Blowin' In The Wind

The other day, I felt like my Mom was closer to me than she really was (we are 11 hours apart by car, even though we're both in Texas!). In the past week, we have had several days where the wind was blowing so hard and fast that I woke up multiple times during each night because it was SO noisy. I live in north Texas (about an hour or two from the Oklahoma border), so we get some very fierce wind from time to time (reference - the Oklahoma dust bowls in the 20's - Woody Guthrie songs). But the wind can mean different things depending on where it's coming from.

I never paid much attention to it until I walked out my back door the other day and the air smelled JUST LIKE the air down where my Mom lives - very tropical. It made me smile and get excited for my annual trip down to see her every February. Then later in the day I was talking to her on the phone and telling her that it smelled like south Texas in my backyard - and she said she was watching the Weather Channel and they said that there were huge gusts of wind from the southeast (the coast is southeast of Dallas) blowing up my way.

It's so weird that wind can travel that far and still smell like the ocean!

I'm SO done with.....

I found this article on Yahoo - what a cool idea! I'm all about getting closure.

Had a Bad Year? '08 Memories Get Shredded in NYC

By KAREN MATTHEWS, Associated Press Writer Karen Matthews, NEW YORK

Should auld acquaintance be forgot? Or maybe shredded?

In an event that organizers hope will become a New Year's tradition, New Yorkers and tourists were invited to bring bad memories from 2008 to Times Square on Sunday and feed them to an industrial-strength shredder.

"This is the perfect way to move on from a bad year, from a bad experience," said Kathryn Bonn, of New York City, who shredded a printout of her boyfriend's e-mail breaking up with her.
The event, the second annual "Good Riddance Day," was sponsored by the Times Square Alliance, organizers of the New Year's Eve ball-dropping celebration.
Some participants wrote "the stock market" or "cancer" on a piece of paper and shredded it, while others shredded bags of bank statements and check stubs.
Kate Anello, a Yankees fan from New York City, destroyed a poster of the city's longtime rival, the Boston Red Sox.

"I hate them," she said. "It felt good."

City resident Jay Ballesteros won a $250 prize for the most creative object to be shredded: a sock representing all the socks that emerge from the laundry without their mates.

"I'm hoping to use the prize to buy some brand new socks," he said.

JACK IS BACK!!!

OK, this one is dedicated to you, Iris (and #2 is the MOST important!):

Five Reasons the New Season of 24 Rocks

1. The "Good Old" 24 Is Back! Any of you who were disappointed in season six (and yes, we are with you) will be pleased to know that the high-stakes, high-drama and fully engrossing storylines and action of the earlier seasons of 24 have most assuredly returned for season seven.

In the first four hours alone, there are enough twists to turn your stomach into a pretzel (who's working for whom, where Jack is heading, etc.), and yet the plotlines are handled smartly and delicately enough to avoid Heroes syndrome (way too much happening way too fast to too many people). These guys know what they're doing.

2. Tony Almeda Is Freaking Back! No, it's not a dream, a shower sequence or a Francinator-like clone. Tony Almeda (Carlos Bernard) is among the living. And where he's been and what he's been up to will most assuredly leave your jaw hanging—as well as Jack's.

3. The New Cast Does Not Suck: You Chloe (Mary Lynn Rajskub) devotees might be turned off by the idea of what appears very much to be a new Chloe—Janine Garafalo as an FBI computer whiz helping out Team Jack. But rest assured, there's a reason they've brought in a Chloe clone: The two geekalicious girls will be going head-to-head in no time, and the smackdown is thoroughly entertaining.
Also worth noting: The new femme fatale in Jack's life, Renee Walker (Annie Wersching) is instantly respectable, likeable and ultimately more badass than she might first appear.

4. Jack Is Sorta, Um, Bad: Forget CTU. Forget glossy, glamorous offices, big budgets and endless high-tech help of yesterseason. Ultimately this season of 24 will show Jack (who begins his day in a Senate hearing as a wanted man) in a much more rebellious and renegade light than we've seen him before. And that's because he'll be working with...
Crap! Jack Doll has awoken. Gotta go.

5. See For Yourself...Season premiere is on January 11th!

Pet Peeve Time!

OK, I haven't vented about any pet peeves lately, so here goes (I know - I'm Extreme Lauri):

1. Why do people call me when they are in line at a store, pulling up to a drive-thru bank teller, in line at a fast food restaurant, etc.??? It has happened a LOT lately and I just don't understand the logic! Are you SO very busy that that is the ONLY time you could find to call me? Do you really think that my life is SO empty and boring that I want to answer the phone and then listen to you complete purchases, converse with cashiers or decide on your dinner menu? I cannot count the number of times someone has called me and then within 2 minutes says something like "Hold on a second - I have to pay for my food" or "Just a sec.....(to drive-thru speaker) OK, I would like a #2 with Dr. Pepper, no tomatoes" or "(to Walmart cashier - while I'm sitting on the line) Hi - I'm good - how are you? Pretty busy in here tonight, huh?" (they are making small-talk with the cashier while I'm sitting on the phone). WHY can't they just call me 5 minutes later than they chose?

2. People who cannot put the Blackberry, iPhone or other PDA away when out to dinner, drinks or otherwise spending time with someone. Why on earth would I want to go to a restaurant and spend my hard-earned money on dinner, drinks or appetizers with another person, just to compete for conversation with a 2"x4" piece of plastic??? I just think it is so insulting and rude to make plans with someone and then when you get to the resaurant, the phone comes out of the purse or pocket and gets set right on the table, so you can check (AND respond to, in some cases) their email, text, IM or phone call AS SOON as it comes in.

It is very arrogant in my opinion, to think that you are SO important and indispensable to the world, your friends, your job, etc. that you couldn't possibly eat a meal in peace and respond to the person in a half hour. THAT'S WHY THEY INVENTED VOICEMAIL!

3. People who send an email about something and then immediately run over to your desk and say "I just sent you an email - (and then proceed to explain in great detail what the email said). Call me when you've read it and then let me know what you think we should do." Are you serious??

Anyone else annoyed with these things or do you have others that you need to vent about?

PS - Thanks for reading my rant - I feel better now.....

My Angel......named Barb

So I was having a pretty crappy, emotional day yesterday and I stayed at work until after six, just because I didn't want to leave and go home and be alone. I couldn't think of anything that I wanted to do to make me feel better. I was kind of just grabbing at straws to try to find a way to improve my mood.......and then my phone rang. It was my friend Barb from Ohio who I love to pieces and I respect a LOT. She has such a reassuring, calming effect on me and I'm always in a good mood after I talk to her. She has been a true friend, with the kindest heart EVER. I thought of her a lot this past week because I spent Christmas with her and her husband, Mike last year when I was living in Ohio. I'm sooo lucky to have them as friends!


Barb - You are what an angel looks like. I love you and thank you for brightening my day!

Office Space/Welcome Home

Our new office space is certainly coming along as we get moved in and settled. I wasn't going to post any pics until everything was completed, but I just think our reception area looks too pretty with the Christmas tree not to take a picture of it! By the time the whole office is completed and moved in, the tree will be down, so I decided to capture the 'effect' while I could on my way out...

I love what they did with the entryway! And since it's a Christian company (our company makes church management software), the big wooden doors (above), as well as the etched-glass door (below) were custom-made with that cross carved into it. There were a lot of customizations to the space planning - I think it looks great!

And another favorite part of our new building is the fancy-pants bathrooms! I love them! Aren't they pretty?

Keep Your Eye On The Prize

This T-shirt basically sums up my idea of where I wanted to live since February 2002! I found it on my desk when I came to work today. A mystery T-shirt that fell out of the sky! Actually, Mayce brought it in - it was a gift from her mom, Terrye.

Thanks, T-Nann!! It's perfect - I love it!! :)

Cracklin' Rosie

I experienced a 'first' recently - I had my very first fire in my fireplace! I've never lived anywhere that had a working, functioning fireplace, so this was a big deal to me. I bought one of those special logs that are sold at any Walmart or home improvment store. It lit right up when I followed the directions and it looked beautiful! I bought the kind that is supposed to 'crackle' while burning, so I got the full effect. LOVE IT!

Maggie was very curious and got close to the fireplace just when I was lighting it, but really didn't go near it after that, so I'm thankful that she didn't want to play near the fire!

All Bottled Up

My friend Erin received a cool gift from her Secret Santa at work this year and I decided to try it out for myself. It's very simple, but very cool. You just find a neat colored wine/liquor bottle, drink the contents (or share it if you're feeling generous), and then wash it out. When it's dry, you put a strand of 50 white lights in it and plug the lights into the wall.

I bought two blue bottles of wine and I did the whole process for one of the bottles (see above), but I'm still working on bottle number two. :)

Have a Seat

Last week, I made a 'house purchase' that turned out to be perfect! I have been looking for a pot, chair or something to put on my front porch to fill up some of the space. I saw an ad for Big Lots that had wood benches that had wagon wheels on the sides and I decided to check them out. It turned out to be the EXACT dimensions of the space and how more Texas could it be?? I took it home and put it together in my living room and then brought it out to the porch and it fit perfectly!

The only thing is that it kind of looks like a wheelchair on my porch from the street. LOL! Oh well -who cares!

I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.......

Check this out - it's my Mom with Santa a LONG time ago! It was probably about 1946 or so, since she was born in February 1944. Weird - this picture was taken shortly after World War II ended!

Wasn't Carol a cutie??

44 ODD Things about you!

This is one of those survey things, but I have never seen this version of it. I think they are fun and I usually learn something I didn't know about people before (I learned things that I didn't know about Stacie, who is the person who sent it to me!).

Here goes:

1. Do you like bleu cheese? Yes

2. Have you ever smoked? No - not even a puff

3. Do you own a gun? No, but now that I'm in Texas.......hmmm.........

4. What flavor of Kool Aid was your favorite? Grape

5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? Almost always!

6. What do you think of hot dogs? I know they are gross, but I do like one once in a while

7. Favorite Christmas movie? It's A Wonderful Life

8. Favorite thing to drink in the morning? Diet Mountain Dew

9.. Can you do push ups? Not sure - haven't done one in a long time

10. Favorite piece of jewelry? The silver rings I get each year in Mexico with my Mom - I think of her and our south TX fun when I look at them on my hands

11. Favorite hobby(s): Decorating my house, traveling

12. Do you have A.D.D.? Yes, when it comes to movies - my attention span just isn't that long!

13. What is one trait you hate about yourself? I'm a worrier!! I overanalyze WAY too much.

14. Middle name? Renee

15. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment. (1) My feet are cold (2) I need to get my Secret Santa one more gift (3) I love being in my pj's.

16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink. Water, diet pop, occasionally wine

17. Current worry? Being lonely at the holidays

18. Current hate right now? People who just talk and talk and talk and don't show interest in making it a "conversation" - just a monologue.

19. Favorite place to be? Europe (but on a daily basis....home with Maggie or out exploring new things)

20. How did you bring in the new year? I think I spent it at home last year...can't remember....

21. Where would you like to go? Europe

22. Name three people who might complete this. (1.) Colleen (2.) Allison (3.) Shooter

23. Do you own slippers? Yes

24. What shirt are you wearing? My favorite Pittsburgh Steelers long-sleeved T-shirt

25. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? Don't know - never tried it.

26. Can you whistle? Yes

27. Favorite color? RED

28. Would you be a pirate? Not sure! Probably not....I'm a rules follower - always have been.

29. What songs do you sing in the AM? I don't sing anything in the morning - I'm not awake yet

30. Favorite girl's name? Kylie, Sophie, Madelyn, Chloe

31. Favorite boy's name? Jack, Thomas, Evan, Ethan

32. What's in your pocket right now? Nothing

33. Last thing that made you laugh? Ryan's love life saga (friend at work)

34. What vehicle do you drive? Mazda 6

35. Worst injury you have ever had? Fell down concrete stairs a couple years ago - didn't break anything, but it still hurts if Maggie steps on my leg in that spot

36. Do you love where you live? Yes!!! Finally!!!

37. How many TV's do you have in your house? 3 (but only 2 are plugged in)

38. Who is your loudest friend(s) ? Colleen!! And I LOVE her super LOUD laugh!!!!

39. Do you have any pets? My wiener (dog), Maggie.

40. Does someone have a crush on you? Not that I'm aware of

41. What is your favorite book(s)? To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, "Traveling Light" by Max Lucado or any of Glenn Beck's books ("The Real America" or "An Inconvenient Book")

42. Do you collect anything? Anything RED or cool prints of Europe

43. Favorite sports team(s)? Minnesota Vikings (The 'Queens')

44. What song(s) do you want played at your funeral? "Highway To Hell" by AC/DC...JUST KIDDING!! How about...."Every Grain of Sand" by Bob Dylan

I *heart* my Mom

This is a postcard that I got in the mail last week from my Mom. Apparently when my Mom visited me in mid-November on her way down to south Texas for the winter, she hid one of my Christmas presents somewhere in my house! Now she is sending me clues to find this hidden gift. Clue #1 was pretty vague - just informing of the existence of the 'hidden gift'. I am hesitant to start searching for fear of finding said gift before I receive exciting Clue #2!

What a cool Mom I have!! I'm so lucky!

Dancing Under The Saddle

One thing I just love about Billy Bob's in Fort Worth is their version of a disco ball over the wood dancefloor where all of the cowboys and cowgirls do their 2-stepping.....it's a saddle covered in mirror pieces to make a unique version of a twinkly, sparkly disco ball! These pictures I took don't do it justice - it's much prettier in person. I'm guessing it took a TON of time to cover that saddle in little mirror squares!

And what would a honky tonk be without an official pickup truck?! Here is Mayce in "Truckville" at Billy Bob's! Giddy up!

My very own Margaritaville!

Last weekend I decided to finally put some time and effort into my back patio. I have a cement slab as a patio and then there is a metal roof/covering over it, extending out from my house. It's pretty much a blank slate as far as decorating goes.

I'm becoming obsessed with lighting lately, so since it's Christmas and all of the outdoor lighting is available in plentiful supply, I went to Lowe's and bought a ton of icicle lights. But before I put the lights up, I decided to paint the whole porch covering and supports with the trim paint that was left over from painting the front porch. My arm went numb several times during the painting process, but I got it done. Luckily it was a very windy day and it dried in no time. I bought a bunch of those adhesive hooks and put them up around the inside of the porch covering and then went to town on those icicle lights.

Next, I'm going to buy a chiminea in Mexico (when I visit my Mom in February) so I can have little mini-campfires on my patio. I also want to find some cool year-round garland of some sort to wrap around the two support poles.

I love my new little oasis with my swing...Now I just need to find a cowboy to sit with me on the swing and have a margarita!

The Grass was GREENer at Billy Bob's!!

Last night, Mayce and I trekked to Fort Worth to see Pat Green, Texas songwriter extraordinaire, play a show at Billy Bob's Texas. This was a special night because it was the 10th Anniversary of him recording his "Live at Billy Bob's" CD back in the late 90's.

He is a Texas Country artist who is kind of a kick*ss, boot-wearin', Fort Worth kind of guy (he even ripped on Dallas during the concert!).

He is from Texas, sings about Texas, and currently lives in Fort Worth, so this concert is kind of like 'coming home' for him - and the crowd definitely welcomed him with open arms! He even has a neon sign of his name at Billy Bob's! (See below)

Yesterday was Mayce's 35th birthday, so we went out for dinner to celebrate and then on to the concert that started at 10:30pm. It was supposed to start at 10pm, but the crowd was enthralled by the Cowboys game on the big TVs - the last regular season game at Texas Stadium in Irving (they will be moving over to my neck of the woods in Arlington in their new $1.4 billion stadium next season). Unfortunately, they lost to the Baltimore Ravens, so everyone was pretty upset.

Luckily, Pat Green took the stage just a few minutes after the game ended (I bet Pat was swearing at the TV backstage just before going onstage, just like the rest of Billy Bob's!).

Here are some pics that I took at the concert - it was awesome!

This next one is my favorite pic from the night. He had a lot of energy and it was electric!!

Lady In Red

My friend Erin from work (we share an office) gave me these napkins as part of my Christmas present - how perfect! In my opinion, RED is the best color ever! I own about a million (OK, that's a little extreme) red items of clothing (shirts, coat, shoes, sunglasses, etc.). I think it's 'easy on the eyes' even though it's supposedly not a 'relaxing' color according to decorating experts. Who cares about those experts anyway?!?!

Coyote Ugly

Most of you know that I'm a city girl - it's no secret. And one of the MANY reasons I like the city is that I don't have to deal with gross or wild animals. However, recently I have realized that maybe those wild animals are in the city and I have just been delusional about 'being safe from the beasts.'

Several months ago, I was walking Maggie very late at night several times a week since it was so hot during the day - nighttime was the coolest time of day. During one of those 11pm walks around my very residential, suburban neighborhood, I saw a coyote across the street from where we were walking!! I was stunned and just froze. The coyote was in a field that is across the street from my neighborhood (in the middle of the city) and came up to the sidewalk and just stood there and stared Maggie and I down. While I froze up, Maggie just acted like her usual self - pulling on the leash to go 'play with the nice doggy across the street'!

I was sure that Maggie and I were both going to be mauled to death by a possibly rabid coyote (I know, Extreme Lauri). I figured I had to do something to get out of there, so I tried to stay calm and not look scared or nervous. I just slowly started walking on my side of the street and looking straight ahead - no funny moves. But I could tell that the coyote, while standing still, was staring us down as we left and hurried home.

Shortly after, I called the City of Arlington - Animal Services and told them of the coyote sighting. They seemed unimpressed and asked me what I thought they should do about it! She said "Well, what do you want us to do?? Move them to another part of Arlington until they bother someone there??" I was shocked! There are coyotes in the middle of a suburb of 350,000 people and no one cared! There are lots of little kids in my neighborhood and almost everyone has a dog. In addition, there is a church at the corner of this field by my house that has a daycare/preschool in it.

Anyway, I didn't get anywhere with the city, so I just made sure that Maggie was always on a leash and hoped for the best. Well, several weeks later, I saw one of the coyotes walking around in the middle of the day (usually they are nocturnal, sleeping during the day) - alarming!!

And now this week, the inevitable has happened - a coyote was on Mayfield Rd......as roadkill. I saw it on my way to work (had to drive around it) and it was just a few feet from the church with the daycare/preschool. UGH!!!