9/11 Has Come Full Circle

Here SHE is!!! Made from the Remains of World Trade Centre!

USS New York

It was built with 24 tons of scrap steel from the World Trade Center.

It is the fifth in a new class of warship - designed for missions that include special operations against terrorists. It will carry a crew of 360 sailors and 700 combat-ready Marines to be delivered ashore by helicopters and assault craft.

Steel from the World Trade Center was melted down in a foundry in Amite, LA to cast the ship's bow section. When it was poured into the molds on Sept 9, 2003, 'those big rough steelworkers treated it with total reverence,' recalled Navy Capt. Kevin Wensing, who was there. 'It was a spiritual moment for everybody there.'

Junior Chavers, foundry operations manager, said that when the trade center steel first arrived, he touched it with his hand and the 'hair on my neck stood up.' 'It had a big meaning to it for all of us,' he said. 'They knocked us down. They can't keep us down. We're going to be back.'

The ship's motto? 'Never Forget'

There's a Fine Line.......

.....between pride and arrogance. The state of Texas and its fine people toe that line on a daily basis.....and I LOVE THAT! I absolutely love the fierce pride that Texans exhibit!

I am from the great state of Minnesota and in my opinion it is a fantastic state and I am VERY proud to be a born-and-raised Minnesotan (OOOOOH YAH, YOU BETCHA!). It has beautiful lakes, trees, farmland, rivers (the Mississippi begins there!), as well as all of the glitz of the city in Minneapolis/St. Paul.

I'm happy that I grew up in such a fabulous place and right now it's rated as one of the 15 Coolest Cities in North America (http://travel.msn.com//Guides/MSNTravelSlideShow.aspx?cp-documentid=843006&imageindex=1).

However, as much as I love Minneapolis, I feel that I don't belong there anymore (at least for now) - I have had the urge to forge a new path and take the road less traveled for some time......and now I found TEXAS!

For the first time in YEARS, I feel like I belong exactly where I'm standing.....and man, does it ever feel good. I have loved Texas for a long time now and there has been some sort of gravitational pull to get me here. Ever since I arrived, I have felt the need to experience all-things-Texas. It all amuses, fascinates and intrigues me and other people just seem to look at me and laugh. I DON'T CARE ONE BIT! Maybe that's one of the rewards of entering into my thirties - I'm starting to not give a crap what people think! I followed my heart and nothing else - and it is SOOOO liberating, I can't even tell you! To be quite honest, I was terrified to take on this monumental task of moving down here, buying a new house, finding new friends, starting a new job, etc., but in my heart I knew there was no other choice.

With all of that said, I am posting an email that I got from Mayce last summer about the great state of Texas (with her additional commentary in RED):

TEXAS

Have you ever looked at a map of the world? Look at Texas with me just for a second. That picture, with the Panhandle and the Gulf Coast , and the Red River and the Rio Grande is as much a part of you as anything ever will be. As soon as anyone anywhere in the world looks at it they know what it is. It's Texas ! Pick any kid off the street in Japan and draw him a picture of Texas in the dirt and he'll know what it is. What happens if I show you a picture of any other state? You might get it maybe after a second or two, but who else would? And even if you do, does it ever stir any feelings in you?

In every man, woman and child on this planet, there is a person who wishes just once he could be a real live Texan and get up on a horse or ride off in a pickup. There is a little bit of Texas in everyone.

Did you ever hear anyone go, 'Wow...so you're from Iowa? Cool, tell me about it!'

Texas is the Alamo . Texas is 183 men standing in a church, facing thousands of Mexican nationals, fighting for freedom, who had the chance to walk out and save themselves, but stayed instead to fight and die for the cause of freedom. This is true. The guys at the Alamo had time to leave, but the location of the mission was strategic to the war for Independence from Mexico so the men (and 1 woman and her son) decided to stay and see if they could wait it out until help arrived. It didn't arrive in time.

We send our kids to schools named William B. Travis and James Bowie and Crockett, and do you know why? Because those men saw a line in the sand and they decided to cross it and be heroes.

John Wayne paid to do the movie himself. That is the Spirit of Texas.

Texas is Sam Houston capturing Santa Anna at San Jacinto . The battle of San Jacinto was were "The Yellow Rose of Texas" got famous. She was actually a person, not a flower. Cool story.

Texas is huge forests of Piney Woods like the Davy Crockett National Forest.

Texas is breathtaking mountains in the Big Bend. Big Bend is far West Texas and in the freakin desert. Kinda makes me want to shoot myself!!

Texas is the unparalleled beauty of bluebonnet fields in the Texas Hill Country.

Texas is the beautiful, warm beaches of the Gulf Coast of South Texas .

Texas is the shiny skyscrapers in Houston and Dallas.

Texas is world record bass from places like Lake Fork .

Texas is Mexican food like nowhere else, not even Mexico .

Texas is the Fort Worth Stockyards, Bass Hall, the Ballpark in Arlington and the Astrodome. (guess now the Reliant Stadium, too)

Texas is larger-than-life legends like Stephen F. Austin, Jim Bowie, Sam Houston, Davy Crockett, Juan Seguin, William Travis, George Washington Walser, Lloyd Bentson, John Connally, Dwight Eisehower, Lyndon Johnson, Ladybird Johnson, Selena, Michael DeBakey, Denton Cooley, The Greatest Country Singer EVER; Willie Nelson, Bob Wills & the Texas Playboys, Ernest Tubb, Tex Ritter, Mac Davis, Pat Green, Kenny Rogers, Jim Reeves, Buddy Holly, Gene Autry, Audie Murphy, James Earl Rudder, Tommy Lee Jones, Waylon Jennings, Janis Joplin, Kris Kristofferson, Tom Landry, Darrell Royal, Brooke Burns, Jerry Hall, Anna Nichole Smith, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Tex Avery, Dan "Hoss" Blocker, Powers Boothe, Gary Busey, Kate Capshaw, Ricardo Chavirra, Joan Crawford, Sandy Duncan, Farrah Fawcett, Jacklyn Smith, Morgan Fairchild, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Larry Hagman, Woody Harrelson, Ethan Hawke, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Mike Judge, Dennis Quaid, Randy Quaid, Gene Roddenberry, Michelle Rodriguez, Sissy Spacek, Aaron Spelling, Matt Stone, Rip Torn, Forest Whitaker, Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, Jessica Simpson, Carol Burnett, Rodney Carrington, Jade Esteban Estrada, Bill Engvall, Steve Martin, Ron White, ZZ Top, Joe King Carrasco, J.P. Richardson-The Big Bopper, Don Henley, Eric Dickerson, Earl Campbell, Nolan Ryan, Sam Rayburn, Howard Hughes, George H. W.Bush, Lyndon B. Johnson, and George W. Bush, Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Fabulous Thundrbirds, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Big Mama Thornton, Barry White, David Allen Coe, Steve Earle, Kinky Friedman, Leadbelly, T-Bone Walker, Joe Ely, Merle Haggard, Los Lonely Boys, Billy Joe Shaver, Red Steagall, Thriftstore Cowboys, Asleep at the Wheel, Townes Van Zandt, Jerry Jeff Walker, Rusty Wier, Freddy Fender, Omar and the Howlers, Billy Rawlett, Red Steagall, Butthole Surfers, Chamillionaire, Paul Wall, Scarface, George Strait, Drowning Pool, King's X, Damageplan, Ninth Kingdom, Hammer Whore, Bloodrock, Meatloaf, Roy Orbison, The Toadies, Bowling for Soup, Neverdead, Determination, Chamber of Pain, Hellyeah, and the greatest Heavy Metal Band of all time PANTERA!!!!!!!!!!!!

Texas is great companies like Dell Computer, Texas Instruments and Compaq, Bell Helicopter And LOCKHEED MARTIN AEROSPACE, Home of the F-16 Jet Fighter and the JSF Fighter.

Texas is NASA.

Texas is huge herds of cattle and miles of crops.

Texas is home to the most amazing sunsets of gold over an empty field.

Texans have pride like no others.

Texas is hundreds of deer running around neighborhoods and fields.

Texas is skies blackened with doves, and fields full of deer.

Texas is a place where towns and cities shut down to watch the local high school football game on Friday nights and for the Cowboys on Monday Night Football, and for a Night In Old San Antonio & the River Parade in San Antonio.

To drive across Texas is to drive 1/4 the way across the United States.

Texas is ocean beaches, deserts, lakes and rivers, mountains and prairies, and modern cities.

If it isn't in Texas , you probably don't need it.

Everything's bigger in Texas! No one does anything bigger or better than it's done in Texas.

By federal law, Texas is the only state in the U.S. that can fly its flag at the same height as the U.S. flag. Think about that for a second. You fly the Stars and Stripes at 20 feet in Maryland , California, or Maine, and your state flag, whatever it is, goes at 17 feet. You fly the Stars and Stripes in front of Klein Oak High or anyplace else at 20 feet, the Lone Star flies at the same height - 20 feet. Do you know why? Because it is the only state that was a Republic before it became a state.

Also, being a Texan is as high as being an American down here. Our capitol is the only one in the country that is taller than the capitol building in Washington , D.C. and we can divide our state into five states at any time if we wanted to! We included these things as part of the deal when we came on. That's the best part, right there. This is also true and not many people know it. Texas is allowed at any time that the states sees fit (by vote) to divide up into, at the most, five different states. That's why when you hear us talk and refer to South Texas, West Texas, East Texas, Central Texas and North Texas they all seem to take on a life of their own and often you'll see them capitalized (like I just did) it's because they are all separate regions and can become a state of their own if the vote were to go that way. The only time this has come up though was in the 70's and 80's when the oil boom hit big and West Texas got cocky. They decided they wanted to be a state of their own, then the oil crash hit and all-of-a-sudden that just didn't sound like such a good idea!

Texas even has its own power grid!! ... Did I mention that Texas is the Live music capitol of the world?

Never ask someone of they are from Texas...if they aren't, there is no need to embarrass them.

And for those people that live in Texas but were not born here, don't hold that against them.
They got here as fast as they could, and some of them even died to get here.

Hundreds Attend Global Warming Protest near Bismarck, North Dakota!

Brought To You Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue

While I do realize that it's not Veteran's Day, I think it's important to regularly remember our men and women in uniform, serving all over the world for us and our country. We really shouldn't wait for a designated day to honor, thank and recognize them for their service, bravery and sacrifice.

I would also like to add their families to this list, since they endure sacrifice by living without their loved ones while they are away on duty.

The reason I thought to do this post was from an email my Mom forwarded to me with the following picture. I have seen it before and it makes me both proud of our country and ashamed of how little respect people in this great country give to our soldiers and veterans. I cry every time I see this picture.

It is the VETERAN, not the preacher, who has given us freedom of religion.

It is the VETERAN, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the VETERAN, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the VETERAN, not the campus organizer, who has given us freedom to assemble.

It is the VETERAN, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is the VETERAN, not the politician, who has given us the right to vote.

It is the VETERAN who salutes the Flag.

It is the VETERAN who serves under the Flag.

ETERNAL REST GRANT THEM O LORD, AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE UPON THEM.

Uncle Sam's Gift

Recently, I sat down to do my 2008 tax return and I was crossing my fingers for a big huge return since I bought my first house in 2008 and finally I am itemizing on the 1040! However, I wasn't delusional about a big return for a number of reasons:

1. I signed that natural gas 'lease' (mineral rights) last May, which paid me $3600 (tax wasn't taken out), so I had to report "rental income" of $3600. Yuck (but I'm TOTALLY not complaining about that - it was basically 'free' money that I never anticipated!).

2. I sold some mutual fund shares to come up with my 20% down payment on the house.....which produced a bunch of capital gains.

3. I earned more this year than last year, so you are just paying more and more taxes!

4. I bought my house in April, so my first house payment wasn't until June....so the amount of mortgage interest I paid and was able to deduct was only half the year's worth.

5. I didn't have a "Homestead exemption" for 2008 - you have to live in the house on January 1st of a given year in order to get the exemption for that year. I just took care of that last month, so it will be in effect for 2009. YES!

6. I ended up owing the state of Ohio $21.00 on my partial-year resident Ohio state return - for about 2.5 months of living there. Oh well - it's almost a wash.

With that said, a few things also helped me - I was able to deduct my moving expenses (mileage for me to drive 1,150 miles, hotel for the trip down, moving company) as well as the added benefit of itemizing (due to mortgage interest and property taxes). Plus, there is no state income tax in Texas, so that was one less return to file! Yippee!!

OK, but here's the real reason for this post - in 2008, they have a "First-Time Homebuyers Credit" that I barely qualified for....you had to have bought your house AFTER APRIL 8, 2008 to qualify. My closing date?? April 16, 2008! I just barely made it! Basically, it's an interest-free loan from the federal government. I was able to get $7,500 of a credit and then you repay it (interest-free) over 15 years - $500/year that you have to add on as 'additional tax' in the Taxes section of the 1040. And the repayment doesn't start until 2 years after you claim the credit. So I will receive the $7,500 now and not pay my first $500 on a return until 2010. It's a pretty sweet deal!

PS - You know you are either getting old or are a HUGE dork when you blog about how excited you are to do your taxes. I think it's both in this case. :)

Unfortunate Perfume EnCounter

The other day, I went to Macy's at the mall to get some new perfume, and once again it was against my better judgement. I NEVER shop at Macy's normally - I think it is stuffy, WAY overpriced and, well, it's in an indoor mall (which I now hate). However, I am at the bottom of my current perfume bottle and I have a $25 gift card to Macy's. OK, I thought, I will use the Macy's gift card to get some perfume and it will be quick and painless - in and out. OOOOHHHHHH NOOOOOO.

#1 - I have a horribly difficult time picking out a new perfume - it takes me forever and I am very particular (imagine that........hahaha).
#2 - In a store like that, after you smell like 3 of them, they all smell the same.
#3 - Macy's doesn't have coffee beans there to 'cleanse your nose' in between scents.
#4 - Of course, I'm accosted by crazy-perfume-counter-lady-who-follows-me-down-the-counter-trying-to-sell-me-on-every-kind.
#5 - Said crazy perfume counter lady is wearing some sort of black catsuit thing with suspenders (straight out of clown school)
#6 - Her makeup, hair and accessories also indicate that she most certainly is a graduate of clown school - perhaps even the valedictorian of her class!
#7 - I wish it wasn't tacky to take a picture of clown-perfume-lady....otherwise I would have!
#8 - I don't like really sweet, floral or vanilla-y scents. And I won't pay $90 for a bottle of perfume - just too much for me.
#9 - So I decided on CK One - pretty neutral, affordable, and it allowed me to escape Macy's!!
#10 - I will probably be shopping for perfume back at Abercrombie soon - back to the kind I had before.....UGH.

Bovine Holiday

OK, so I have never really liked Valentine's Day (even when I was with someone/married) - I believe it's absolutely idiotic to have a 'designated day' to show someone that you love them. You should be doing that all year long - and I think it means a heck of a lot more when you surprise someone you love on a random Tuesday with a special treat....or comfort them when they really need it - THAT'S love.

At the same, I don't want to appear as a Valentine's Day 'scrooge', so here is my contribution to the holiday:

Nineteen-day-old ox 'Heart,' born with a heart-shaped marking on his forehead, relaxes at Yamakun farm in Fujisawa, near Tokyo, Japan, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2009. Kazunori Yamazaki, 51-year-old farm owner, said, 'Good timing for Valentine's Day.'

Kudos, Canada!

WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT?

If you build It, they will come . . .This is the actual turn-off From Banff, Alberta, Canada to the #1 highway to Calgary. They built an animal-crossing, especially for the elk, as that was where the natural crossing was, and after the highway was built there were far too many accidents. It didn't take the animals long to learn that this was their very own bridge!

And some people say, 'Animals are stupid.'

Free and Easy Down The Road I Go.....

This afternoon after work, I am beginning my journey to south Texas, via a trip through the 'hill country' of Texas. I will be driving south out of DFW and ending up in Fredericksburg, TX tonight (just northwest of San Antonio). I'm staying at an Inn that has a hot tub, so I'm pretty sure I'll be game for that after the drive!

I'm going to hang out and see a little bit of the town in the morning, and then head further southeast, past San Antonio and down towards Kingsville, TX to tour the King Ranch. After that, it's another 2 hours or so down to my Mom's place in Harlingen (near Brownsville).

I'm pretty excited, but sad to leave my Maggie behind. I'm hoping to have LOTS of tourist adventures along the way. On Sunday, I'm going to drive north to somewhere around San Antonio and stay for the night....because on Monday morning, I'm going to the Natural Bridge Caverns just north of San Antonio - going to see some sweet stalagmytes and stalagtytes! Then on to Gruene, TX (pronounced "Green") to see the oldest dancehall in the country (George Strait has played there, among other big names). I am going to eat lunch at the Grist Mill Restaurant that overlooks the Guadelup River and go shopping there. Then, it's onward back to DFW to pick up Maggie and resume 'regular' life.

I'll have access to the internet while I'm traveling (Thank God), so I will be blogging about my adventures!

Have a great weekend!

Twice the Interrogation!

OK, I know most people hate these surveys, and there are a TON of them going around Facebook these days, but I LOVE them because I get to learn so much about my friends - facts that I wouldn't normally just know to ask them....And this particular one is 50 questions, so it's TWICE the interrogation as the "25 Random Things" one. I can do it!!!

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Nope - it was the only name that both my parents liked - BORING

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Hmmm...I cried when I got out of my massage on last week. For some reason, it evoked an emotional response - weird!

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Occasionally. If I'm really trying, then I like what I see. Otherwise, it gets kind of messy if I'm in a hurry.

4. DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS, AND IF YES, WHAT ARE THEY AND WHAT ARE THEIR NAMES? I'm pretty sure everyone on planet earth knows I have a wiener dog named Maggie.

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? No, but I would like to someday

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? This is such an interesting question! I have become such a loner in the last few years, butI do think I have a lot of love to give friends, so yes.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM? YES - DAILY.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE TONSILS? Yep

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? I would like to say that I would, but I'm not sure.....

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? I used to love Low Fat Granola when I ate that. Now I'm good with Cheerios.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Yes

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Probably mint chocolate chip

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? 2-Part answer: Appearance: face Personality: fakeness or lack thereof - I can spot 'fake' from a mile away

15. RED OR PINK? RED!!!

16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? I'm a worrier/overanalyzer - I let things get to me.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My Dad

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO COMPLETE THIS LIST? YES!

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Blue pajama pants, no shoes

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? The crazy Texas wind outside and Maggie breathing (sleeping) on my lap

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Red, for sure

23. FAVORITE SMELLS? Pine candles, fireplace burning, fall leaves, fresh laundry, puppies, Maggie when she's warm and sleepy, mens cologne, my Mom's cooking, movie theater popcorn, Sharpies (I promise, I don't sniff them regularly), lake water (reminds me of Dad), fresh-cut grass, grilling out, babies

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?My Mom

25. WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE RIGHT NOW? Traveling somewhere cool.

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Football!

27. HAIR COLOR? Dark brown (natural color - light brown)

28. EYE COLOR? Blue

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Yep - for 18 years!

30. FAVORITE FOOD? Dill pickles

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings (but hopefully it's not a lame romantic comedy - yuck)

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Marley & Me

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Red (of course!)

34. SUMMER OR WINTER? My stock answer used to be Summer, but now that Summer is hell on earth in Texas, I will pick winter. Our "winter" is 75 degrees today as I'm writing this!

35. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? A few self-help books and I'm re-reading Glenn Beck's last book - An Inconvenient Book.

36. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Nothing - that's lame, huh?

37. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? I just watched a couple shows on my DVR - Eleventh Hour and The Office

38. FAVORITE SOUND(S). A winning slot machine (when I'm in front of it), laughter, specifically Colleen's loud laughter, moving water (waterfalls, water fountains, etc.), good live music, compliments, Maggie dream-barking in her sleep (it's so cute - sounds like a chirp!)

39. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Sorry - I can't make that call......

40. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? I think Italy was probably the furthest

41. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? Organization, time management (I know - not very exciting!)

42. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? At Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park, Minnesota (Minneapolis area)

43. TATTOOS? Nope - and I don't really have a desire to get one.

45. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BEVERAGE? Diet Mountain Dew or wine

46. HAVE YOU HAD ANY RECONSTRUCTIVE OR COSMETIC SURGERIES? No - unless having my wisdom teeth out counts - hahaha

47. IF YOU COULD BE ANY FAMOUS PERSON WHO WOULD YOU BE? I don't want to be famous - AT ALL. I don't want to live under anyone else's expectations except my own.

48. WHAT IS YOUR WORST HABIT? Wow - probably the same as #16. There are more, but I don't want to make this a downer questionairre!!

49. WHO DID YOU LIKE/DATE OR CRUSH ON IN HIGH SCHOOL? DID THEY KNOW? I'm definitely not divulging this kind of info out on the Internet!

50. WHAT ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT RIGHT NOW? I'm thinking about all the things I need to get done today - and in which order I will do them. Ugh - I'm boring sometimes!

Benjamins Are My Friend!

Last week I attended my very first Annual Homewners Association Meeting - such a monumental 'first' - errrr....... Anyway, it started like all others - reading of last year's minutes, approving the budget, airing concerns (we talked at length about those crazy coyotes too!), etc. Well, at the end they gave away door prizes and I figured they would be coffee mugs, coolers, etc.........oh no! All of the prizes were COLD HARD CASH!! About 5 people won $50 bills and I was gathering my purse and papers to leave when they called out my name as the last winner - and the prize was a $100 bill! YAY! I was so excited - didn't expect that at all!

A Cluttered Path

As I have mentioned in previous posts, Maggie and I are walking 4-5 days a week in the mornings before I go to work. 90% of my walk involves sidewalks along somewhat busy streets and a small portion of my walk is through my actual neighborhood. I need to vent a little bit about rude sidewalk users. Who in their right mind thinks that letting their dog pop ON THE SIDEWALK (not the massive amounts of grass on either side of said sidewalk) is a good idea??? And furthermore....what dog in America is willing to poop on cement and not grass??? Mine certainly won't - that's why I had to shovel the snow in my yard in Toledo when we got a blizzard, so that Maggie would have some special grass to go potty on. Plus, when they go poo on a cement sidewalk, it takes forever for it to decompose, rather than in the grass where nature and the ground kind of absorb it. Also - I do not like dodging piles of poo at 6:30am! Those dog owners should be picking up their dogs' messes anyway, but if they must leave it, why couldn't they scoot the dog over to the grass???

Also on my walks, I run into broken bottles, food items, and once last week, I found a condom (thankfully it wasn't used). Maggie has a very sharp nose and wants to sniff and check out EVERYTHING and I find myself pulling her off of things ALL THE TIME because there are inconsiderate sidewalk users who feel that the sidewalk also serves as a garbage can! HOW RUDE!!

Let's Hear It For The GIRLS

Preface: Thank you to all of the women in my life that have helped me along my journey - both in the happy times and also the dark valleys. I love you all!

Time passes.

Life happens.

Distance separates.

Children grow up.

Jobs come and go.

Love waxes and wanes.

Men don't do what they're supposed to do.

Hearts break.

Parents die.

Colleagues forget favors.

Careers end.

BUT......... Girlfriends are there, no matter how much time and how many miles are between you. A girl friend is never farther away than needing her can reach.

When you have to walk that lonesome valley and you have to walk it by yourself, the women in your life will be on the valley's rim, cheering you on, praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on your behalf, and waiting with open arms at the valley's end.

Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk beside you...Or come in and carry you out.

Girlfriends, daughters, granddaughters, daughters-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law, Mothers, Grandmothers, aunties, nieces, cousins, and extended family, all bless our life!

The world wouldn't be the same without women, and neither would I. When we began this adventure called womanhood, we had no idea of the incredible joys or sorrows that lay ahead.

Nor did we know how much we would need each other.

Every day, we need each other still.

Birds of a Feather.....

To my northern readers:

Ever wonder where all of the birds in the north go during the cold winter months??? I just found out recently when I was stopped at a red light and looked over to find massive amounts of birds on the power lines - they were EVERYWHERE and in large quantities! I think some of them said "You betcha!" and "Uffda!" - so I know for sure that they were Minnesota birds. :)

PS - Yes, I really did whip out my camera at a red light and stick my head out the window to take these pics! I'm sure I looked really stupid. haha

I still cannot get used to seeing sprinkler systems on in January - that is absolutely bizarre. This particular day was unusually very warm - 80 degrees at the end of January! I had my sunroof open - this is just so weird to me...

Paint It Black (err.....ok, maybe other colors)

For me, 2009 represents a year of color! When I bought my house, ALL (and I mean ALL) of the interior walls were stark white. The problem is......they are still stark white! I cannot stand plain white walls all over a house/apartment and now that I finally own my own home, this has GOT to change. So.....I have big task in front of me....well - actually two. One of them is the actual painting, but the other one is picking out the colors for the rooms & common space!

I know that I will need to hire someone to do some parts of the house (my open staircase from the main floor to the 2nd floor - I can't get at those high walls/ceilings in that stairway), but I really want to try and do as much of it myself as possible (to prove I can do it, to learn how to do it, and to save money).

But....the first task is to pick out colors! I love decorating, but this is a very difficult task for me because I am not one of those super artistic people who can picture what the 'finished product' will look like by comparing swatches or paint chips. I need some visionaries!! So, this March I'm putting my visitors to work for a few minutes (hopefully before they start drinking margaritas) - they get to help me pick out room colors!

Get ready Renee, Jamie, Rachel, Toni, Beth & Stacie - I need your help adding color to my house and I need advice!!

Also - if you have done interior painting before, I would LOVE it if you could give me some tips to save time, money or heartache. Any war stories from painting your house? Have you found anything that really works well? Any and all advice, tips and do's/don'ts are welcome!!

Blogging is SERIOUS business!

OK, I'll admit, my blog really isn't 'serious business', but rather just the ramblings of an overly curious and amused tourist in Texas. However, I have stats/tracking software on my blog and I have noticed something.....companies take blogs very seriously as far as their image is concerned! Over the course of the last year since I started my blog, I have praised or mentioned several businesses. Nothing crazy there.....but what is funny is that those companies ended up going to my blog to see what I was writing about them.

For example, I had a post about how much I *heart* Pei Wei (a subsidiary of PF Changs)...and lo and behold, who's hitting my blog?? PF Changs corporate office was checking out my blog! (Note - I think they should email me a gift card for going on and on about how fabulous their restaurant is.) I also posted about the western parade in Fort Worth recently and I mentioned that the Wells Fargo stagecoach was there (and posted a pic of it)...within about 24 hours, I had a hit on my blog from Wells Fargo Corporation!

The company I work for also does these blog scans - so they know when/who/where anyone is talking about our company, product or people. I know that they like to find praises for the company/products/service, but when they encounter a negative comment, they will fly into action to try and rectify the situation or gather more information about why that person blogged negatively. I know that when I started work, I blogged about my first day's experiences and by the next day, they posted 'welcome to the company' comments on my post! They are very stealth. :)

I really don't think too much about my blog being important, but I guess I can call myself a 'marketing tool' for businesses! Maybe I can get some sweet prizes for promoting certain brands or products! HA!

New Chandelier/Tremendous Generosity

On Saturday, two really nice men from my church came over to help me with some home improvement projects that were beyond my technical abilities. It really made me nostalgic because they just snapped into action and started on projects without any hesitation - just like my Dad used to do. He would just know how to put stuff together, fix stuff, build stuff - right off the bat. The ideas and knowledge were just right there. For me, I have to psych myself up to tackle a project, read the instructions/owners manual, and methodically try to do it (then I'm usually swearing at said project by about 15 minutes into it!). They were masters of their craft and home improvement isn't even their careers!

Anyway, I would like to 'publicly' thank Jeff and Don for all of their help, expertise and time!! In one afternoon, they hung my new kitchen chandelier (see the pics), re-installed my doggy door with an air-tight, insulated solution, fixed two non-functioning outlets in my office, replaced the bad outlet on my dryer and sealed up some areas between my walls upstairs around my furnace/air conditioner where it was leaking air. Whew!

Happy 5th/35th, Maggie!

I know that some of you will think I'm nuts, but I have to take the opportunity to wish my little Maggie a Happy Birthday! She turns 5 today (well, 35 in dog years). For the first time since I got her, she's 'older' than me in dog years. This both amuses me and freightens me at the same time.

To celebrate, I am taking her to the dog park in Arlington, which she loves. Then we might stop and get a McDonalds cone so she can devour it. She has only had one of them in her life and she LOVED it.