I love the people in my life

From an email I received yesterday:

"Fortunately, my car is no longer screaming for service, and my roots are gone, so life is good."

From a Gchat conversation earlier today:

"Sometimes getting a husband to do what you want is harder than Obama keeping his healthcare bill intact." (Paraphrased, of course, because I closed out of the chat).

From a coworker commenting on my internet radio fix:

"Easy Like Sunday Morning. You've always got the jams going."

Me: "Yeah. Pandora is pretty good today."

Coworker: "What station do you listening to? Soft rock?"

Little Miss...

Little Miss done on love,
Little Miss I give up,
Little Miss I'll get tough, don't you worry 'bout me anymore

Little Miss checkered dress,
Little Miss one big mess,
Little Miss I'll take less when I always knew so much more

It's alright, it's alright, it's alright,
Yeah, sometimes ya gotta lose 'til ya win,
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright,
It'll be alright again, it'll be alright again

I'm okay, It'll be alright again, I'm okay (okay) It'll be alright again, I'm okay

Little Miss do your best,
Little Miss never rest,
Little Miss, be my guest, I'll make more anytime it runs out

Little Miss you'll go far,
Little Miss hide your scars,
Little Miss who you are is so much more than you like to talk about

It's alright, it's alright, it's alright,
Yeah, sometimes ya gotta lose 'til ya win,
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright,
It'll be alright again, it'll be alright again,
I'm okay, It'll be alright again, I'm okay (okay) It'll be alright again, I'm okay

Hold on, hold on, you are loved, are loved

Little Miss brand new start,
Little Miss do your part,
Little Miss big ole heart beats wide open, she's ready now for love

It's alright, it's alright, it's alright,
Yeah, sometimes ya gotta lose 'til ya win,
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright,
It'll be alright again, it'll be alright again
I'm okay, It'll be alright again, I'm okay (okay) It'll be alright again, I'm okay,
It'll be alright again

~Little Miss, Sugarland

Absolute favorite song of the moment. What woman doesn't feel like this?

The past year (and a half...two years, okay maybe 10) has been especially challenging. I have taken on too much. I have succeeded. I have failed. I have not always been the best friend (I have started making notes to remind me to make phone dates, sad...). I have tried to be a great friend. And I've been burned. And I've especially learned that the old saying "Those who gossip TO you will also gossip ABOUT you" is certainly VERY true.

The constant struggle of being involved, being present, being dependable, and being "everything to everyone" is overwhelming. I woke up feeling it more today than I do most days.

At least it's Wednesday! Half way there!

In other news, the sky is blue....

Another Yahoo! article -

A new study of 3,000 women conducted by Superdrug found that one in three women refuse to go out in public without wearing makeup. As in, they can't even run out to the grocery store or to pick up their kid without makeup on. Really? Nearly half of all women say they prefer to wear cosmetics than to show their bare face. But what's the most shocking of all: one in ten women polled said they would never ever let their partner see them without a full face of makeup on.

As a girl with freckles (eww) and NO eyebrows, I dare to ask: Are there women who actually leave the house WITHOUT makeup? Not to sound like Elle Woods, but taking care of yourself is key.

I'm just sayin'!

It's time to get educated, y'all.

I came across this article on Yahoo! today, which backs my theory that it is far too easy to obtain a college degree these days.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110118/ap_on_re_us/us_college_learning

The article refers to the "academically adrift" students of today, stating that nearly 45% of 2300 students who participated in the study showed "no significant improvement in the key measures of critical thinking, complex reasoning and writing by the end of their sophomore years."

Not only does the college experience provide "limited learning" for many, but also limited skills. There are many students and recent grads who are unable to articulate, unable to pick up a telephone and place a call without sounding like a train wreck (it's easier to hide behind email!), and unaware of how to carry themselves in professional settings. Their (or is it there? just kidding) writing skills are pathetic and heaven help if they have to *gasp* give a presentation.

Should colleges and universities be made responsible for producing a capable workforce? Or is it up to colleges and universities to weed out the students who do not demonstrate academic performance? Has it really become this easy to just coast through the system?


Am I a trader to my generation? Perhaps.

A few notes related to the post-college world of job hunting and career climbing...

1) A college degree will never, ever be worthless. The person holding the credential holds the key to success, or lack thereof.

2) It is completely necessary to conform. Don't like the rule about wearing a black suit to the first job interview? Get over it. Your mother is the only one who appreciates your "uniqueness." Everyone else expects you to fit in.

3) Having an entitlement attitude will get you nowhere fast. The world doesn't owe you crap -- college degree or not.

Whew. Thanks, Yahoo!, for afternoon provocation.

Big Week in Rescue Dog Land!

Hi All!

While the above photo was somewhat of a success, it didn't go without a little struggle.

The past few days with Jack have been full of fabulous and wonderful milestones! So very exciting. We adopted Jack about 6 months ago, and he has made so much progress. For some reason, the past week has really been good.

Jack has started taking treats from us. He is no longer a "secret eater." Also, Jack has started PLAYING! It is so fun to see him running around like a normal dog! I have caught him playing with toys a couple of times, and he even has started holding his tail like a normal shih tzu. These probably don't seem like huge milestones to most people, but for us they are huge. We couldn't be more proud of our pup and hope he continues to gain trust and happiness!

Dream Inventory

Recently at work, our staff of five was asked to fill out a sheet of paper with 50 goals/dreams for our personal and/or professional lives. I was stumped around number 8...not for lack of ambition, but because many of my hopes/dreams/goals just seem too simple to put down on paper. At any rate, I was able to dig deep and come up with 50 items for the list. Some of them are significant...others just plain silly. I'll share a few of my favorites.

1. Run a 1/2 marathon. (This one was a fail for 2010--we'll try again).
3. Pay off student loan early (HA.)
16. Pay for our kid(s) to go to cllege anywhere they want to go (Assuming we have kids).
18. Stay married for life
26. Write a children's book (I already have the story line all planned out).
32. Become a master gardener
40. Have home or garden featured in Southern Living Magazine

It's Been a While. Let's talk about Relevant Irrelevant Folks

http://www.usmagazine.com/moviestvmusic/news/mysterious-white-powder-sent-to-bristol-palin-at-dwts-20102011

According to the ever reliable "Us Magazine," someone mailed a package of mysterious white powder to Bristol Palin at the Dancing With the Stars set.

Well, hell. If the Palins aren't the biggest bunch of attention whores on the face of planet Earth, I'm just not sure who is. This is clearly something Mama Palin did to get Bristol even more press. They are obnoxious.

I'm just sayin'.