Hello 2007!!

What I am Thinking Right Now…

As of 5:00 CST I am not longer employed. I will not panic, I am not hyperventilating. I will be ok. Ok, Chica calm down, you did the right thing girl. You just could not be up every night at 3am. You are doing what is best. I need money – you still have two checks coming, do NOT panic. What am I going to do when I want to go shopping? Do I need to show JR all receipts? Ok, calm down, it will be ok, you have some savings, so you can use that if you need to. You can always sell everything you own on eBay.

I am kinda freaking out right now. I have not been unemployed since I was 14!!! Back in 95 when I was in school I was not gainfully employed, but I did have a full time non-paying internship. So, this is going to be fun. Crap!

Smells Like…

vomit all over my house!! The Sequel started throwing up last night, so we decided to have him sleep with us that way we could keep an eye on him. He kept waking up, every couple of hours, and making gagging noises, so JR would pick him up and take him to the sink. He was not as quick as I would have liked since gradually the whole bed was covered with towels. Later, in the wee hours of the morning JR decided that he was not going to get any sleep and took The Sequel to the home office. Yeap, you guessed it, it smells in there too. While that was happening I did manage to get a couple of hours of sleep. Eventually JR and TS came back up and the fun continued.

In the morning, all I hear is the desperate pitter patter of Baby Girl’s feet trying to make their way to bathroom, great!!

The clothes causalities were many; I think we all changed a couple of times throughout the night. The house has a funky sour milk smell to it and every so often I step on something wet and not recognizable. Wonderful. It is going to be a long Febreze day.

Christmas Gift

JR gave me this awesome pair of Chanel (6026B) sunglasses for Christmas. Yippie me, but I might not be keeping them since I was hoping for the more laid back (this one has a sparkling Swarovski crystals startburst design on each temple) Chanel 4126 design. I will keep you guys posted.

Season's Greetings

Merry

Christmas

Christmas Get-Together

Come out and celebrate with us.

When: Friday, December 22.
Where: Warren's (218 Travis St. Downtown Houston)
Time: Around 6pm
Bring: A $15 generic gift if you would like to participate in the White Elephant gift exchange.

Woo, hoo. See you guys soon.
Chica

Early Christmas Gift

I just wanted to share my early Christmas gift with you guys. I could not resist. I actually fell in love and wanted the Gucci cruise line tote (same, but with a white trim and a white scarf), but could not find it anywhere (summer line). So, I got this one. I love it. The only problem is that it is so BIG. I need to buy things to put in it. I usually only carry around my cell phone, keys, and card wallet, so this is a change. Merry Christmas to me!!

Life Update

Hey guys, I have been missing you all. Life has been crazy, I have been extremely busy, but that is all about to change since my last day at work is the 29th!! I am excited and kinda scared at the same time, but know that it is for the best.

The business has been doing incredibly well. I am actually pretty proud of myself, it has been a learning experience and of course I still have a lot to learn.

The year is almost over, wow, it has just flown by. It seems that the older I get the faster the world spins. I hope you guys have a great Christmas accompanied by your families and friends. We are actually hosting Christmas dinner at the house (yes, a lot of work) so it will be nice to see everyone and not have to drive to get there.

The kids are doing well and making me feel old. After Baby Girl opened one of the toys she got in her school’s Christmas (the word Halloween could not be uttered, but there was a huge Christmas celebration, which of course I organized) goodie bag, she looked at me and said “Mom, do you like my pretty bracelet?” I said, yes, and told her that is was not a bracelet, but something called a Slinky. We had a lot of fun trying to make it walk down the stairs.

Welcome to the World Emma!

Little Emma made her way into the world on Sunday morning. I am so excited for her parents Hanna and Michael. Congrats guys.

Hanna, welcome to motherhood.

Calling all Handbag Lovers

I know I have not blogged in forever, I am sorry. I just poked my head here to share an AWESONE site with you guys. It is called Bag Borrow or Steal. You can pretty much RENT a designer bag!! Or you can buy one of the gently used bags on the “Outlet”. Check it out. See, see, I do think of you guys.

To Leave or Not To Leave

I need your advice…I am contemplating quitting my job. Life has gotten really hectic now days. I am busy 24/7, it has gotten to the point that I can not keep up with the house or everyday responsibilities. My house looks like a war zone most of the time.

Early this year I started my own business, my very own LLC, yippie for me. Every thing is going well with it and would love to be able to spend real; I mean real time, not a couple of hours here and there, doing things to promote the business.

My company - the paying job - has been going through a lot of changes. A month ago 50 people were laid off. Part of me would like be laid off, because I would have more of a “their loss” attitude. If I have to quit I think I will regret it somewhat. I think I will cry for a week. I have been there for seven years.

JR says he will support my decision, but I feel like me not working or “pulling my own weight” will be an issue. I feel like I will have to justify my very expensive taste or that I would have to ask him for permission to buy something. I know that the issue WILL come up and that will have me running to the nearest McDonald to flip some burgers!

I am so confused right now. I also feel that I will never be to get another job. Someone help! Ok, if any of you out there have gone through this let me know how it turned out – and make it a happy ending. Just kidding. I just really want to know about the transition between bread winner to bread beggar.

Headed for Divorce

Did we have any bets on how long Britney and K-Fed’s marriage would last? I think someone somewhere owes me lunch.

That must suck, ok, not only was she married to a backup dancer for two years, but she has two kids by that man. They are going to have to see each other for the rest of their lives. How much fun is that?! And their youngest kid is only two months old. Crap.

Warning – eBay Scam

On Sunday night my auctions ended and as I was in the process of emailing invoices, the second the auctions ended, I got an email sent through eBay telling me that they wanted to buy my product and if it was still for sale.

Now, I never, ever click on the “response now” link on the eBay messages without checking the auction number on the message first. I did that, and the number was a bogus one.

The same thing happened again when I was uploading auction items!

I guess those scammers know you are so busy, caught up with eBaying, that you will most likely not check the link before clicking on it.

Beware – if they get your eBay log on they can get your PayPal info.

Be careful.

**This has been a public service announcement, we now return you to your regular scheduled program.

Sewing Chica

Baby Girl’s school celebrated the 50s today. The kids were allowed to dress up in poodle skirts, leather jackets, and rolled up pants (they can not dress up for Halloween, but putting on a 50s outfit a week before is ok – go figure). Going to the store and buying a skirt already made would have been too easy a task, so I decided to bust out my sewing machine and make one.

I had not sewn anything in ages. When BG was born I made her crib set and drapes, and I also made her her first Halloween costume. Aside from that I can not remember the last time I used the machine. I have always been jealous of people that can sew anything in a moments notice, I guess that is why I am a fan of Project Runway, but I always tell people, when asked about my sewing hobby, that I only sew on cotton and only straight lines.

Anyway, the skirt turned out really, really cute. I won’t be trying out for Project Runway any time soon, but I looking forward to getting into sewing again. I am making BG an outfit to wear on Halloween day to school since she can not wear her costume, keep your fingers crossed for me.

Someone Give Me Money

I received this email today, do people still fall for this?!

DAN WATKINS
More options 10:23 am (6 hours ago)
FROM AUDITOR Dan Watkins
HEAD OF AUDITING DEPARTMENT
IN A BANK

Hello
Sir/Madam,

My name is Dan Watkins, a senior staff and executive of a
bank here in Scotland, United Kingdom.I have only written to seek your
indulgence and assistance.

I wish to make a transfer involving a huge
amount.I am proposing to make this transfer to a designated bank
account of your choice. Thus,
for your indulgence and support, I
propose an offer of 25% of the total
amount to be yours after the
transfer has been successfully concluded.

Kindly reply me stating your interest, and I shall furnish you with the
details and necessary proceedure with which to make the transfer.

I anxiously await your response. Thanks and Godbless.

Sincerely yours,

Dan Watkins

A dead give away was the "HEAD OF AUDITING DEPARTMENT
IN A BANK"...If they are lying anyway why not use a real bank name. What are these people thinking?

No Halloween - Part 2

I was asked why I thought that Christianity was behind the banning of Halloween -

Well, the reason Christianity is behind banning Halloween is because, I live in an area that is very conservative. Plus, the Principal said “some people’s religions” and there are not many religions I can pick from around here.

Let me start by saying that I love all people. If you are Christian that is your belief and that is ok, more power to you, but why does Halloween need to be taken out of school because some, very few, people think its evil?

There should be separation of church and state, the religious feelings of one group should have nothing to do with Halloween, since it is not a religion and there are no beliefs attach to it. I think the parents of those kids who are against dressing up should keep their kids at home on that day. I plan to do just that if we can not have a little party at Baby Girl’s school on that day. I will keep her home and have her run around with her costume on all day. We can count candy or her spelling as the day goes on…a learning day, I say.

How would we feel if girls had to wear head scarves, or only skirts, because someone felt it was the "right" way to live? Where do we draw the line? Who is the school district listening to?

Ok, I can understand if the school district did not want ANY celebrations at the school, but why are they only cutting Halloween? Doesn't Valentine's Day make a big mess (I don't know why the Christian population hasn't gotten against that one too "the lovers" holiday and all, ok, I better not give them any ideas)? Plus, they have countless other celebrations on the schedule for this year.

We all grew up dressing up for Halloween and enjoying the festivities at school. It just does not seem right that the kids can not do that now. Plus, I don’t know that any of my friends became devil worshipers or witches just because they enjoyed a little Halloween.

Not finished yet…

No Halloween

I am outraged!! I went to Baby Girl’s PTO meeting this morning and was informed that Conroe Independent School District would not be observing Halloween this year. My jaw dropped.

I know I live in a pretty conservative area, but I could not believe that now they want to take Halloween away from my child! As soon as I heard the news I raised my hand. “Is it a school thing or where is this coming from?” I asked. I was told that it was a CISD rule and that it was decided given some people’s religious backgrounds. My question is – since when did Halloween become a religion?! The last time I checked the kids dressed up, had a party at school, and walked around with a bucket for candy. What is going on?!!

Ok, I don’t know what is going on. I feel discriminated against for speaking out. I feel like the word “Halloween” has become as controversial as “Illegal Immigrant”. Halloween is awesome; the kids dress up in their favorite outfit and walk around getting candy, what can be greater than that? It is a kid day, a great AMERICAN tradition. I enjoyed it and I want my kids to enjoy it without feeling like it is taboo - something wrong they can not talk about or enjoy at school.

CISD has been pissing me off for a while. For all of you that don’t know CISD rents its buildings out to churches on the weekends so they can hold their gathering there. They have always help the community out in that way, ok, I must say, the Christian community. I have always wanted to call and say I was Muslim, Jewish, or Baha'i to see if they would be as “nice and accommodating”.

Ok, I know I am off on a tangent, but I am really pissed. I ended up talking to the Principal after the meeting, she was very politically correct and said that she could not stop me from dressing my child however I wanted that day. She also said that it was up to the teacher to decide whether she wanted to have a little party on that day. Immediately I went to BGs classroom where the teacher informed me that she “did not like Halloween”, but if the parents wanted to have a little party she was ok with that. What is not to like?!!!

To be continued…

Updated

Ok, I think I have updated my sidebar. If I missed anyone please email me and let me know. I updated the links, tv,loves, and added Cayman Islands to my 43 Places. I also took out the "Reading" section. I have realized that I am more of a couch potato reader, so I did not see the point of keeping the title up for months at a time.

Oh, yes, I have also added some new and exciting (see, I am advertising for some of you guys) links, so go check them out.

Much Love,
Chica

Buyer Beware

I was at Sam’s yesterday and decided to pick up some cookies. When I was in the cookie aisle I had to choose between my favorites the Keebler cookie pack (chocolate chip, m&m cookies, sandies, and iced animal) or the 100 Calorie Packs (Chips Ahoy and Oreos). I must of not had been thinking straight because I decided to get the box of 24 100 calorie packs.

I must say that it was not a hard decision to make. I thought, I need to loose weight, cut my calorie consumption, and need to get involved with more vegetables and fruits. To tell the truth I am a bad dessert eater. I do ok with food, but I need to have something sweet after I eat, I don’t know what it is but I am addicted to sugar. The fact that the whole box of 24 100 calories packs weighed 0.5 oz should have given me a clue they were not going to satisfy my sweet tooth.

As JR is loading the items into the car he notices the lightness of the package and tells me that he thinks I got taken because I bought some air in a box. I tell him that I think that each pack just has one cookie. Anyway, I get home, have lunch, and then it hits me, I need some sugar. I go over the box and grab a pack of the Chips Ahoy. I sit down to enjoy my cookie and nothing. Nothing happens, no sugary rush going to by brain telling me I am happy. No burst of energy. No nirvana experience. I was just sitting there eating some crispy things that provided no emotions.

Needless to say, money wasted, oh, Baby Girl does have some friends that are always asking for a snack. What a better way to get them off my back forever!

Shakira in Houston

Sporting my new Urban Decay “Spandex” eyeliner and my favorite black espadrille tie-up shoes I made my way to the Toyota Center to see Columbian Goddess Shakira.

The show started a little late with Wyclef Jean taking the stage a little past 8pm. His sister came out for a song, man that girl can sing! I had mixed feeling about this part of the show, but JR seemed to enjoy it.

At 9pm Shakira appeared on stage. She was amazing. Her hips gyrated all over the place. She sang some of her new songs as well as old favorites. Every one danced and sang. Baby Girl was super excited, but fell sleep before the show ended, not bad for her first concert!

Overall, it was a good time. This reminds me, I need to sign up for belly dancing classes. Does any know of a good place?

New Links

I will be updating my sidebar in the next couple of days (it has been neglected for over a year!). If anyone has a link they would like me to add to my blogroll email it to me.

Ok, if you are in my blogroll, but have not updated your blog in over nine months you WILL be removed. If you have moved to a new url please send me the link.

Thank You,
The Management

Picture Blog

Picture Blog.

2.41! Wow,I feel like taking a trip.

Football Season

The 2006-2007 football season started this week. Today millions of married women have become single for a day.

It is not like today, the first football Sunday, was a surprise, on the contrary the guys have been registering for fantasy leagues, researching players, having their drafts, and watching anything related to football for some weeks now. I have gone through this separation for some 13 years now and I always forget about the first Sunday.

At my house the day sounded something like this - “Hey, JR what’s on TiVo?” JR looks at me like I am crazy and says, “I am watching the game!” I tell him that I know that, but that there is still enough time left in the game to where we can watch a TiVo 30 minute show. After the show is over he can get back to his football game to see who won (it makes perfect sense to me). He tells me that I need to understand the main and only purpose for the big TV and that we have two other televisions (one in the kids playroom and the other in the exercise room, neither one comfy enough if you just want to chill) in the house, but if I want I can go buy a bigger TV for the kids playroom so I can watch it. I tell him that I want some together time watching a show and he tells me no! I even offer to jerk him off as he watches the game, “no, because then I can not concentrate”. “You are not participating IN the game, what do you need to concentrate for?!”

I guess I just don’t get it. Until next February my Sundays will consist of catching up on laundry, running errands, and getting ready for the following week. You would think that as a newly single girl I would be having a lot more fun, but how much fun can I have on a Sunday?

R.I.P Steve Irwin

As many of you now know the Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin, was killed this past weekend by a stingray off the coast of Australia. The question now is, should the video of his death, which was caught on tape because he was filming a special about dangerous predators, be released to the public?

The answer is YES! He made a living torturing, ok maybe not torturing, but harassing, any animal within his reach and all animals were within his reach. I think that he was the ultimate victim to a dangerous predator. He took the stingray on, animal vs. animal, no metal cages, no save button, just nature. Isn’t that what Steve Irwin stood for? We have seen him slap death in the face too many times by wrestling alligators, getting close to piranhas, and handling poisonous snakes. This time though the animal won.

There was no question on anyone’s mind about how Steve Irwin would meet his death, on Monday when the news was released no one seemed that surprised. There was no irony. If the video were to be released I would not watch, but I think that it should. After all if Steve Irwin would of killed the stingray in self defense wouldn’t that footage be shown??

Nip/Tuck - Yeah!

My Tuesday night Rescue Me fixation was replaced by my Nip/Tuck one. Tonight was the season premier of Nip/Tuck, yeahh!! I have been so looking forward to it since last year. This season looks amazing.

During Nip/Tuck there was a preview for the movie Running with Scissors. I have been looking forward to the movie, but I am a little disappointed. The preview does not look as interesting as the book, yes, I know that is always the case, but one can hope.

I read Running with Scissors some months back and really enjoyed it. I read that Annette Bening might get an Oscar nomination for her role as a crazy mom. I really liked her in American Beauty and was hoping that the movie would match the book.

The preview for Marie Antoinette with Kirsten Dunst does look fun. I am not a Sofia Coppola fan, but I do enjoy her cinematography. I really think she does an amazing job setting up the shots and getting the pictures to tell a story.

Oh, yeah, and the movie Stranger than Fiction looks very, very funny.

Flickr Pics

I have finally uploaded the vacation pics onto Flickr. Go have a look.

God's Will

What is the difference between a Christian saying that it was God’s will to have New Orleans completely destroyed by a hurricane and having a Muslin say the same thing about the attacks of September 11th?

There is no difference, both groups think that they are the enlightened ones, but at the core they are completely the same.

I heard the first comment today, on the anniversary of Katrina, as I drove to Baby Girl’s school for a PTO meeting. I could not believe that someone would say, on the radio, that the hurricane that killed thousands of people in New Orleans was planned and carried out by God to punish them.

The second comment I heard as I watched a documentary on the use of the internet by terrorist groups. A Muslim said that they did not understand why the United States was so wrapped up in finding Osama bin Laden. He said that Osama had nothing to do with the attacks on September 11 and that if they did capture him there were others ready to take his place. He continued by saying that - and this is where everything came together for me and I finally understood – if God did not want the destruction that happened on 9.11 then he would of stopped the attack. Just like he stopped the Richard Reid (shoe bomber) and the terrorist ring in the UK, it was not in God’s plan. Great! I thought, we are not fighting against terrorists, we are fighting God! That is a tough battle to win. We are fighting against a God they believe has a will, a plan, and really, really, hates the US. Great!

Both groups are giving God too much credit. I have always hated to hear someone say “God Willing”. The phrase seems like a cop out. I wonder, how come people do not say God willed someone to get raped, murdered, or killed by a drunk driver on their 18 birthday? If God’s will is what rules the world then why are there criminals in jail? Isn’t God is supposed to be taking care of the bad people?

Maybe there is a big difference between God and his prophets – Jesus and Muhammad – because if I remember correctly both men preached about the Golden Rule.

Christianity - All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye so to them; for this is the law and the prophets. Matthew 7:1

Islam - No one of you is a believer until he desires for his brother that which he desires for himself. Sunnah

I just hope that in remembering Katrina people show some compassion for those that lost so much because of no fault of their own.

Houston - Automatic Tickets??

Here are locations of new cameras that will automatically issue a ticket if you are caught running yellow or red lights...good idea to slow down!!!!

The first 10 camera locations are:

• 1 - Richmond at Dunvale


• 2 - Bellaire at Wilcrest


• 3 - Harwin at Hillcroft


• 4 - Milam at Elgin


• 5 - Brazos at Elgin


• 6 - JFK at Greens


• 7 - Bay Area Boulevard at El Camino Real


• 8 - Travis at Webster


• 9 - Pease at LaBranch


• 10 - Hillcroft at Richmond

My Summer TV Watching

I love TV, ok, let me rephrase that, I love good TV. There are only a couple of shows that I have been totally and completely addicted to this summer, what does that mean? Well, it means that I actually make time to watch them the day or the day after they come on. It seems insane that I have been so busy that sitting down and watching tv is actually my relaxing time. Anyway, one of the shows is Rescue Me – I just love that show I have been a Rescue Me addict since last season. It is a really good show. The season finale is Tuesday and I can not wait. The kids need to be in bed and sleep by then. No noise just me and my television. Ahhhh.

The other show I have been watching religiously is Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia. That show is so funny. The actors are so good; it makes you wonder what they are really like outside of the show.

Another FX show I have started to watch is 30 Days, from the same guy that did the Super Size Me movie. In 30 days a person has to live and do things that are so completely unlike them. There has been a show about a Minuteman that lives with an illegal family, another where a pretty normal sales guy gets a life coach, learns yoga, and gets his charkas cleansed. Well, you guys get were I am going with this. I asked JR what my 30 days would be, I think that question is better left for someone else to answer since they know you best. His answer was that my 30 days should be spent with a daredevil. I hate rollercoasters and pretty much anything that takes my feet away from the ground. For JR I though his 30 days would be better spent with a homosexual couple. He would walk away during the romantic scenes in BrokeBack Mountain. I was all like, oh, come on JR, it is a love story, and they are in love, how romantic (even though I thought that the Jake Gyllenhaal’s character was a jerk). He would leave, come back and continue watching when the scene in question was over.

Where or with whom would YOU spend your 30 days? (Ask someone that knows you best and don’t change the answer).

First Day of School

Today was Baby Girl’s first day of school. Her introduction into the public school system began early this morning. BG completely surprised me by getting up super early and being 100% cooperative, so unlike her.

I know that she went to Paddington last year for pre-k, so you would think that I would be a little more prepared for her to go to school, but I don’t know for some reason today seemed a little more “official”.

Her teacher Ms. Nichols is super nice. She has taught for 3 years, which is nice since most kindergarten teachers tend to be fresh out of school, she is 26, about 5’ 9”, and I swear she does not weigh more than 90 pounds.

Some of the parents and kids seem nice, but I did see one of BG’s classmates wearing a Tupac t-shirt.

Back in Town

Wow, it has been a crazy two weeks. Life was crazy before we left, getting Baby Girl’s birthday party ready and all. We had the party at Chuck e Cheese, not recommended, the kids had a blast, but I think the parents wanted to kill us for having the party there. It was just very loud, with lights, crowded, and overall mayhem. We usually have the party at home, but since we were leaving on vacation the next day we thought it was best to have the soiree somewhere else.

Ok, now to the vacation, Grand Cayman was lovely. The water was an amazing blue, the people were friendly, and there were no hurricanes anywhere near the island. The first couple of days we went to the beach, laid out, and ate. On the third day we rented a car, which was kinda scary since they drive on the left side of the road, I was so afraid for my life, JR did make a couple of wrong turns, but we lived to tell about it.

One of the most exciting things we did was feed the stingrays. It is so amazing, not because of the stingray part, but because a boat takes you to the middle of nowhere where there is a sandbar that you can actually walk on and the water is only 3 feet deep! You stand there and look around, there is nothing for miles, and there you are standing in the middle of the ocean. Oh, and the water is completely see through, looking back at the pics it looks like a pool instead of the ocean. Amazing!! The stingray part was cool, but creepy when too many of them come too close.

Well, after 8 sun filled days we are back in town, I look a little darker than I should, but it was worth it, I think, well, I will let you guys know when I start peeling.

Will Return Soon

I am currently on vacation and will return soon with pics and stories about my Grand Cayman Island vacation.

Stay Tuned

Tax-Free Shopping

I am going on vacation soon and needed to do some clothes shopping. What is a vacation anyway without new clothes?!! Anyway, I decided to go shopping today, yes, today of all days, the start of the Tax-Free shopping weekend here in the state of Texas. To some of you out-of-staters this is not a big deal since clothing is not taxed in many states, but here in Houston, Texas we have a whopping 8.25% tax on everything.

When I go shopping there is pretty much just one rule I follow, well, there are more, but for this story only one rule applies. When I go shopping I am either at the mall when it first opens or one hour before it closes. I HATE going in the middle of the day, I hate driving around in circles looking for a parking space; I hate bumping into people at the stores and waiting. That is just me. I knew I had to be especially early today since all those people wanting to save $8.25 for every $100 were going to be flocking to the mall. I go to the mall at 9am and by the time I left at 11am there were no parking spaces left!!

People were buying anything and everything they could get their hands on. They were buying thousands of dollars in merchandise, at the mall thousands of dollars means a lot of clothes! I never knew the power of 8.25%.

Tomorrow is Baby Girl’s fifth birthday. In the afternoon I went to Target to try to get some last minute gifts for the baby guests. The store was also packed. While I was looking around in the toy section I heard a very interesting conversation. There was a mom shopping with her son and older daughter. The mom looks at an electronic pink piggy bank toy and says “I love that toy, too bad it is pink”. The older daughter asks her what she had said. The mom tells her how she would never buy anything pink for her son. Her daughter says “aren’t pigs pink?”

Weekend Update - July 31

I am so jet lagging on this blog. Let me give you guys a quick run down on the events that transpired last week.

On Monday I finally took The Sequel to get a haircut. His hair was so long that everyone thought he was a girl! Ok, he is wearing a blue collared shirt, some khakis, and sandals and people are still saying she, what is up with that? it was not like he was wearing pink or anything. Anyway, his first trip to the hair place was a little crazy, he cried, he screamed, he cried some more and at the end I was left with something that did not even resembled my baby anymore; I was left with a little boy. It was kinda sad. It took me three days to finally get used to seeing him with no hair. My little man is growing up, sniff, sniff.

Speaking of growing up, have I told you guys that Baby Girl will be making her first public school appearance in 15 days? I can not believe that she will going to kinder. Her bday is this Saturday. I kiddingly tell her after this birthday she is not allowed to grow up anymore. I tell her that she has to stay small forever. She laughs and tells me that she HAS to grow up, she has to get taller. What she does not know is that I wish I could really keep her from getting older.

On Tuesday we had some guy from Sears come over and take a look at our treadmill. It has not been service in forever and it makes a squeaky sound when you walk on it. He looked at it and said that it needed a new belt and some other thing and that the bill would be almost $400! I told him I would think about it, but I still had to pay $96 for the service call! I guess I will have to stay chunky a little longer.

On Thursday I left for Dallas (work). It was the first time that Baby Girl accompanied me without my mother around. It was fun for me having her around, but I think she got a little bored; she was always waiting for me to finish working. We got back home on Friday.

During the weekend we saw one of the worst movies ever, no I am not being picky, it was really, really bad. Every time I see a movie I always check out imdb to see what it says about the flick, or for any behind the scenes info. Anyway the people at imdb were as confused about I Love Your Work as I was! That is a bad sign.

Two movies that I have seen recently that I really liked are – The Matador and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Both movies were very entertaining with smart and witty writing. Both movies are highly recommended.

My ABCs

Accent: Yes, sometimes, it depends on what words I am saying.
Bed I sleep in: What kind of question is that?! Mine.
Chore I Don’t Care For: Washing dishes, yuck.
Dog or Cat: Neither, I hate them both. Used to have a cat – Killer (pronounced Kyler) – but gave him to my mom.
Essential Electronics: Computer, cell phone, camera.
Favorite Perfume: Une Fleur by Chanel
Gold or Silver: Silver
Handbag I Carry Most Often: Depends on where I am going and with whom. If I have to carry the kids stuff then it is the latest Coach Summer big bag. If I am going out with grown-ups then it is Louis Vuitton.
Insomnia: I am a very light sleeper, but don’t know if that counts as insomnia.
Job Title: Network Analyst – yeah, not that interesting.
Kids: Two. A girl and a boy.
Living Arrangement: Us four, a fish that keeps having babies, and Mr. T (a turtle).
Most Admirable Trait: I am a positive thinker.
Naughtiest Childhood Behavior: I used to think that I could do experiments on my sister.
Overnight Hospital Stays: Both kids (does childbirth count?). Also when I was little I stuck a bean in my ear and had to go to the hospital to have it taken out. For some reason I was at the hospital for 3 days. Maybe I should have a talk with my mother.
Phobias: Water. I do not like being in water too deep that I can not touch the bottom. I do not like rollercoasters. (JR is giving me a list right now, I need to kick him).
Quote: I put the following quote on the holiday cards from last year “For last year’s words belong to last year’s language and next year’s words await another voice” T.S. Eliot.
Religion: None
Siblings: One sister, she is 10 months younger that me.
Time I Wake Up: I love to sleep in. I usually wake up around 8:30.
Unusual Talent or Skill: I can touch my nose with my tongue.
Veggie I Refuse to Eat: ONIONS, yuck.
Worst Habits: Over eating.
Yummy Stuff I Cook: Sorry, I don’t cook. I hate cooking. It takes so much more time to prepare a meal than to eat it, I don’t see the point.
Zoo Animals I Like Most: I don’t really have one.

Weekend Update

JR turned the big 3-5 on Friday, so we decided to go out on the town to celebrate. We stated the night at Hooters (per Chris’ request). From there we moved to Baker Street Pub, Two Rows, and Gingerman. It was fun.

Here are a couple of JR pics with the Hooter girls.





On Saturday we went to Lot 8. Chloe Dao’s spread in Elle finally came out and she was signing autographs. While I was there I looked around and found an awesome dress, perfect for the beach at the Cayman Islands.

Women Rule!

I am fuming. There aren’t many times when I get angry at words someone wrote. I think it is a free country and people are able to write whatever they want (yoo, hoo, first amendment), but I feel compelled, torn, perplexed and flat out angry about what I just read on a comment in someone’s blog (I will NOT give publicity to such blog here).

Hello,
On the topic of stay-at-homes mum etc. - don’t you think housewives are redundant?
In all seriousness, our great grandmothers all had horrible lives as slaves without rights (aka housewives) but actually had to do some hard work.

They made their own bread, had to hand wash clothes, beat the dust out of rugs, chop firewood etc. these days we have appliances and supermarkets- a woman who has no career in favor of stacking the dishwasher and putting a load through the washing machine seems to be a person that is merely inherently lazy or otherwise severely oppressed.

Given the availability of reasonably priced appliances, it is ridiculous to suggest a housewife is necessary. What, can’t those big old tough chauvinists figure out how to start the damn machines? If women grew some confidence they could have successful careers whilst sharing the menial housework tasks with their husbands (by that I mean 50:50 not 80:20).

And I’m sick of hearing ‘not everyone can afford a dishwasher’ - if a couple can’t afford a dishwasher, that’s even more reason for both to be working.

Which brings me to a side rant of ‘daycare’s too expensive’- maybe if these women bothered to get an education and had some work ethic instead of spreading their legs and morphing into heifers, they’d have a high-paying career with generous maternity leave and be able to afford the ‘overpriced’ daycares upon returning to work and an identity outside of fetus oven.

Men can have careers and family; have them make some sacrifices for a change. However, that said, many mums I know think the world owes them a living because they’re a ‘mummy’. So they reproduced- big deal, it’s a fact of life, nothing special so stop budging and get back to work!

TC.
(PS This site lets me blow of steam- thank you so much for that!)

Jerk!! I wish I had him/her in front of me so I could choke them. I am a mother, career women, and business owner. I have a degree. I also waited to have children until I was more “mature”, but let me tell you guys something - it is A LOT easier to have a job than to be a stay-at-home mom. Being a stay-at-home mom is a 24-hour a day job, no sick days, no lunch breaks, no raises; frankly I do not know how they do it.

According to Salary.com, “Stay-at-home mothers wear many hats. They're the family CEO, the day care provider, accountant, chauffeur, counselor, chef, nurse, laundress, entertainer, personal stylist, and educator. Based on a 90-hour work week, Salary.com has estimated that a fair wage for the typical stay-at-home mom would be well over $90,000 for executing all of her daily tasks. Factor in overtime, and the appropriate salary takes a leap of around $25,000”.

I believe that a woman can do and be whatever she wants. That is the beauty of being us! We can choose to be mothers, wives, single, married with kids, married without kids, career women, and we can also choose to stay at home to take care of our children. Every woman makes a decision, a decision that is hers and hers alone based on beliefs, income, and background. How does the saying go? You can not criticize someone until you have walked a mile in their shoes. More people should remember that.

Being a stay at home mother is not for everyone, I am envious of the ones that love it and do it well. I wish I could. So, I am sticking up for you my sisters – the ones that are paid daily with hugs and kisses.

Working, Vacation, and the Thyroid??

I am currently in College Station, Texas working (go Aggies?!!). This time I was able to bring the kiddos with me, since I drove and all, and, of course, my mom to help me take care of them.

I will be here until Wednesday. I think I might be going to Dallas next week, huh, we will see. I finally asked for vacation. I can not believe that we waited until the last possible week for us to take time off. Baby Girl will be starting school on August 16 and we will be back from the Cayman Islands a whole 2 days before her public school induction.

Baby Girl has had me worried a lot lately. I have seen her gain weight little by little during the last couple of months, to the point of worrying me. I was taking her jogging and had her on an exercise plan, but the weight did not go anywhere. I was worried and thought about calling the Dr, but did not know how that conversation would go – “Dr. my daughter Baby Girl has been gaining weight and I don’t know what is going on”, “Do not worry Chica, what kind of signs does she have?”, “Well, since she got out of school she has been going to sleep late, sleeping in, eating junk food, and doing things kids do during the summer”. The doctor would have obviously told me to wait until her next physical, next month, to take her in.

I was going to have to be sneaky about it. I waited until Baby Girl complained of an ailment and I took her in. I told the doctor about my thyroid problem and told her that Baby Girl might have the same thing; she agreed and ordered a blood test. Now, taking blood, or getting it done, from a four year old it is not my idea of fun, but we were lucky that the person taking the blood knew what he was doing. The whole process was fast and painless.

A few days later the doctor calls us and says that Baby Girl has no thyroid activity what so ever! None, nothing, nada. She is completely hypo. This saddens me because I have had my blood taken out, in average, once every six months for the past 10 years and I HATE it. Just imagine having your blood taken every six months from the time you are four years old!

When I was pregnant I was told that the baby would not be affected by my thyroid problem. The Sequel would be tested in a couple of months. I really hope he is ok.

Houston Bound

To answer Greg at Dissonance's question, yes, I am out of town again. This week pretty much sucked, but today it is looking a lot brighter.

I am at the airport in San Diego. I talked the guy at the security check point to let me try our newest weapon against terrorism, the EntryScan 3. He laughed when I asked him, but he agreed. He told me to stand still and let the machine do its magic. I put my feet when the carpet with the shoes told me to. I stood still and all of the sudden spurts of air were shot at me from the bottom, my hair went every where. You stand still some more, which seems like an eternity, while everyone in line looks at you and wonders if you are really a threat.

According to the security guy, the air that is shot at you is analyzed, then gamma rays at beamed at you from all sides and you are rendered virtually sterile, nah, just kidding, but I did wonder what was going on. The door on the other side eventually opens and you are free.

I am on my way home today. The week has been crappy, cheez and it is only Wednesday! I will tell you guys all the events that transpired, but keep in mind that there is a 3 hour difference between Texas and California.

On Monday I boarded a plane in Houston that took me to Sacramento, Ca. Oh, yeah, wait, there was a little 4 hour lay over in Phoenix. I finally got to the airport and it took the hotel shuttle almost an hour to come pick me up. I got to the room and it was time to work, after work I managed to workout for 45 minutes. After that I ate dinner, watched a little tv and went to sleep. Got up at 10:40 pm joined a conference bridge and work until almost 4 am. On Tuesday morning I got up at 8:30, had breakfast, took a shower, and went back to the airport.

On Tuesday I headed to San Diego, but since our travel agency sucks and the people that work there suck even more, I had to go back to Phoenix, from Sacramento, and wait there an hour before boarding a plane to San Diego. When I got to San Diego I took a cab, worked, worked out, had dinner, went to sleep, woke up at 10:40pm to work, joined the bridge, and worked until almost 4am

On Wednesday, I got up at 9am, skipped breakfast, took a shower and made my way to the Airport. I am currently in San Diego, waiting for a plane that will take me to Phoenix; from there I will board another plane that will eventually take me home.

Phone Blogging

Phone Blogging.

Sunset in San Diego

It is Hard Being a Woman

It is so very hard being a woman in today’s world. Ok, maybe I should change that to say, I am finding it hard to be a good woman nowadays.

My life feels very chaotic right now, I feel like I am drowning, but at the same time I am not yelling asking for help. I am drowning in silence. Why am I doing this to myself? Truthfully, I really feel like I would be letting myself down if I would quit my job, let go of my business, and just concentrated on the kids and the home. Would I be a better mom if I did that? probably yes. Would I be happy? probably not.

My mother stayed at home until we moved to the States. I guess it was comforting to get home from school and have someone always waiting for you, to open the door and have the smell of food welcome you in. I really liked that and missed it when I was older. I wish that I could have been able to write her a letter of recommendation after my father left. After we moved to the States we did not have the luxury of having her stay at home, she had to join the workforce with no skills what so ever. Life was hard, but that is another story all together.

Statistics say that if a woman leaves the workforce and stays out for 18 months she has 50% change of getting the same job with the same pay. The percentage decreases the longer she is out of the workforce. Do not get me wrong, I do not want to leave my job, I really like it. I do not work because of the money, I do not make that much, I do it because it makes me feel that I am doing something important for people that respect me and like the way I do my job.

The problem is that I have been so very busy with work that I have not had time to pay attention to anything else. Every thing is just falling to the wayside, but most of all I feel that I am not loving enough. Wow, it sounds weird saying it out loud. I AM NOT LOVING ENOUGH!! I feel like I am living in the tomorrow, tomorrow I will spend time with the kids, tomorrow I will clean, tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow. I am afraid that tomorrow might never come and I wasted my time on things that are not, gulp, that important.

As women trying to balance kids, husbands, careers, businesses, homes, and some personal time, how do you guys do it all? Is there a happy balance or does one side always wins? How does one become a Superwoman?

July 4th, 2006

Happy Birthday USA!

What Is Up With These Shoes?!

I just don’t understand these shoes at all. At first I only saw kids and very young girls wearing them and thought, well, that is a good idea, it is summer and you know those kids are always outside playing around. They are plastic and cheap so if they get wet or muddy who cares!

Well, I don’t know what could possess grown women to wear such shoes to the mall, or any where else for that matter, when there is no rain in sight or gardening to be done. Plus what would you wear with such shoes? I guess you could wear a garden outfit – overalls, big shirt, floppy hat, and of course those adorable shoes (they actually come in around 20 colors and designs!).

I don’t know about your family, but my sister has a fit every time I wear my Stuart Weitzman’s with the wrong shirt. I could just image what she would say if I ever showed up with the garden clogs. I am pretty sure the word “hoe” would be in there somewhere. She is just funny like that.

All I am saying is let’s keep it a kid’s shoe. Fashion is so forgiving on the young.

Fashion in Houston - Project Runway

When most people think of Texas, barbeque, the death penalty, humidity, and Dallas, the show, come to mind. Most people never think of Texas, much less Houston, as a fashion Mecca. Houston does have a Galleria with all the latest stores carrying all the fashionable designers, but none of those designers are from “around these parts”, to them Houston is just a place on the map.

All of that changed when Chloe Dao won Project Runway, a Bravo reality show where designers compete by sketching, planning and sewing their outfits and taking them to the runway. One by one the designers are bid farewell or auf wiedersehened by Heidi Klum until one is crowned king/queen of the runway. Chloe Dao, a Houstonian, won season two of the show and today she had a fashion show in Houston.

I have seen the tents up in New York and Los Angeles and have envied the people that were lucky enough to attend those events, but today the tent was up in Houston and I was one of those lucky people. There was food, an open bar, media, and photographers every where. Every time you turned around there was another beautiful woman wearing one of Chloe’s dresses getting her picture taken for a newspaper or magazine.

The backstage was chaotic to say the least. I was only in the back for a couple of minutes, but I don’t know how they do it, everyone was working non-stop to get the models ready for the show.

Finally the lights came up and it was time for the runway. The dresses are amazing. I thought I would be totally scarred by seeing 5 foot 9, 100 pound women walking in front of me endlessly, but I really do not feel so bad, or maybe the booze softened the blow. The show consisted of some of Chloe’s original designs, along with some items from her store, lot 8, and the men’s Adam’s Apple collection.

To top the whole experience off Chloe was finally given her car! The car was one of the prizes for winning Project Runway and today she finally got to driver her very own 2007 Saturn Sky home.

Oh, yeah, and everyone received a goodie bag just for attending, how cool is that?!

I think it is so neat that Houston is alive with designing talent, we have a pulse. I know that we are really far off from becoming a fashion capital, but hey, we have to start somewhere. If you sew it, we will wear it.









For your viewing pleasure, I have uploaded all the pics to flickr.

Chica? - Present

Yes, I am still here, but super, super busy. The party was fun, but tiring since I had to work back to back to back. I will post some pics soon, I promise.

I am heading to the Chloe Dao fashion show on Wednesday, so I will have something to tell you guys then. I have no idea what to wear, I am thinking that it should be something fun and "in", but maybe I am just thinking WAY TOO much about it.

Much Love,
Chica

Here I Go Again...

I am Boston bound. Yes, I will be going back to Boston for work. Well, to be fair I did talk myself into this trip. You see, my company is having a HUGE party on Thursday and the only way for me to get to go was if I was up there working. My company is renting out the Tiki Room, wow! You might say if you have been there, or what is that? If you haven’t. Let me tell you, we ended up at the Tiki Room three years ago, after the company party at Jake Ivory’s, and it was so much fun; too much fun for a company party. So, when I heard that this year it was going to be at the Tiki Room I commenced my plot (insert evil laugh here).

I have not been to the Summer company party in three years. In 2004, I went on vacation in June and in 2005, I had just gotten back from Maternity leave and was not in a party mood. I have been to the Christmas parties, but they are at a Hotel and all fancy, even though they are fun, this is a different kind of fun. I will keep you guys posted.

In other news…I might be changing jobs, same company. I will know more about it this week since I am up there and all. It seems interesting, a change, so we will see. I will keep you guys posted on that one too.

Happy Anniversary!!

Today, exactly 11 years ago I got married. Wow, time has gone by fast, well I shouldn’t really say that, being married and staying married is the hardest job I have ever had. What is love, you ask? Well, it means different things at different times, sometimes it means having someone to talk to when I have had a bad day, or having someone to talk to when I have had a good day, or not smothering him with a pillow in the middle of the night, or knowing at the bottom of my heart without any doubt that I can count on someone else to always be there for me.

Our marriage is not perfect, it has been a “bliss..tering pain” (JRs words) at times, but hey, I have never been married before so I don’t know what this thing is all about and every day, every year that goes by is a new frontier/undiscovered territory.

I really hope this marriage thing works out for us; the last 11 years have been interesting and can not wait to see what the next 11 years bring. Good luck to us!!

Letter to Britney Spears

Hello Britney,

Being a mom is hard work and I think that being in front of the public eye would make the job a lot harder. I have two kids and let me tell you that I am so glad I am not famous because I don't think that I could handled being criticized openly about my ability to be a mother, I can hardly stand it when someone I know makes a comment. Plus, I would end up in the cover of every tabloid given all the oops I have had with my children.

So, how are you doing? I saw you last night being interviewed by Matt Lauer, you know what I noticed? You are starting to look a lot like Courtney Love, all you need to complete the look is a slur and some needle marks on your arm. I don't know who your publicist is but they need to be fired. There is no way that you did a prime time interview with Matt looking like that. You looked like you were going to a summer BBQ. What was up with the gum? You are about to be a mother of two, you need to dress appropriately. Your skirt was too short and your boobs were just hanging out. Yes, I know you are pregnant, but there is no need to be dressing like that. There is a fine line between trendy and trashy and you my sister are right on that line.

Hey, I also heard that you are going to Namibia to have the baby. What is up with that? Are there no other African countries? Following in the steps of other celebrities does not make you cool.

My advice to you is, ditch your publicist and get yourself a classier look. Once you have the baby and have lost the baby weight you can go for more trendy/show off styles. Also, open a book once in while; why not go back to school? Yes, I know you love "funny people because they are hilarious and awesome", but do not say that out loud.

Anyway, try to enjoy yourself, you are young and rich, take a vacation get away for a while, and stay away from Africa. Also, I know other people have told you this, but just in case, remember to use birth control. The last thing you want is to have twenty kids by what’s-his-name. He is another topic all together.

Just my two cents,
Chica

Adventures at the Doctor’s Office

Today I had a doctor’s appointment, not because I wanted to, but because the doctor would not approve my medication that I have been taking for the past almost 10 years without seeing him first.

I should be ready for the visit, but it always surprises me, time just flies and six months go by quickly. Anyway, I finally get in to see the doctor and he asks me what I am doing there. I tell him that I just need my blood checked because I need a new prescription. He asks me if there is anything else wrong, this always makes me wonder since he is a doctor I am thinking he sees something I don’t. I tell him that I have been feeling great, have lots of energy, and that I on a quest to loose 25 pounds by December. I tell him that I have embarked on a new exercise program. He looks at my chart and tells me that I have been loosing weight, I say, yes, but that does not count since it is baby weight. I ask if there is something I can take, given my lack of thyroid I can not take any of the over the counter supplements. He looks at me and prescribes lots of exercise. Thanks Doc!

A little later a nurse comes in, I make my usual serious joke, he, he, are you good at this? She says, no one has complained yet. I tell her that people usually have a hard time finding a vein. She says, I don’t know why since there is a big one right there. She proceeds to do her stuff and I close my eyes (I should be used to this since I get poked once every six months or once a month when I am pregnant). When I open my eyes all I see is my arm full of blood and blood dripping on the floor and on my new Juicy pants! AHHHHH. She will not take the needle out. Ahhhhhhhh. I finally tell her to and she does.

I see her eyeing the same arm and I tell her that there is no way she is going for the same vein! She takes my other arm and actually tells me that she is nervous!!! WHAT? I say.
She pokes my other arm with no problem and I am outta there. I don’t think I can ever get used to that.

Houston Proud

On Saturday we headed to Downtown Houston to celebrate the grand opening of the Sabine to Bagby Promenade on Buffalo Bayou.

I have blogged in the past about how back in the 80’s and 90’s Downtown Houston was a ghost town. After 6pm all you could find on the streets was litter and homeless people. The only individuals that went anywhere near the bayou were those looking for drugs, a place to sleep, or a brave soul that wanted to feed an indigent person.

To see thousands of people gathered around the banks of the bayou was a proud moment for any Houstonian. Yes, the festivities could have been planned a little better; the “floating” cinema wasn’t really floating, like Chris said “floating just means it isn’t sinking”. But all in all, it was nice to see the city change for the better.

When you walk down the new and improved bayou you will find tons of plants/flowers, benches, sculptures, fountains, plus a new light system that will change from blue to white depending on the phase of the moon. Go Houston!!

Boston – Day 3

On Thursday night I decided it would be a good idea if we had a happy hour, so off we went. We gathered at the Emerald Rose in Billerica. It was so much fun. Here are a few pics…

Bad Movie

I saw The Omen and let me give you guys a piece of advice – Don’t. It was the worse movie ever. Some of the special effects were ok, but that was it.

I swear all that kid needed was a good spanking to get that devil right out of him.

Where Are You?

Where are you? What are you doing? Why haven’t you blogged in a while? Where in the world is Chica? You might be asking yourself questions like these and here is the answer, I am in Boston…ahhhhgain.

I was so excited about the trip; I mean tax-free shopping and all. JR did not share my excitement when I told him about my plans; he gave his usual speech, some blah, blah, blahs, followed by something about responsibility and conscientiousness. Yeah, yeah, yeah…anyway, after the plane landed in Beantown I drove directly to the Wrentham Premium Outlet.

I found some great, great stuff. I got a Burberry shirt, a Lacoste shirt, 2 Juicy Couture t-shirts and a pair of cropped terry pants, and a Coach large bag that matches the cute shoes I got last month. I got the kids some clothes and shoes. See JR, nothing to worry about.

After the shopping I ended up taking an unexpected trip. Instead of going left I turned right and ended up in Providence, Rhode Island, I hate when that happens.

I am up in Boston for work, some software training. I will let you guys know more about my trip as events develop. Stay tuned.

Phone Blog

Phone Blog.

What? "This ATM offers audio assistance for the visually impaired" This ATM is located on a drive thru! I guess that explains all the dents and scratches.

My Heart is Sinking

I am angry and sad at the same time, but there is nothing I can do about it.

I have always wanted a third child. Well, I have always wanted four, but after Baby Girl was born it took me a while to decide to have another, I guess I needed to have the pain of the experience fade. Three and a half years later I gave birth to The Sequel. As soon as The Sequel was born I knew I wanted another child, yes, it sounds weird, but I just had a feeling.

I have been thinking about a third child these days. Part of me just loves having two but, to me, two just does not seem right (I guess it also has to do with my sister and I being only us two, I just did not like that, we were so competitive). Anyway, to make a long story short, I decided that I was going to look into adopting. This is where my heart breaking into a million pieces comes in, in my search I visited The Texas Foster Care and Adoption website, there you can search for kids, read their bio and see their pictures.

I am angry at the amount of kids waiting to be placed, I am angry at the mother of these children for not taking care of themselves while pregnant - some of the kids are born addicted to drugs and alcohol, they have Shaken Child Syndrome (that causes a plethora of side effects), or have diseases that could have easily been prevented if the mom would of cared! Some of these kids can not see, can not control their movements, and can not walk.

I am sad at the fact that these kids have to deal with the stupid decisions of their parents. I am sad that these kids can go online and see their picture, read their “problems” and that every day that their picture is up is another day that someone does not want them. I am sad at the fact that because of some of the physical issues some of these kids have, they will most likely never be adopted and they will have to bounce from foster house to foster house until they reach 18 and become a ward of the state and live forever in a state institution.

I feel so helpless. I wish I had a huge house, I wish I could adopt them all, give them a better life, a chance at happiness. I wish I could erase their minds of all the bad stuff that has happened in their short lives and let them all know that someone cares. I am so, so very sad right now.

American Idol - Series Finale

Yes, I have decided to post about AI. I have been mad about the show and promised not to write about it ever again, but I am making an exception given last night’s show.

I thought the show teetered between entertaining and flat out weird. I thought it was nice that they had so many actual, established, singers there. I was very surprised to see Prince. Does a 16 year-old know who Prince is? Anyway, here is my own version of the American Idol Golden Awards, the winners are…

“Don’t Make Me Look Stupid Again Award” goes to – Kellie. Kellie did not get a singing solo, but do they have to embarrass her by having a weird moment with Wolfgang Puck?? The whole 2 minutes were very odd and I kept thinking, Kellie just eat it, just eat it!! But she did not eat the snail. They actually showed her getting it out of her mouth (on a napkin) and placing it on the floor. I thought that they could have done something more interesting with her and Mr. Puck other than making her look like a fool…again.

“Weird Couple Award” goes to - Katherine and Meatloaf. Ok, what was up with the Katherine/Meatloaf duet? WEIRD. He looked like an uncaged bull. And what was up with the red handkerchief? I did not think that they made a good pair. “If I touch you like this or if I touch you like that…” oooh, gross.

“WTF Award” goes to – Clay Aiken. When I first saw him come out I thought it was Barry Manilow or Wayne Newton. I only realized that it was Clay when weirdo guy, the guy that won the Clay Aiken impersonation award, started freaking out. Very, very odd. I am going to vote two-thumbs way down on that makeover. With that look he is headed to become one of those eccentric - plastic surgery, fake tan, hair plugs, lounge singer, Wayne Newton wanna be.

Before - as we knew him


Now

May Birthday Celebration

We had a lot of fun on Friday Night. Here are a few pics of the event. Thanks to everyone that made it out. More pics on Flickr.










Thanks to Chris - internetcurios for the awesome and yummy cake.

Getting Older and Wiser

My birthday was last week and because of one reason or another I did not feel nor had time to blog about it. Turning 35, yes the half of 70!, was not as thought provoking as I thought it would be - the sky did not open up, rays of light did not shine on me, and I did not have an epiphany about my life – I just turned a year older. Yippie for me.

I remember the eve of my 21st birthday, that night I wrote myself a letter (a tradition that continues to this day when something major has happened) about how I felt and what was happening in my life. I read it now and laugh, not a mean laugh, I just a laugh at how at twenty-one one tends to sweat the small stuff, and I was perspiring a lot. The letter is, random thoughts, a collection of words that as I read them they remind me of the anxiety I felt that day – you know, that I am about to throw up feeling. I was so afraid of the unknown.

Today, I am no longer afraid. I have learned to say whatever happens, happens. I know for a fact that when a door closes a window does open up somewhere. Opportunity does knock. I have learned that you and you alone make your own fate, your own path in this world. Do not get me wrong, I still sweat, but now I do not let it affect me.

I have had a wonderful 35 years. I might not have gray-free hair, perky breasts, a stretch mark free body, or metabolism from hell, but dang it at thirty-five I know how to look and feel fabulous!

I now know who I am and I am no longer afraid. Look out world 35 is my year!!

For all of those that would like to celebrate with me, we will be having a May Birthday celebration on Friday, May 19th, at The Flying Saucer (Main/Capitol) starting at 6:30pm. If you have a May birthday and would like to be included on the birthday list please email me and let me know. So far we have six May birthdays. See you all there.

New York - Wickedly Awesome

We really had a nice time in New York. It was a little laid back given that we had two kids in tow, but nice anyway. We left Houston on Wednesday (I was lucky that Continental ignored the fact that my bag was a couple of pounds over the 50 pound limit). That night we checked in at the 70 Park Avenue Hotel and headed out to walk around and get some dinner. We ended up finding a fabulous Cuban restaurant. It is just so nice not to be surrounded by chains and franchises.

On Thursday, the kids and I took it easy, JR was working, so we just hung out at the hotel and when the light went down the kids and I headed to Times Square. We went to Toys R Us and took a ride on the ferris wheel, we got to ride on the Little People School Bus.





The last time we were in NY Baby Girl was 4 months old. She was so funny, every morning she would get up and run to the window. She wanted to see if people were still outside walking. She just did not understand why they did not drive everywhere. I thought it was cute.

On Friday, we went out to lunch and I stayed in the hotel while the kids and JR visited The Morgan Library and Museum. That night we headed over to see Wicked!!!! I was so excited I saw the show in Houston, and loved it, and to see it in Broadway, well, it was a dream come true. We had second row tickets, it was amazing to be that close. The New York show had around five things that were different from the Houston show. I did not know why, but on Saturday when we went to the Wicked – Behind The Emerald Curtain tour I found out why.

The tour was an incredible experience. The actor that plays Dr. Dillamond, Sean McCourt, was the tour guide and here I am with him…





Anyway, the reason that the show was a little different, and by that I do not mean acting or movement, I mean actual line changes, is because they try out different things on tour and then take the changes back to Broadway. I love the theatre and have seen performances several times, so I think it is neat that Wicked makes changes and keeps evolving, making it fresh. I also found out that “Dancing Through Life” is a new number that was not in the original performance!





The tour was great and highly recommended. After the tour we headed to Central Park. We visited the carousel and the Central Park Zoo. We walked the Upper East Side and caught a cab back to the room. We took a nap and headed back out to visit The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Loved it.









The next morning we got up and headed to the Staten Island Ferry. Why Staten Island, well, the ferry is FREE and you get to take some awesome pics of New York City and the Statue of Liberty.





After that is was time to go home. Whew, I am still tired.