. hair

THREE PARTS OF YOUR HERITAGE:

1. Irish

2. Scotish

3. Polish

THREE THINGS THAT SCARE YOU:

1. having a heartattack

2. my husband's health

3. getting "the phone call" with bad news

THREE OF YOUR EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS:

1. starbucks

2. purse

3. walking the dogs

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE SONGS - currently:

1. Instead - Madeleine Peyroux

2. How Can I Keep from Singing - Chris Tomlin

3. Jai Ho - Slumdog Millionaire (soundtrack)

THREE THINGS YOU WANT IN A RELATIONSHIP:

1. trust

2. honesty

3. respect

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE HOBBIES:

1. listening to music

2. knitting

3. blogging

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO REALLY BADLY RIGHT NOW:

1. get a massage

2. get a massage

3. get a massage

THREE CAREERS YOU'RE CONSIDERING/YOU'VE CONSIDERED:

1. teacher

2. graphic artist

3. hair stylist

THREE PLACES YOU WANT TO GO ON VACATION:

1. Greece

2. East Coast

3. Back to Italy

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE:

1. go to a third-world country

2. volunteer my time to those in greater need

3. help build a house from scratch

THREE WAYS THAT YOU ARE STEREOTYPICALLY A GIRL (or guy):

1. I love romance

2. Tiffany Blue is my favorite color

3. I'm all about the pampering

THREE CELEB IDOLS (you like to look at):

1. Hugh Jackman

2. ? ? ?

3. ? ? ?

A to Z of me...



A - Age: 46

B - Bed size: Queen (thank goodness it didn't ask Bra size - LoL)

C - Chore you hate: Cleaning the toilet

D - Dessert you love: Chocolate Lava Cake

E - Essential start your day item: Decaf coffee or Tea

F - Favorite Actor: Johnny Depp

G - Gold or Silver: Silver

H - Height: 5'7"

I - Instruments you play: None, really. I simply sing.

J - Job title: Executive Assistant

L - Living Arrangements: My husband, an 8 year old boxer & a 2 yr old puggle.

M - Music you like: It all depends on my mood

N - Nicknames: Babe...Mel...Smellie...Melnie...Toast...

O - Open or Closed minded: Open (for the most part)

P - Phobia: Riding in the car with someone on a winding mountain road

Q - Quote(s) you like: Live simply, Love generously, Care deeply, Speak kindly, Leave the rest to God

R - Right or left handed: Right

S - Siblings: Only child (but several adopted family-friends)

T - Time you woke up today: 6:00 a.m.

U - Unique habit: Unique? Buying cards "way in advance" for friends.

V - Vegetable you hate: Cauliflower

W - Worst habit: Interupting someone while in conversation

X - X-rays you've had: Most all; but no MRI (yet)

Y - Yummy food you just made: Shepherd's Pie (www.thecookingguy.com/cookbook/recipe.php?id=433)

Z - Zodiac Sign: Cancer

VIVA LOST WAGES aka LAS VEGAS


My girlfriend aka Big Sis, Karen (who now resides in paradise, literally) started an annual tradition for my birthday. She would take me to Vegas. I believe it started on my 35th? Heck, it's been awhile since that first Birthday trip and what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, right? Well, at least those lost brain cells do - HA!




So when I met my hubby (then boyfriend), he took over the honors (if you will); as my girlfriend lived too far away to keep the tradition going (every year).



She and I do, however, still meet up in Vegas for my birthday (when we can). It's definitely difficult to go there and not think of her. I mean, we've had some rip roaring times. We would always stay at NY NY and visit our favorite bartender. He's still there and when either of us go (with or without each other), we always try to stop by and say "Hi" to him.


Anyway, I was thrilled Jim decided to take 4 days off work (what a gift) while I'm on my 2 week vacation. So we packed up the Prius and left this past Wednesday night (7/23); arriving in "Sin City" about 11:30 p.m. This time we stayed at the Mirage (our first time at this resort). We decided to crash (instead of gamble) to get an early start on Thursday.



Thursday, after a tasty breakfast at the Carnegie Deli we gambled a little. My first time playing "eBay" which is appropriate for the both of us (as many of you know). It was a lot of fun and I won $90 right off the bat! We wandered around from machine to machine until we became bored.

Next we walked (yes, I said walked) over to the Bellagio (beautiful resort) and had a late lunch at "Olives". One of our favorite destinations. We sat on the patio and enjoyed the water show.


"Olives" patio enjoying good food and good company.

"Olives" patio watching the water show.

After lunch we found a really fun slot machine there called "Invasion from the Planet Moolah". We both did really well playing that game. I know my girlfriend, Karen would love this game (if she hasn't already discovered it on her own?). Why? Because it has cows in it. What a kick!

I got in trouble for taking this picture. No cameras in the casinos. Hmmm...why didn't anyone get annoyed with the eBay picture???

After awhile, we walked back to our Resort, went upstairs (took the elevator - thank goodness), and Jim took a nap while I relaxed and did my nails. After a power nap of 2 hours Mr. Black awoke refreshed and we headed downstairs for some dinner at BLT Burgers (a casual eclectic burger joint). I think we were done with walking so we took the tram from the Mirage to Treasure Island. Not my favorite casino as it's super smoky (poor ventilation), though we made the most of it (as we weren't really tired). We finally got back to our pad crashed around 1:30 a.m.


After room service delivered breakfast around 9 a.m. Friday found us at Mirage's Secret Garden & Dolphin Habitat I took pictures of all the furry (and not so furry "dolphins") creatures. However, did you know that dolphins are born with hair, then lose it? Yeah, me neither. Anyway...

Tigers resting in the heat of the day.

White Tiger cooling off in the water.

5 three month old tiger cubs. They were so fun to watch.

Check out the size of that paw. They will grow to 500 lbs. Wow!

Most of the babies were napping except for this extraordinary cub. Check out it's markings.

After the garden we walked (again with the walking) across Las Vegas Blvd. to the Venetian and their newest tower "Grazie". Wow! It's just insanely amazing all the money that goes into these resorts.




Not only that, the MGM Mirage is building this huge City Center on the strip where you can buy a condo (which they tried to sell me - Ha! And can you believe they tried to entice me with two pieces of chocolate!? Helloooo - maybe a $100 could get me to think about it. Okay - or a large box of chocolates). There are 4 towers going up along with a casino, etc. Check out the link above. It's suppose to open in 2009. Let me tell you, it took us forever to walk (yes, walk) from the Bellagio past this hunormous construction site to the NY NY resort. The site is situated between Bellagio and Monte Carlo.


But I digress, after strolling around the Venetian, we headed back to the Bellagio for another late lunch (but this time) at Noodles. They serve Dim Sum (YUM). We then gambled a little and took off to our next destination - NY NY to see if our favorite bartender was working (which he was). He served us several yummy martinis (my choice - Pearl Pomegranate and Jim's choice - Grey Goose). We must have sat and played Black Jack slots for over 2 hours. I'm going to brag and say I used the same $20 and walked away with $80; while my dear, sweet husband invested many $20's; but we had fun, nonetheless.



Then off to dinner at Border Grill at Mandalay Bay. This time we only had to walk the bridge to Excalibur and caught the monorail to Mandalay Bay. Thank goodness, because I'm telling you we put a lot of miles on our Crocs. And can I tell you that if you don't own a pair of Crocs you should really consider buying a pair. Ours were a gift from Karen (who lives in paradise). Now I understand the saying..."a gift that keeps on giving". They are so comfy and I can honestly say that we had to have walked at least 10 miles total and my puppies weren't barkin. But I digress, again...






So off to dinner at the Border Grill. A very tasty dinner indeed. And then we gambled just a smidgen more and then saw a very funny comedian named Jim Gaffigan "The Sexy Tour". If you haven't seen or heard of him, rent his DVD "Beyond the Pale". He does this shtick on "Hot Pockets". A real hoot! So after the show we wandered back to NY NY via monorail, then over the bridge to MGM (gambled a little bit more), wandered back to the Mirage via monorail (again, thank goodness) and then to bed about midnight. We're pretty early crashers when it comes to long days drinking and walking (not driving).



Today was our last day in Vegas. So we started it with a healthy breakfast "room service". Packed up our things and had the bellman hold our luggage while we played a little more. We hopped from one machine to another. My last day always seems to be my best day. I was up. And then I was down. But in the end, Jim and I played video Roulette and I walked away with a little over $100. We headed out of town around 1:30 p.m. Stopped in Baker for lunch at the Mad Greek (another tradition) and got home about 6:30. We also hit quite a storm while driving through the desert (see video). Fortunately , Jim was behind the wheel as I was stressing out beside him while the lightening was dancing in the sky (Ugh!).

Desert Storm

What a fun trip. But it's a great feeling to be home. And an even better feeling, we get to pick up our fur babies from Paws Pet Resorts tomorrow morning and I have 3 more days with my hubby until he gets back to work on Wednesday. I'm really going to enjoy these next 8 days off of work.



I have to say, my hubby actually does a pretty darn good job with planning the trips to Las Wages (as you can see from the pictures).

California Screamin' Birthday

What's a girl to do on her birthday? Well, a little of this and a lot of that! My birthday was actually a California Screamin' good time! Why?

Because first we started off the day at California Adventures at Disneyland. We're annual passholders and if you go on your birthday you get a little special treatment.

While waiting in line for the California Screamin', Jim and I try to come up with new (sometimes cleaver, sometimes funny) ideas for our photo. The first is of us arguing. The second is of us trying to "kiss" each other (though, Jim seems to have pulled that one off, more than me). Remember, I said "sometimes"...

We also rode the new Toy Story ride (which is quite fun, if you haven't experienced it yet). It includes many of the games I grew up with. And it's in 4-D. You have to wear these very fashionable yellow 4-D glasses while you play the games.

As usual, Jim beat me. As he tells it "It's his competitive nature."

After riding Toy Story and the coaster a few times, we found our way to lunch where we shared a very tasty salad and some yummy lasagna. Then off to Soaring over California for our last ride of the day.

We left the park around 2:30 p.m. and headed over to Angels Stadium for a 3pm game to watch the Angels "SWEEP" Boston. That was a lot of fun.

After the game we headed home. And for dessert, Jim bought a tasty "red velvet" birthday cake.

What wonderful birthday memories, with my friends calling me throughout the day. I'm a very lucky girl.

Would You Vote For Me?

OMG! I'm still in shock! I can't even believe this is happening to me!

Go to the bottom of my Blog and check out what I just learned.

You can also vote for me in the poll to the right.

OC vs LA County

You might ask why the title? Most of you know this, but...

Well, I grew up and still live in OC (Orange County) and I now work in LA (Los Angeles).

I learned quite a bit yesterday about these two counties. I ended up at USC County General / ER. Yes, that's right. First I must say, I would not recommend the county hospital. Why? The homeless and the criminals from the LA county jail are welcomed there with open arms. Okay, maybe that is a bit extreme. But they were there yesterday, as I'm sure they are there every day. Who knew? I sure didn't.

It all began as I was driving to the Anaheim train station yesterday morning. I normally go to Irvine, but I was going to be meeting a girlfriend (Shannon) for dinner yesterday evening and so I drove to Anaheim (within walking distance of her office and driving distance to The Block, a local outdoors mall).

As I drove (15 mins into the drive) I began to feel as if I was going to Pass Out. I didn't feel dizzy or light headed. I felt heavy headed, as if gravity was pulling me downward. And I wasn't sure what was going on? I thought to myself should I pull over or should I keep going? I started to take deep breaths, rolled down the window for some air, and within a few minutes it seemed to pass. Oh...and btw, I highly recommend pulling over to the side of the road.

So, here I am at the train station. I climb a flight of stairs to the top (platform) and wait for the train. It arrived within a few minutes and as I turned towards it I felt the same way again. Not a good feeling, btw. So I stepped aboard and greeted my train friends (Susan and Teri). My favorite conductor (Tami) was on vacation. She misses all the fun (j/k). And my other friend, Kristine doesn't work in LA on Thurs or Fri (Lucky girl), so she missed out, too.

I told my friends how I felt. They asked if I was going to be okay? Sure, I thought to myself. One asked if I had breakfast. I said, "No". I usually have oatmeal or a muffin when I get to the office (8:30 a.m.). Another asked if I had water. I said I had herbal tea. Another suggested it might be my heart, or it would be a good idea to make certain it wasn't by getting it checked out. So Teri offered me her Trail Mix bar (Thanks Teri). Susan gave up part of her breakfast (a banana) and part of her morning (see below). I ate the bar and had a few bites of banana. Then the conductor (Scott) gave me a bottle of water. Thinking that this all would help, by the time we got to LA (Union Station) nothing had changed. And I was feeling as though, if I stood up I would hit the floor. So, even though I considered taking the Amtrak back home, I opted to go to a local hospital to get checked out.

My friends were great! I can't say that enough. Teri and Susan waited until the EMT's arrived. Susan offered to ride along and go to the hospital with me. I can't begin to say how comforting it was to have her there with me. I was nervous enough as it was (as you can only imagine), but if I had to go it alone, I'm not sure I would have been in the same condition when I arrived at the ER. BTW...it was Susan's and my first time in an ambulance. And "No", they did not use the siren and lights. A big disappointment to Susan (Ha!).

As they rolled me in I was thinking, "Okay Toto, we're not in OC anymore". The condition of the building was so very sad. The smells I can't even begin to describe, other than urine, homeless people and possibly even a moldy old hospital building. But I must say this, everyone there seemed very friendly. Thank God! And I mean that. They were probably that way because I wasn't the norm. They must have known I was WAY out of my own element.

I arrived around 9 a.m. Susan had a friend come pick her up shortly after and I waited while they ran tests (EKG, Blood lab work, Chest xray). They had me hooked up to a monitor (blood pressure, pulse, etc). Jim arrrived around 12:30 pm. Thank goodness he did. I pretty much wanted out (at least an hour before he arrived). Little did I know we had several hours to go. They didn't release me until almost 4 p.m. My tests came back within normal range, but it was recommended by the doctor, along with Jim and Jim's dad that I go see a cardiologist to rule out any heart issues.

You know how I said I carry my camera 24/7 in the previous blog journal (below)? Well, it got a little boring in the ER (for me) and though I didn't think to grab my camera because it was at the very bottom of my bag covered with yarn (several different projects), I did remember to grab my cell phone camera.

I have a friend (Celeste) who takes pictures of her feet when she's on trips. I took a picture of my feet while in the ER. Note the delicious lunch (sarcasm) they served me. I ate some of the carrots and a few potatoes. The rest just frightened me.

I'm hoping to have some answers the first of next week. Praying that they rule out anything wrong with my heart. Then it's a matter of finding out what may have caused it (Anxiety, etc.).

I suppose it might have been a really bad case of anxiety? I had a heated discussion the prior day with someone from our office? I left the meeting feeling pretty awful. I could have been stressed because we supposed to go to Arizona over Veteran's weekend (which we ended up cancelling because of this whole mess). The same weekend 6 years ago Gary died of a heartache when we returned from a trip to AZ. I'm not a paranoid person (by any means), but I did think about this after the fact and wondered why I would? I could have been stressed from work due to an upcoming Grand Opening and board meeting?

All I know is I'm a bit worried, but hoping for the best outcome. The unknown can be so frustrating.

Please keep me in your prayers. Especially on Monday when I have my stress tests, cardio echo, etc.

Thanks for reading.

Habits or Quirks

I was tagged by Chris (what seems like a very, very long time ago) to list 7 habits or quirks about me. She added 8 but I'm thinking I'm going to have trouble thinking of 7, but I'll do my best.

Presumably these should be things that you don't already know and that are interesting or unique, but at the same time, endearing you to me, and not making you shun me in horror.

1) I think I have MPDD aka Multiple Project Deficit Disorder. I have several knitting/crocheting/crafting projects going at the same time. I can't seem to start and finish one BEFORE starting a new one. I simply get bored. I've done plenty of scarves on my commute (train) into LA each day. Now I've learned (thanks to my friend, Susan) how to make caps. Guess what you're all getting this Christmas? I might even work up a set or two...assuming I don't get caught up making too many caps at once.

2) I carry my digital camera with me 24/7. Yup! You never know when the perfect picture moment is going to happen. I love my little digital camera. Looking back at all the pictures I've taken of friends and moments we've shared, I am grateful I don't have to catalog all of these in my brain and I can share them with anyone else who is interested.

3) I've been told many times (by my husband) that I have time management issues. I tend to be unrealistic (he says) when I plan my day (weekend). I like to think I can cram as much into my routine as possible. I want my errand trips to be as efficient as possible and if that means I'm a little late at the end of the day, but I've felt I've accomplished a lot, then that's what happens. I'm certainly not trying to be inconsiderate or rude to others. I'm simply trying to get "things" done.

4) I LOVE ornaments. I like collecting them. But more importantly, I love giving them. It amazes me that I can shop for ornaments each year and keep finding new designs. I've often thought it would be fun to design some of my own - but then MPDD comes into play along with my time management issues and I feel a little overwhelmed just thinking about it now. So I will just continue to buy them, give them as gifts and collect them for myself.

5) I don't burn candles anymore. I like the way they look and smell but they are simply too much work. "Why"?, you ask. Because I have an air purifier that has to be turned off before I burn them and cannot be turned back on for 24-48 hours after they have been put out. That's just too much work, right? So I've just discovered these new oil reed diffusers. Yankee Candle are the most fragrant (that I've found).

6) I love big Kraft Jet-Puffed Choco-Mallows. Yup! They have cocoa flavored now and they are a delightful snack. Funny thing is, I also love rice crispy bars but still have not mastered them like my friend, Chris. But that's a whole nuther quirk about me. Maybe I should cheat and make that my number 7? Nah!

7) I make the best devilled eggs in town (Or so I've been told). I got the recipe from my ex-mother-in-law and added a little to it. They are pretty darn yummy.

So there you have it. Some quirks or habits you may or hopefully, may not have known about me.

(Hope this blog makes you happy, Chris.)

Wow! Where has the New Year gone? Can it be the middle of April and I find myself lost in a whirlwind of unfinished projects?

I suppose so.

I guess I should start finishing one at a time and then I might not feel so- so.

Hope this Blog finds you all happy and healthy and accomplishing so much more than I have.

"I Am" by Mel B

I Am - a loyal person; faithful, loving, caring and true.

I Want - to be happy in life and love. And I am.

I Wish - I could go back to Florence, Italy.

I Hate - when I've let someone down.

I Miss - my friends that have moved away.

I Hear - my husband playing his guitar in the spare room.

I Wonder - if I will ever be pregnant again?

I Regret - my first marriage. But I learned from my mistakes.

I Dance - to the beat of a different drum. Not really. I couldn't help myself.

I Sing - when I'm happy, which is most of the time. I even whistle.

I Cry - when I'm sad and when I laugh so hard it makes me cry.

I Make - really bad rice crispy treats.

I Write - messages inside cards to give to my husband and send to my friends.

I Confuse - wine for water.

I Need - dark chocolate like fish need water.

I Should - work out at the gym. Coincidence that this follows wine & chocolate?

I Start - each morning with a kiss & hug from my husband and a hot cup of tea that he's brewed for me. I'm truly blessed.