'To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.'
There comes a point in your life when you realize:
I will fully admit, I have never been a big-dog-person....they kind of scare me with their size, big teeth and killing power...so you can imagine how apprehensive I was when I met Kharma who is huge, even as a puppy! But she has really been growing on me lately and she really is such a big sweetheart - and her ears are so soft and floppy!
Last week, I said a sad goodbye to my Mazda 6 named Vince. It was a 4-year lease, and it was up - time to make a change and move on, I guess. As much as it was a big pain in the rear to find a new car and deal with Vince's lease inspection, returning the car, etc........I was actually very sad to see him go. 
This past weekend, I attended the Women of Faith conference at the American Airlines Center in Dallas (where the Stars play hockey and the Mavericks play basketball). It was great! The speakers really hit home on a lot of things and had very relevant topics....and the music was fabulous.
The production was very well done and they had 3 layers of viewing - the actual person on the stage, the rigged screens for Women of Faith, and then the permanent screens that are used for basketball/hockey. They really did a nice job! Here's a view of all 3 levels of viewing!
Here's a shot of the arena from our upper seats on Friday night:
Even though I don't particularly like 'heart-shaped' things, the stage was really pretty! That is the Women of Faith logo...
And I think this picture turned out cool - when they had the lights turned down:
And one of the speakers this year was Lisa Welchel (Blair on The Facts of Life!) - she was AWESOME! And we even got to sing the theme song!
It was a pretty full house - so glad that they converted the mens bathrooms into womens. The lines were still a mile long at every break!
It was a really fun two days and a great opportunity to re-focus and evaluate what is truly important in my life.
(CNN) -- Facebook, for better or worse, is like being at a big party with all your friends, family, acquaintances and co-workers. There are lots of fun, interesting people you're happy to talk to when they stroll up. Then there are the other people, the ones who make you cringe when you see them coming. This article is about those people.
Sure, Facebook can be a great tool for keeping up with folks who are important to you. Take the status update, the 160-character message that users post in response to the question, "What's on your mind?" An artful, witty or newsy status update is a pleasure -- a real-time, tiny window into a friend's life.
But far more posts read like navel-gazing diary entries, or worse, spam. A recent study categorized 40 percent of Twitter tweets as "pointless babble," and it wouldn't be surprising if updates on Facebook, still a fast-growing social network, break down in a similar way.
Combine dull status updates with shameless self-promoters, "friend-padders" and that friend of a friend who sends you quizzes every day, and Facebook becomes a daily reminder of why some people can get on your nerves.
Here are 12 of the most annoying types of Facebook users:
The Let-Me-Tell-You-Every-Detail-of-My-Day Bore. "I'm waking up." "I had Wheaties for breakfast." "I'm bored at work." "I'm stuck in traffic." You're kidding! How fascinating! No moment is too mundane for some people to broadcast unsolicited to the world. Just because you have 432 Facebook friends doesn't mean we all want to know when you're waiting for the bus.
The Self-Promoter. OK, so we've probably all posted at least once about some achievement. And sure, maybe your friends really do want to read the fascinating article you wrote about beet farming. But when almost EVERY update is a link to your blog, your poetry reading, your 10k results or your art show, you sound like a bragger or a self-centered careerist.
The Friend-Padder. The average Facebook user has 120 friends on the site. Schmoozers and social butterflies -- you know, the ones who make lifelong pals on the subway -- might reasonably have 300 or 400. But 1,000 "friends?" Unless you're George Clooney or just won the lottery, no one has that many. That's just showing off.
The Town Crier. "Michael Jackson is dead!!!" You heard it from me first! Me, and the 213,000 other people who all saw it on TMZ. These Matt Drudge wannabes are the reason many of us learn of breaking news not from TV or news sites but from online social networks. In their rush to trumpet the news, these people also spread rumors, half-truths and innuendo. No, Jeff Goldblum did not plunge to his death from a New Zealand cliff.
The TMIer. "Brad is heading to Walgreens to buy something for these pesky hemorrhoids." Boundaries of privacy and decorum don't seem to exist for these too-much-information updaters, who unabashedly offer up details about their sex lives, marital troubles and bodily functions. Thanks for sharing.
The Bad Grammarian. "So sad about Fara Fauset but Im so gladd its friday yippe". Yes, I know the punctuation rules are different in the digital world. And, no, no one likes a spelling-Nazi schoolmarm. But you sound like a moron.
The Sympathy-Baiter. "Barbara is feeling sad today." "Man, am I glad that's over." "Jim could really use some good news about now." Like anglers hunting for fish, these sad sacks cast out their hooks -- baited with vague tales of woe -- in the hopes of landing concerned responses. Genuine bad news is one thing, but these manipulative posts are just pleas for attention.
The Lurker. The Peeping Toms of Facebook, these voyeurs are too cautious, or maybe too lazy, to update their status or write on your wall. But once in a while, you'll be talking to them and they'll mention something you posted, so you know they're on your page, hiding in the shadows. It's just a little creepy.
The Crank. These curmudgeons, like the trolls who spew hate in blog comments, never met something they couldn't complain about. "Carl isn't really that impressed with idiots who don't realize how idiotic they are." [Actual status update.] Keep spreading the love.
The Paparazzo. Ever visit your Facebook page and discover that someone's posted a photo of you from last weekend's party -- a photo you didn't authorize and haven't even seen? You'd really rather not have to explain to your mom why you were leering like a drunken hyena and French-kissing a bottle of Jagermeister.
The Maddening Obscurist. "If not now then when?" "You'll see..." "Grist for the mill." "John is, small world." "Dave thought he was immune, but no. No, he is not." [Actual status updates, all.] Sorry, but you're not being mysterious -- just nonsensical.
The Chronic Inviter. "Support my cause. Sign my petition. Play Mafia Wars with me. Which 'Star Trek' character are you? Here are the 'Top 5 cars I have personally owned.' Here are '25 Things About Me.' Here's a drink. What drink are you? We're related! I took the 'What President Are You?' quiz and found out I'm Millard Fillmore! What president are you?"
You probably mean well, but stop. Just stop. I don't care what president I am -- can't we simply be friends? Now excuse me while I go post the link to this story on my Facebook page.
I saw that quote recently and it just struck me. Too often these days, people (especially women) are doing anything and everything to get rid of wrinkles, but to me that is just trying to erase your life! The ups, the downs, the in-betweens - each of those wrinkles is EARNED, in my opinion. Either they were earned by smiling and laughing a lot, or by enduring some very hard times with grace. They represent the sleepless nights, the extreme joy, worrying, celebrating, laughing, crying - ALL of it. And by pumping them full of botox or collagen, you are just denying those experiences that helped form you into the person you are! I think the most interesting people are the ones who have been through some really tough stuff and have lived a life to be proud of IN SPITE of those hard times. Cheers to well-earned wrinkles!
Today and tomorrow, I will be at the Women of Faith conference in Dallas at the American Airlines Center. I'm going with a big group of women, some of them I know and some I do not (some are co-workers). Mayce and I went together last year and it was a great conference so I'm hoping it's equally as good this year. 
The main conference is Friday night and then all day Saturday, but this year we're going to the pre-conference during the day on Friday as well. I hope it's good!
TJ had a blast feeding the fish and ducks (we went through 2 loaves of bread!) and the weather was great.
Here's Chris!
You can tell where there were people on the side with food - the fish would congregate where the food was being thrown and just pile up on top of each other - coming out of the water and everything with their big nasty mouths!
Such cute pics of father and son playing.........
Here's one of me, but I kind of look out-of-it. Chris was trying to take pictures without me knowing it...
They had a band playing in the restaurant/bar at the Marina - it was a great night!
Just being around boats and lake water reminded me of Dad - that smell of boat gas and lake water is enough to just knock me over with memories of my childhood and Dad. It felt good to remember him and all of the good times on the lakes of Minnesota!
This is what the old ones looked like - WAY better, in my opinion. Also - the new ones are just painted on, not raised metal letters/numbers. But I hear that other states are moving to the 'painted-on' style, so I guess it's just inevitable and a matter of time before all plates are that way. So sad! But why am I so obsessed with license plates anyway?! I'm such a dork.....
And speaking of cars......here are a couple pictures that I took last week that I thought were funny:
And I thought this bumper sticker was funny - on a pickup truck. HAHA.
He also got me a game that he knew I would love: the RODEO version of Monopoly!! It is so cute and the game pieces include a hat, spurs, etc. LOVE IT!!
Among Chris' talents is woodcarving - he made this awesome wood carving of daisies (he knew I liked them) for my house and it looks great in my office! He also made me a Vikings one too - with the helmet and logo. What a sweet guy!
My friend Lindsay sent me a box for my birthday and inside there was a super cool present and I laughed really hard when I opened it........a Paint Your Own Wiener kit!
And Lindsay - here is the finished product. I never said I was an artist, so I just went with the "Texas flag" theme with my resin wiener! Thanks again!
My sister sent me this super cute sign for my house (matches the color of my living room!).
And my Mom sent me this cool water bottle - she is trying to get me to not drink out of plastic bottles because they cause cancer or whatever, so I'm giving it a whirl. It's going to take some getting used to because it kind of tastes metal-y since it's stainless steel....but I suppose it's better for me. I was hoping that since it's called "Sub-Zero" that it would keep the water cold even in my hot car, but that's just not the case......Oh well!
This year I had such a FABULOUS birthday and the days surrounding it!
