Perseverance

per·se·ver·ance-noun
steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., esp. in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.


To deal with life you must have a lot of perseverance......

PICS for FUN

NO ONE READS YOUR BLOG!

Each day starts out about the same, I get up, take a shower and blah blah blah. As I go through the day, things will happen and I think, "I should write about that on my blog". But then by the time I sit down to write about these boring or o so exciting things, I totally forget what they were! I have come to a conclusion....I think when my daughter was born....she took my brain with her! I can't remember a damn thing now a days! My mom tries to tell me it's because I have "other" things to think about, but I'm still looking for my brain!

On A Happier Note!

I just read the blog that I posted last night and WOW was I grumpy! YIKES! That's what uncertainty will do to you! On a happier note, I would like to report that my daughter is loving life with her dice! Yes, I said dice...you know those little red cubes, with numbers on them that GAMBLERS use, well she is in love with four of them (we can't find the fifth). I don't think she has a gambling problem yet, but she has taught me this week when life throws you lemons, you make lemonade...or when life throws you dice, you gamble on it and hope for the best!

Bahh Humbug!

The holidays have arrived and can you say "STRESSED OUT"! Thanksgiving came and went, and it was a great time. I got to spend time with my family and shared a lot of laughs with the girls, it was another great memory added to the box.

I was listening to the radio on my way into work today and they were talking about how times have really changed. For example Santa being fat will offend some people....well to all those fat people....LOSE WEIGHT, I like Santa fat! It makes me want to curl up with him and share a cup of milk! Then they went on to talk about how you shouldn't say "Merry Christmas" to people because they might not be Christians. Christian or not, this is a time to be Merry, no matter if your Christian, Jewish or Kwanzaa....WHATEVER! So instead of saying "Merry Christmas" you should hurry and say..."Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa"....o but they might get offended by the order that you say this in, so you may want to ask what they celebrate and then put them in the correct order! Or you should just say "HAPPY HOLIDAYS" so that NO ONE gets offended....period! Or NOT! I get offended everyday, why should I care? Can you say PMS!

The other one was that they don't want Santa saying "HO HO HO"....it may offend women! Well if you're a "HO" than that should be a complement coming from such a prestigious man! If you're not, than "HAPPY HOLIDAYS" to you too!!!

Do what you want, isn't this AMERICA!

Happy Holidays!
Sincerely,
Scrooge

Yellow Sky

Over the past month (or year...what month is it?) I have had this reoccurring feeling like someone has given me a free ticket to one of those CRAZY rides at the carnival and it just won't stop. Why did I get on this ride? Nothing is for free! The circus left for it's next venue and forgot to stop this ride I'm on and take it with them....and wow I'm feeling ill! Actually to be honest, I'm really shocked I haven't thrown up yet! That seems to be my thing, or use too!

With the ups and downs of my job and just trying to keep up with every day life, there is one thing that makes me feel like it's all going to be OK. This one thing weighs about 25 pounds and is a couple feet tall (yes she has very short legs) and just makes everything better! Wait...except for when she is sick! The snuggles can be priceless though! So no matter how much life is going to throw at me right now, I have the one constant thing in my life that will help keep me grounded, each and every day I feel like the luckiest person alive!

Just smile and wave

It's been eight years since I have had an interview and in 30 minutes I interviewed for four jobs! I believe that the pendulum will swing either way, but which ever way it does I have to go through another change! This could be a good change....maybe.....well maybe!

Since last April I decided that it's important to have other things in mind because you can't stay in once place for too long or you become a "lifer". I'm not sure if this term is used outside of the corporate world, but I have been hearing it A LOT lately. As I sit here, I feel my eyes wanting to close and my body wanting to sleep for a couple days.

I have to watch other people experience what I have felt for the past year and I guess at times I have been left speechless. What I do know is that I have had to become aware of what is happening around me and I have taken steps to do something different in hopes that this will be the next step for me.

With fall....comes change! What is it about COLD WEATHER!!!!!!

Happy Birthday!

Yesterday would have been my grandma's 89th birthday. She would have said to me, "Tris, it's just another birthday." Her last birthday I think was something special to remember. We had a big party at my moms and both her daughters, granddaughters, grandson and great-granddaughter's were there and it was a splendid time! I do miss watching her blow out the candles, but even though she wasn't here to celebrate another year, I celebrate the life that she had.

Happy 89th Grandma!

MY PLATE IS OVERFLOWING!!

If you look up the meaning of "STRESS", it reads-physical, mental, or emotional strain or tension. I persoanlly think that's an understatement! Life is good, for most of the time and then sometimes we get some curve balls thrown in our path and it is our duty as human beings to figure out how to deal with this incovenience.

In the past week my eating and sleeping has been very limited, but all the left over Halloween candy has helped to keep me going.

Our little Bobina has been sick and spiked a fever of 103 on Sunday, not fun at all! Waking up every half-hour is worse than when I was nursing her....at least I knew to go to bed at 8:00 back then!

As usual work is a changing story everyday, I'm always afraid to turn the page, sometimes seems like a fairy tale and other days it feels like a horror story. I have applied for seven jobs in the past two days and well.....it's now the waiting game.

The time change has certainly brought changes and now it seems that each day when the sun rises early a new day has begun and you have to live it like it's the last.

Personal Assistant!

I'm currently looking for a personal assitant or better yet, a twin that knows and does what I do and can be at the places that I can't be. Also in need of this person to help keep my brain and life organized. If you know of anyone please have them contact me at 9-1-1-!

Thank you kindly!

What a day we had....

Our first trip to the zoo....and not the last! Happy 20 months my love!

Finding time for me this month??

It's been awhile since I blogged maybe because I have been PMSing or maybe because I have been really busy and exhausted?? Or may it's because no one is reading my blog and well who am I writing for any way? O yes maybe I'm not writing for anyone but me! Yet if you read this I welcome comments (even negative ones from my good ole brother-in-law), really any comments or just a simple hi!
A goal that I have set in mind is to learn how to take time for myself, stop being so obsessed on how clean the house needs to be (it's just going to get dirty in the next five-minutes) and what I need to refill the energy tank. It's good to stop and think about that stuff once in awhile.

On a separate note: little paczki will be 20 months old next Tuesday and WOW how time has gone by so fast!!! She is starting to use 2 words together and has learned how to say "milk" this week. She is a sponge and soaking it all up...ahh the best things in life are free!!

Are you KIDDING ME!

It's October 8th and 91% outside...is this possible or is this global warming? Either way it's the strangest thing, but not as strange as having a GIGANTIC CRICKET in your bedroom at 2:00 AM! Even the crickets are confused as to whether they should be inside or outside and my message to you crickets...please be outside at 2:00 AM...matter of fact...please remain outside at all times! Thanks!

Trying to capture that great picture!

We went to my sister's new house this past weekend and thought it would be fun to go rush down to the beach (after everyone was tired and hungry-great combo) and try to take some pictures. In my head I'm thinking these pictures will show up on every famous website out there, but as you see...it will only show up here on my blog!

Who is that girl in the mirror?

History....

It has been 6 years since the date 9/11 has hit the history books. I woke up this morning saying a prayer for all the families that were effected and remembering where I was while the horrific events unfolded. It's still very heartbreaking when you hear the stories from families or how the workers who spent days and nights at ground zero are effected to this day, it's just one of those sad things that won't get better over time.

I remember thinking the day after 9/11 how all the little things that we stress over each and every day didn't seem to be so important and how people really pulled together. Giving an extra smile to the person next to you, saying hello or just taking a moment to be aware. I remember driving down the road to work one morning and looking at the person next to me and as we made eye contact it was a moment of peace. A moment of understanding and friendliness.

I just hope that every US citizen stopped at one point or another today to think about all the families and friends effected by 9/11 and to think of the peace that we can have in this country.

You know summer's over when the pool is green...

Summer has come and now it's loooonnnnngggg goooonnnneee! We took down the pool this weekend and well that was a true sign that summer is over. Funny thing is when your 18 month old goes out and sees the pool and says "uh oh" while pointing at the deflated pool, you know that she is aware of the new season upon us.

Next we will spend a month raking and bagging over a 100 bags of leaves, o how I dread this! I love our trees, o but I dread this.

Thanks summer, see you in 9 months...ouch! I need a warm vacation already!

It was like those lines that you wait in to get out of a concert...

So I'm at the post office sending out a package when my cell phone rings and it's my husband telling me that there is a truck at the OCC campus picking up hazardous materials and that we can drop off all those paint cans and batteries that we have. So I'm all excited, like as if I was just told I won a $1,000 big ones. So I rush home from the post office, grab something to eat and think, ahh this should be a quick trip, I will bring Ella with me!

So off we go with our hazardous materials in the back of our "bling bling black mountaineer" to make a quick stop to do our good dead for the day. As we approach the OCC campus drive, I couldn't believe what I was seeing....was Oprah Winfrey here handing out her canvas grocerybags? Was this the unemployment line for the WHOLE state of Michigan? We didn't even make it up to the entrance of the parking lot and the cars were intertwined like a maze through out the parking lot. Not only were the cars lined up through out several lanes and rows , they were in double lines! It was an unbelievable site, almost brought tears to my eyes. I knew this was going to be a long wait, but I could be part of history!!!

It was a long wait, 45 minutes I believe. I give props to my daughter for her patience (even if she did eat a black crayon while we waited-good thing they are non-toxic or I may have had to drop her off) but I told her why we were waiting in line and why we were going to be so patient, we are helping the environment and that's a GOOD THING! :-)

PS-I give a shout out to all those people who were working there today!

The Playground is a dangerous place!

So it was around 3:00 p.m. today and my cell phone rings. I'm thinking to myself, who is calling??? It was the Director from my daughters daycare....o no this can't be good. First thing she says is, Ella is ok, don't worry...but I do want to make you aware of an incident that happened today on the playground. I'm thinking, o no, what could have happened? All of a sudden all these thoughts started going through my head like maybe she split her head open and they rushed her to the hospital, or maybe she fell and is bleeding? She tells me that another child decided to BITE my little girl. Ok, so it wasn't as bad as I thought, but Ms. Director called to make sure that I'm aware of it and that she has a big bite on her arm. The interesting thing about all this is that they won't tell me who did it so now I'm left to guess who the little culprit is who is jealous of my little girl. I'm not worried, she is tough and I'm sure she will remember it when this little bitter needs a friend!

Phat man in a smokin ride!

Have you ever saw something so funny that you caught yourself laughing out loud? This usually happens to me when I'm in the car and I see someone or something funny. Like tonight on my way home from work when I pulled up to the light and since it was a warm night I had the windows down, and I hear some crazy ass rap coming out of the car next to me. Now, I was kind of nervous to look over, thinking to myself, what if it's some huge fat black guy who has some bling bling going on and I really shouldn't even look at him??? Yet, anyone who knows me, knows that I'm just to curious of a person to not look......so I pulled up a little bit to look back so it wasn't so noticeable that I was staring....and to my surprise, it wasn't a big fat black guy in a Navigator with fat rims and lots of bling....it was a skinny white guy in a ford freestyle with a baby seat in the back....o yes, you heard me right a baby seat in the back, yet no bling bling baby! If his o so cool rap hadn't been so loud than I think he would have heard a loud laughter shoot out of my o so big black bling bling Mountaineer.

Note to Ford: Way to go on the booming system in the freestyle, I will keep that in mind when I go to test drive one in the spring.

Humans & Relationships

Have you ever wondered how we relate to each other? Whether it be family, friends, co-workers or maybe the person at the check out counter? If you think about it, we actually have some sort of relationship with people we encounter every day, or often. And they certainly aren't all the same kind of "relationship", yet they are relationships. Relationships are hard to maintain, kind of like your lawn. You want it to be nice and lush, but you have to maintain and keep it up, yet you still get those nasty weeds....hmmm sounds like some relationships in my life!

Week Three.....ahhh

Finally.....I feel like we are out of the woods (please, would someone knock on wood)! We are into week three (ALREADY) at the new day care and well, it's been a great week. Why? You ask? When I can go to leave and not hear my daughter screaming, then it's a great morning! So far this week it seems as we have stepped up into the new category of not being so new! I will tell her now when she is 18 month old and when she is 18 years old...yes change sucks, but somethings it can be a good thing and we try to make the best of it and grow! She has definitly grown! Bring it on week four!

I can hear crickets......ouch

Where has this summer gone? I feel like Rip Van Winkle....in the sense of falling asleep for a long time (not the whole other part of that story) and well seeing that the summer has come and gone and the whole while, I forgot to savor it! Yet, there was some savoring had, but I feel there is plenty more to do. Do we really have to wait another 8 1/2 months for all this again? Why do I live here?

Uggggg...

I have been waiting for this day!

I feel like my list of "TO DO" stuff around the house has grown over the summer and well....it's summer so who wants to be inside doing "STUFF?" So I have been telling myself, the first rainy day I will actually get some of this stuff done. Well, as I sit here typing looking out the big window into the back yard, the rain drops fall and well, I'm doing a fine job of "not" tackling that TO DO list. The mind knows that there is plenty to do, yet the body is saying....I'm just feeling really lazy today....where can I find the motivation from? O well, why would I want to start a big project when, well....the sun MAY just come out!

You know you were one of them....

Have you ever gotten stuck behind one of those cars with the big yellow cone on top of the roof and bumper sticker on the back that says "STUDENT DRIVER?" I always get stuck behind one in rush hour and think to myself....."how cruel." I actually got stuck behind this girl the other day and was laughing out load at her driving...."how cruel." I'm such a perfect driver!

See I grew up in a small town where I got to drive our family car on the back roads (trust me when I say "back roads") so when I showed up to the summer class I felt VERY EXPERIENCED! Well, I did just fine when we were out on the road, got parallel parking down to a tee, but the written part.....ahhh well let's just say....it's more important that you know what you are doing while actually being behind the wheel! What does a measly piece of paper mean anyway! But we all know how frustrating it can be to get behind a student driver and how easily we can lose our patients, but folks, remember this one thing......we were all student drivers at one time or another, so give'm a break! (I'm also speaking for myself!)

Didn't make it to the stage.....

Well folks, my civil duty has come to an end. After spending eleven days of freting over whether or not my name would be picked, I now can sleep with ease to know that it won't be.....at least this month! It was an experience that I will add to my list of "TKS'S LIFE".....an experience of that to say the least.

Yes, we still live in the 60's.....

OK, so I have a husband who "must" have top of the line electronics....Oh but wait; what about when it comes to this thing....yes our microwave that has a knob...........a blast from the past...take a look into our ancient gizmo's.....
I bet back in the day, it was probably a pretty "nice" microwave and oven, yet like I said that was BACK IN THE DAY. Sometimes I sit there and daydream about selling our home and imagining what would be said as the prospect buyers pass through the kitchen;
Woman: "What a nice red they have put on the walls."
Man: "Yeah, I like the new counter tops and sink, very nice."

As the young couple walk towards the dining area, you suddenly hear an abrupt gasp from the woman,

Woman: "Wohhh, what the HELL IS THAT!"
Realtor: "O that is the microwave and oven, they both work really well, they don't make em like they use too."
Man: "Aha, yeah they make them better and more energy efficient now."
Woman: "I bet that thing kicks off some MAJOR radiation!"

As they keep walking, both looking back over their shoulders as if the MAJOR microwave is going to come to life and swallow them, they decide that because of what they saw, it's just "not their style."

And I wake up from the nightmare........

You know it's bad when you have guest over and they say "how the heck do you use THIS THING." I usually ignore all the comments, because like most things, I become attached and accept them for what they are. Maybe someday, someone else will too.

Serving your Civic Duty...

So I got summoned for Federal Jury Duty, the joys of being an American! I don't mind except for the fact that if they want me to come down, it's in Detroit! YIKES I knew a girl at a former employer who had to serve and she was gone for a MONTH! You should have seen the pile of papers on her desk, it wasn't like her work was being taken care of!

I don't know what to expect, except I do know that if I'm called upon, I will do my best to serve this civic duty that I has been called upon me.

Great Conversations

I actually was able to leave the institution of which I work in and go have lunch with a good friend today. We try to meet up once in awhile at the coney island to catch up and gossip on things. I met her through work a few years ago and then had the privilege to work in her building when they were removing asbestos from ours (note to self: get tested for asbestos). She is one of those friends where we can sit and talk for a long time and the conversation never gets stale. I'm lucky to have a few close friends where this is the case, I just wish I had more time with them!
It's nice to have someone like her, she listens and will give great advice. It's important to surround yourself with good people who will have a positive impact on you (Tam are you reading this....if so take note.) It's nice to have people in your life where it's a two way street not a one way road. I look forward to meeting up with more of the friends that I have not been able to see for a long time....hopefully soon!

One of the hardest decisions of my life!

I go thorough life trying to pay attention to the things that are in front of me, maybe reading to much into them, but at least trying to understand what the pages (along with images, I'm a visual person) are saying to me.
Every now and then I run into a chapter in my life where there is a page or so that is more important than the last one. I have come across one of these pages!!!!

You see, being a working mother has it's some ups and some major downs! It's not always bad, because I do believe that it's good for children to be around other children and adults with other adults......yet there is a balance! So one of the biggest challenges in our life is finding the appropriate caregiver for our daughter. We have had the same sitter since she was 3 months old, but as life changes, so do the other people in our lives and with that being said, we have to say goodbye to her. I think it has been perfect timing on our end. Yet the difficult part now is finding that "best" place for her. As I lay awake at night dreaming of something so perfect, I'm let down at the places that I see on our mission. At this point there is one place that is fitting the bill and may be the "right" place "right" now for us. I'm putting on my reading glasses and trying to make sure that I read this chapter word for word and completely understand it!

Summer Daze...

It's been one of those weeks, yes I feel like a chicken with my head cut off! I don't know if it's because I took a couple days off last week and this has been my first full week in two weeks...or maybe because Bob has been in Washington for the week, enjoying yummy steak meals or eating at the Cheese Cake Factory while we eat frozen dinners? We can't wait for Sutton's restaurant to open again!

Whatever it may be I'm looking forward to sleeping in on Saturday and enjoying a couple days off of work.

I was watching the nightly news tonight and they did a segment on Mother's in America. The report was on how women in this country don't have a lot of opportunities to work part time and most work full time leaving them feeling drained and not having a lot of time for family. HELLO! Why didn't they interview me! The Chicken with her head in one hand and a pile of everything else in the other!!! Did they not see me running down the road with a sign that said, "will work part-time".....

I think if I was a working woman with no children, I would tune that story out and not even take a glance and unfortunately that is a huge problem. Why, you may ask? Well let me tell you, because there are a lot of women that are supervisor's out there that may not have kids who can not relate to the difficulties of handling both a career and family and well, maybe those women didn't even flinch at that story?

It has once again been left up to the mother's of this world to come together and fight for what is right. Boo hoo some may say, and I ask them.....do you have a child(ren) and work full time...no they would say and I would say, "well, let's talk when you do"! :-) And as I'm sure the conversation would go back and fourth.

And that's the way the cookie crumbles folks!

Until 2008...June!

Like a meteor shower, June has come and gone! O how this summer is going by so quickly. Well let's take a look back on June.....

The month started out pretty good, great weather and well, it was the beginning of summer...what more can you ask for.

Bob is in his new job working for SD6...enough said.






Ella has gotten bigger, I swear it's the hot summer weather that is making her grow faster than the weeds in my flower garden. She is now starting to remember things, ask for things in her own way and has gotten a lot more teeth. Yes, it looks like she not only inherited my blue eyes, but as well, the very large teeth! Yikes! O well, what can I do? She is saying more words and wow does she love those raisins. She has gone to the fireworks, out on the boat and now we have a bike seat that she seems to like riding in....she is having a blast!

Work is work right now. Period.




As for "Your Creative Media", I have the website looking semi OK, yet yesterday I started to think of all these crazy design elements for it and well, I think once I make some money I will have someone do it for me. I finally got the balls to send an email out to family and friends to let them know that I'm officially open for business. So far I have had three montage jobs, a couple transfer tape inquires (say they will be jobs, let's see) and well, that's about it right now. I have some things in the works for the winter that I would like to work on and well, I have a lot of ides stuck in this container inside my head and I can't seem to find the key to get them out. Well it's still in the works and I think of my goal every day (or every other day)....I'm busy these days!

Let's see the biggest thing about June was very scary to say the least. Dom (my brother in law) was in a bad sail boating accident that left us all realizing how precious life really is. With God on his side, he is OK and with that in mind, I'm working on the best prank phone call of all times, it's going to be the bomb...better stay on your toes Dom!!! Who else am I going to get EVERY TIME!!!

So that was it with June, in a "nutshell"....if I think of something else there is always the "edit posts" on this thing!

Is it luck or god?

In the events of life we can sometimes have things happen to us that we may think are just a stroke of luck. It may be winning the lottery or meeting the person of your dreams (I guess that would be faith) or maybe getting that hole in one at the golf course. But what about when something happens to you that you question, is this luck or god lifting me up? In life, we have every day troubles but when you look at it with a microscope it all boils down to the "meaning" of life and how valuable we are to family and friends.

"I may not have won every game, but at least I showed up". -Ernie Harwell
(had to add that in there today)

Life is such a juggling act!

So I have been told by my number one fan and maybe my only fan, I need to do a blog because I'm slacking!!! Sorry I have been busy spending time with family and trying to start up Your Creative Media, check it out...www.yourcreativemedia.com. So here you go! I figured out what it is about life....it's just one big juggling act! Juggling family, work, feelings, and everything in between. Do you ever have those days where say, something so minor can feel like such a big chore, like returning those late books to the library? Or maybe putting the clothes away that have been laying on the floor all week! Making that doctors appointment or making sure you have food in the fridge. Ahh, can you tell the week I have been having....burnt out!
In my life, I take each day for what it's worth and just try to stay grounded and let the things that can roll off my shoulders roll and the things that can't; well try to deal with them the best I can and know that there are more challenges ahead, it's just a matter of how I deal with them. Dealing with them is a whole other blog...to be continued......

Summer time is all about being cool!

Happy Anniversary!

Yesterday was our five year anniversary...where does the time go? So we thought we would go to dinner at "Matter of Taste" the most upscale restaurant in Commerce Twp. They have this huge bar and these garage doors that open so you can sit outside on the patio. So we got a nice little table right next to the bar and next to the patio so we were partially inside and outside. It was nice, we could see the lake and talk about how we can't wait to get the boat out....but there were also "other" thing that we were observing and "talking" about..

See the table we were sitting at was a bit lower than the bar so the people were sitting a bit higher than us, as well the tables outside were a bit taller. Why am I telling you this? Well let me tell you about our laughing dinner conversation over feet and butts!

Yes, I did say feet! At dinner! GROSS! My husband leans over to me with this look and whispers, "All the women sitting around us are wearing sandals and I can see the bottom of their gross feet". So of course here I am having to see what he is looking at, and sure enough it was obvious that all those women who were dressed to the hill did not get their pedicures today. Scaly yellow feet...gross. Yet I can't talk because me feet are just as gross, yet my husband as never said this to me.

So the rest of the night I couldn't help but to look at all the feet around us and wow were their a lot!

As well, we must have been sitting next to the "waiting" line for drinks. I say this because every time I turned my head there was someones "butt" in my face! I am sounding like this "feet and butt" thing ruined our night, yet it really didn't it was just the kind of humor that we found to celebrate our anniversary with. It was a great evening, and next year we look forward to checking out more "Feet and butt's" on our anniversary. :-)

Memorial Weekend...old times.

Memorial Day....remembering those who fought and fight for our country. The parades, the barbeque's, family and plenty of food. Memorial day for me is a time to remember that special place in my heart that lives strong and is strongly missed. It's a time to remember the trips in the boat and the dusty covers being removed and folded up, opening all the windows and letting the sunshine in. Settling in yet for another summer.
A place that is truly missed all through the summer. As I sit here on this memorial day remembering this special place in my heart, I close my eyes and listen to the water and feel the sunshine and remember that even though it's so hard to think of such a special place, I am thankful to have these fond memories

Home is where the heart is.

If I look back and count all the places I have lived, there has been a few to say the least. By the time I graduated college I should of had a degree in moving. I have moved around probably as much as a military family if not more. From Cincinnati, to St. Clair, to Mt. Pleasant, to Stag Island to Ann Arbor to Harsens Island to West Bloomfield to Commerce and well who knows what the next location will be? And I am not counting how many times I have moved in each of these locations...
When I sit back and think of all the places that I have lived, each one holds a time in my life that resembles some sort of special event or feeling. As I look back on all the places that I have been they all taught me one thing or another. The biggest thing that I have learned is the good ole saying "Home is where the heart is" definitely rings true for this gal!

Wow...15 months have approched already!

Tomorrow will be Ella's fifteen month anniversary. It goes along with what nature is doing at the moment, making everything bloom. There is the walking and excitement of everything she sees and wow, no more blue tub! It's amazing how fast time goes by! And when we don't stop and enjoy the moments in our life, the greatest things that we have to be thankful for, well then they will slip right by us and we will never know what we have........or had! It's always a time of change and going with it makes life much easier than going against it. Live, laugh and love!

The Greatest Things in Life...

It's those little things that make life so much fun and having a child who can remind you of those is the best thing of all! Like drinking out of a straw for the first time and getting the hang of it right away! Or coloring for the first time and picturing her as a little artist! Or how about eating a raw potato for the first time and thinking....."O MY GOSH SHE IS DEFINITELY MY CHILD"!!!
(14 months old...eats first raw potato)

Stubborness....ahhhh it's in the genes!

I know I am stubborn, maybe not as much as the woman who brought me into this world, yet I will admit it, I can be bull headed. Remember....admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery. I'll start working on admitting that I am a carb freak later in the week...not ready to deal with that yet!
Being raised as a middle child in a family made up of 99% whole grain girls, you had to learn how to fight your way through the thick and thin of bs that comes with the female territory. Funny, now that I think about it....things are pretty much the same now from when I was 10.
So you have the queen bee who is the leader, the VERY stubborn leader.....has the big stingers and all..will sting if you get in the way! Then you have the princess bee who is still pretty stubborn but only stings when she feels she needs too. Then you have the little bees who take orders from the princess bee and they go around stinging a lot, yet it doesn't really hurt. What is my point you may be wondering? Well to tell you the truth I am not really sure!
I need to write on my blog in the morning not at night when I can't see straight....o man another issue to work on! I got a whole bag of those right now!

Going Green like Kermit the frog

I have always been a big supporter of the Big Three! And I am not talking about the auto industry (which I do support because of my husband). Yet what I am talking about is the Big Three R's! Reduce, Reuse and Recycle! I feel that I have done my part for the past 32 years, wearing hand me downs from my sisters and thank god that they have good taste! I continue this tradition with my daughter now because her aunt has great taste and every time we get a bag of clothes from her, it's like going on a shopping spree!!
When I was in high school I joined the environmental team because I sucked at sports, but now that I am older I realize that maybe I could see the future? Whatever it may be, I feel very passionate when I see someone throw a piece of paper away in the trash can when the recycling shredder is 2 feet away. I do go over to the trash (when no one is looking) and put it in the shredder.

Everybody needs somebody

Yes that yellow thing laying next to our dog is a small yellow rubber ducky! He is quietly laying there paying close attention to make sure that someone or something does not come along and steal his most prized possession, his little baby rubber ducky! It was actually intended for our daughter, yet some how Montana has fallen in love and will not, I mean will not give up his rubber duckies. Montana is around 10 years old and you know what, even an old dog like him needs some new toys! Whatever makes him feel important!

I may not be rich, but that smile makes me feel like a millionaire!

I may not be rich, yet I feel like the richest person when I look into my daughter's blue eyes and she puckers up those lips; leans in to give me a kiss and then there it is the biggest smile. I take every kiss like it's the last and hold it in this special place that will make every day a great day!

Brown Bagging it...

So Al Gore thinks he came up with some new news that we didn't already know about....Global Warming? Ok, so he made it into a documentary and his PR folks figured, well people will listen to you, you were the Vice President/Presidential Candidate for god sakes!
Every corner you turn lately you will hear about global warming. You have Oprah, Martha Stewart, Diane Sawyer and many others talking about it, and also publishing it in their magazines.

But the big one to blow "An Inconvenient Truth" out of the water is "Plant Earth". If you are really looking to watch something that gives you the "truth" about global warming, this is the show. And as a television producer, it makes me speechless!
Yet I didn't sit down to write about that, what I had on my mind is this......how effective is this on our younger population? I ask because I was in the grocery store yesterday and as I always do, I ask for some paper bags instead of all plastic (I am trying to do my part) and the young bagger hands me some folded up, not even opened, brown bags. We make eye contact and I say , "the groceries can go into the bags"....he ever so calmly says to me, "that's to much work".
At this point I look at him and before I started talking like an 80 year old giving the whole speech about walking to school in my bare feet in the middle of winter story, I stopped and shook my head in astonishment. I hope that MTV jumps on the whole "Global Warming" band wagon because there is a whole new generation out there that needs to be aware of what is happening around them.

Your Creative Media

It's still in the works, yet I will be updating my new website soon in hopes that the word will be spread and some projects will come my way. I have created this new masthead, not sure if I like it or not. I plan on changing it up every so often. I enjoy creating them!
Don't forget to check out WWW.YOURCREATIVEMEDIA.COM and let me know what you think! I am open to any suggestions, criticism, or any remarks in general. Don't be shy, send me an email to info@yourcreativemedia.com. Pass it along!

Thanks!

Life's Journey....how to tell the story!

We wake up every day not knowing what lies ahead of us. Scary, some days. Exciting, most days. Yet what I do know is that I want to make the most of every day. There are so many things that I want to do and well, the days are just not long enough. You could say that I am a bit disorganized at the moment, yet when you have ten projects going on at the same time this can easily happen. With spring hopefully here; I am planning on cleaning out my mind and getting some fresh air. Time to start fresh!

Winter wonder EASTER!

It is April 7th, the day before Easter and this is what we get! Is it winter or is it spring? One this is for sure it's MICHIGAN! As I sit here and listen to the birds, I think I hear them saying "why did we want to come to Michigan"? "What happen to South Carolina or Florida, what a mistake this was"!
The flowers were just starting to bloom and you could see things coming to life, now we have an inch of snow and "think spring" has a new definition.
Instead of Easter egg hunts tomorrow, it will be build a snow bunny!

Your Makin My Mind Go Crazy!

I have a habit of asking a lot of questions. I guess that can be good in a way? At least I am not one of those people who acts like I know everything, and I will be happy to tell you that I know a lot, but not everything and I won't pretend to either. I may ask to many questions that it can drive people crazy (like Bob?). My mom tells me that I was always one of those kids who just had to know why! Guess what mom? I haven't changed and my poor ole husband has to answer to the question queen. So, there is a lot out there that I still don't understand and well; I am trying to understand and the only way I know how is to do research or simply ask the question, someone must have an answer right? RIGHT?

My Futures So Bright I gotta Wear Shades!

32 and still growing...

Turning 32 can be what you make of it. And today didn't really feel like I was another year older, it was just a regular day where I kept saying to myself, I know there is something special about today, what was it again??? O ya my birthday....
Well I spent most of my day at Ecorse High School on a shoot with a couple of WWE Stars, Hacksaw Jim Duggan (Scary) and Diva Maria and then came back to the office scarfed down some lunch, worked for a couple more hours, left work and picked up Ella, came home spent player with her before dinner and bed, had a wonderful dinner and I will be off to bed soon. It's those little things through out the day that make you smile, your husband remembering it's your birthday (even when he hasn't had his coffee yet), the 8 am phone call from your mom who is singing (and even though she would never make it onto American Idol, it still makes me smile), the phone calls later through out the day from my family, the surprise flowers showing up on my desk at work, the sun shinning, the daffodils blooming, the grass turning greener, the special dinner, cards from my friends who remember (April Mae & Joanie) and a special card from my mom and a kiss from my daughter. Sometimes we look for more out of our birthdays, yet when it comes down to it, it's all the little (or big) things that add up to make the day so special.

Size 3 but the smell of a football player!

Ever since Ella was born, she has had this personal hygiene issue. Something that I personally don't have to worry about and either does Bob....so where exactly did she get this problem from? I haven't done the research yet to see if it's common in babies, but what I do know is that if this continues we are going to have to have the "hygiene" talk early. What is the problem you ask? Well...hmmm how do I say this, well, OK here it is, my daughter has the smelliest feet EVER! Yes, it is true and let me tell you, looks are deceiving in this case. She has really small feet and yet the smell that comes from them is like the smell that would come from a football player after a hard practice (I will admit that I have never had the pleasure of smelling this horrific smell). Today in the car at the stop light I reached back to take off her shoes and socks so that she could feel a bit free and wow was that a mistake! I think the only thing that felt free was the smell swimming around in the car.....the worse was when I turned to look at her, she had her stinky feet in her mouth! The joys of motherhood!

Year Anniversaries....What do they mean to you?

What does it mean when we say, "it will be a year, since...."? What does that year anniversary mean? It could be a first year of marriage, a first year of someone passing away, a first birthday? What ever it is, we seem to find that the first year is a big milestone, why is that? We don't just do that with one year, but it could be with days, months and years....yet that first year has a meaning behind it, like a secret code. What does that code me? It's one of those things in life that I don't know if there is a specific answer too, yet for me that first year let's me know that I am still here and that whatever the situation, I am still here to go through another year.

Fan Club?

So far I have had this blog since January and I am not sure how many people read it or look at it, but from reading the "comments", I do know that I have two strong followers (and one of them isn't the little furry one on the right). Now I could just post their picture and leave them anonymous, yet I think when you have two wonderful fans who revisit your site and read what you've posted, well... they deserve a loud "shout out"! So here you go girls, this post is for you!

You've been my sisters for many years,

We've laughed together

And shed some tears.

We've had harsh words,

And pulled some hair

But against the world

We are a terrific pair.

Our times together are very few,

I just want to say I LOVE YOU!

Spring has arrived!

There are things in life that just make you smile and I can tell you a huge one for me is Spring! This is the one thing that gets me through the long winter days. I don't know if it has anything to do with me being a spring baby or what, yet whatever it is, it makes me feel good!
I am like a little kid all giddy when I see my tulips poking through the ground. Makes me feel good about life in general. If you stop for a minute and smell the roses, it really can make your day! So as the clock strikes 8 p.m. and spring officially arrives, I will lay my head down on my pillow tonight and wake up to the birds singing there spring time song!

PS. I created that wonderful art work on this page, as well as the other one you see below. Wonderful I am not so sure, yet it is fun! :-)

Your Creative Media is now alive!

Of course I have to promote my new business that I have started! You can check out my work in progress website, www.yourcreativemedia.com. This is my first time building a website and it has been a learning experience to say the least. I even created some demos! It's been a long week....zzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Feel free to pass along my name and the services I offer. Please check my website often, it will be updated and may have a new look soon!

Crazy world that we live in.

So I was sitting in my office today with CNN-Headline News on the boob tube, and I look over and to my astonishment they are showing a clip of a big black man hitting someone and the captions says "101 year-old woman mugged". The video clip shows a man punching this 101 year-old woman in the face. As I am watching this, I thought I was going to get sick. What the hell is wrong with some of the people in this world. What would poses someone to punch a little old lady in the face. If it's anyone that should be getting punched in the face, it should be him. I think the older I get the harder it is to realize that there are some really sick people out there that need serious help. It's hard for me to think that I am raising a daughter who has to live in a world where there is such hatred and crime. If only the world could be filled with kind hearted souls?

EKS

Dear Ella,
You are growing at a speed that I am having a hard time keeping up with. Every day when I awake to your smiling face I feel like you have taken off in your sleep and can't slow down. You are really trying to walk right now, yet because you were blesses or cursed (depends on how some look at it) with Howie feet; your little feet are having a hard time holding the rest of you up. Or maybe it's because you are so excited that you may just run before you can even walk.....
You are such a happy baby, and what a curious little George you are. Will you ask me all the questions that I ask (yes I still do) your grandma? "But, how come"? Or "Why"...that's a good one! I look forward to every day with you, you are the sunshine of my eye!

Time is of the essence.

Where does time go? Ever since I became a mother every second in the day counts. I need to have every second scheduled because I have a lot of HIGH priority things to do. Even though there are a lot of days that feel like ground hogs day, each one counts and I try to make the best of each day. Each day is different from working at home with Ella or maybe at the beautiful State Capitol; where a bunch of State Legislatures who are trying to figure out how to fix Michigan's budget or maybe I'm at the Palace of Auburn Hills where drunk fans are enjoying a Pistons game and not thinking about the budget. Each day is different in its own way, you take it for what it's worth.

Doors close and doors open

Do you ever see the signs when something in your life happens and you know that it was something that was meant to be? Now I am not talking about a de ja vu thing or finding a good shoe sale at the mall, I am talking about something much deeper than that. Something that makes you reevaluate your life and figure out what makes you feel like you are accomplishing something in life. If you haven't had this happen to you, maybe you missed that moment or didn't see the door behind you closing and the one in front of you opening?

The World is Watching..

So for my job I get to do what others may consider pretty cool stuff. Now in my field you never know what to expect or what is going to happen. I have gotten to meet a lot of well known people (some cool, some not so cool) like Jeff Daniels, Governor Jennifer Granholm, Former Governors, Mayors of Detroit(the Kwamster and the respectable Dennis Archer), Dave Dombrowski of the Detroit Tigers, Ernie Harwell, Willie Horton, Senators, State Senators, State Representatives and so many more. Yet I think out of all the things so far, the one to go down in my history book is interviewing (which I NEVER DO) boxing champions, Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather. Now let me tell you, I am not a boxing fan at all! I think it's horrible to enjoy beating each other up, and then call it a sport. So as a good producer (and amature interviewer) I was going to dig deep and do my research since I knew nothing about either one of them, except that Oscar is really a good looking. Ok, so after getting on the Internet and talking with Bob, I was ready to do the interviews. Things didn't go as I had planned yet here is what I walked away with....Oscar De La Hoya...three questions from Oscar, one on one, very nice guy, quiet, soft spoken and didn't really want to promote this fight that much. Nice interview, yet not enough time. Floyd Mayweather Jr....interviewed after the press conference with a bunch of other media....loud, flashy, mouthy, talked for a really long time, could of asked him a million questions and as long as he got to talk about himself he would have given us as much time as we wanted. Yet he did look me in the eye when I asked him a question and that I thought was respectful. Other than that, according to him he is a "MEGA SUPERSTAR" because he has talent that you can't learn, it's a gift from god. Let's hope that his gift doesn't land him in a state of mind like Mike Tyson...ouch! It was an experience...that's for sure, yet you know what....even though I don't like boxing, after meeting them both, and all the hype of this big fight, I think I will watch them beat each other up and then this experience will be complete!

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY ELLA!!!

Eat, don't eat, clean the house....stop pacing back and fourth. Let's flash back to earlier that morning.....It was 10:00 am in the morning and the doctor said everything looked good, yet to me I was huge and so uncomfortable it was indescribable. "What are my options" I remember asking her. "Well, you have two options, one you can wait another week and hopefully the baby is ready to come out or you can be induced tonight". WHAT! INDUCED TONIGHT! Wow this was actually going to happen, there was no stopping it now. Do you mess with nature and go ahead with forcing the baby out into this world or do you hope that with in the next 24 hours the baby decides that it's time and makes it out on its own? This was really a time to listen to my inner voice, and what a hard thing to do when everyone was so excited and waiting impatiently for this baby to join our family. So after a lot of thinking and pacing back and fourth, I made the decision to make a trip to the hospital on the night of February 22nd around 10:00 pm. It was like checking into a hotel, really we took our DVD player and movies....hmmm if I only knew what was going to be ahead of me. We arrived at the hospital and it was very quiet and the check in was really easy and everyone on staff was really nice. I was telling myself the whole time, just breathe, remember to breathe and don't be scared. As the Olympics continued and it was the big night of the figure skating I had other things that were going to be bigger than anything I have ever experienced.
The rest went pretty fast, an experience that I will never forget. Bringing a beautiful, healthy and happy baby into the world. The past year has gone by so fast and what I do know is that I have enjoyed every second of being with my little Ella Bella.

Birthday Girl!

What it means to have a first birthday? For a mom it means remembering your child coming into the world; the long awaited excitement of meeting this wonderful human being that you thought about every second of every day for nine months. Celebrating the birth of a child is more than just presents and cake; it's celebrating life! I remember my birthdays as one on one time with my mom, going to see Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Joseph and the technicolor dream coat, Somerset mall and always a special Red Lobster dinner, just mom and I. Those were the best birthdays, spending quality time with the woman who brought me into this world and carried me in her womb for nine months. I hope that I can make Ella's birthdays just as special as I remember mine.

Nickname

When I was younger my sisters loved me so much that they decided to nickname me, "Skinny", o where was the the love! Then when I started to get older, they mixed in, "bones".....ahhhh even better ladies! I remember being in a department store and Tawnya yelling as loud as she could..."SKINNY, WHERE ARE YOU"! For a young adolescent, I am not sure if that was a good nickname. My mom would try to get them to stop calling me this, yet it just stuck. I have since lost that nickname, yet it does slip out once in awhile and you know what; when it does, I don't seem to mind as much and it actually makes me giggle a bit. It's interesting how nicknames come about. After Ella was born I remember that I started calling her poonchki because she was so round like the donut, sometimes I still do yet it's starting to out grow her. Now we call her beaner....where do these things come from? What I do know is that it will probably change again, I just hope it's nothing to embarrassing for her.

The Secret....

It puts everything into perspective, makes you breathe again and feel comfortable in a world that is so face paced and out of control. It's something that if we all look inside ourselves and focus on, it can help us sleep at night and wake up with a smile on our faces every morning. It's something that not everyone will understand, some will figure it out and some will struggle through; life should not be a struggle. Consider yourself lucky if you know and understand the secret.

Watch out world...

What makes us do the things we do? I ask that of my almost one year old that decided today she would take a gander at her first 3 steps. Every "first" thing is such a big deal and it must be announced to the world. Through her milestones she has been really determined to do something and than once she knows that she can do it, well......she doesn't think it's so important for awhile. Then one day she will decide that it's important again and go full throttle. It's her personality kicking into full gear. In the past week, Ella has learned to take a couple steps, kiss like she is going to eat your face off and brush her own hair. In one week, she can learn so much and in baby world it's like going to college, graduating and finding your first job......I hope that doesn't happen over night! In eight days Ella will hit the biggest mile stone of all, turning ONE!

Rear view Mirror...

Keep both hands on the wheel, eyes on the road and check your rear view mirror often. Isn't this what they taught us in drivers training? If you think about it, life is a lot like driving a car. You really want to stay focused on the road ahead, but on the other hand you have to see what you are leaving behind, so you are constantly checking the rear view mirror. In life we grow as humans from the things that we have been taught and from the experiences that we have been through, this can make us better human beings. If you find yourself driving over the speed limit, maybe it would be wise to slow down a bit, move to the right lane and check your rear view mirror.....(CAUTION: DO REMEMBER TO LOOK BACK AT THE ROAD AHEAD).

Run.....Life is Changing!

You can run but you can't hide from change! Change is happening and wow is it a bit painful at the moment. It's kind of like aging, you know that it's going to happen, yet there really isn't anything that you can do about it. You can't run from it and you sure as hell can't hide from it. You can pout about it and curse till your blue in the face, but what good is that going to do you? How do we embrace change? Can we embrace it, is that even possible? Is change good? I guess that leads me to my next thought about choices....o this is another blog in itself. We make our own choices, and if we don't like the choices that we have made we can change them. Right? But I ask you how! I have known for awhile that the

"change god" would be coming for me soon, it was just a matter of time. Now that the time is here, I have panicked and exploded into a big ragging baby. Change can be good, yet you have to know that you can hopefully control the destiny of your future and not let someone else control it. If it becomes unbearable then you make the choice to change that. We can't hide under a rock and avoid change, it can be a good thing, I suppose. Yet until I wake up and realize that I have to accommodate this change for a bit, I am going to cry and pout about it for a bit longer. So excuse me if I am not friendly to you today, but change has ruined my day.

Information Highway Overload

Ok, so when I was growing up, cell phones weren't around. Now days, I can't imagine living with out my cell phone. Sad I know. O how did we function back in the day? Yet I have a basic cell phone, not the one with the web, or maybe I can get to the web? I just figured out how to text message on my phone. Is it that I am just to busy, or maybe just to lazy to keep up with the changes. I use to pay attention.
So in today's world, it's really hard to keep up with all the new technology and what this new technology does. Why do you need an Ipod that plays music and stores pictures and a cell phone that does the same thing? O yes, because you can talk on your cell phone, yet not on your ipod, that's the big difference.
Lucky for me, (or not so lucky) my husband is on top of all this new technology and he can try to explain to me, why we need to stay updated and I can continue to argue with him that once we buy an Ipod, Apple will come out with something bigger and better (and they recently did) and then we have to spend more money on these "new" gadgets.

Breaking News

I consider myself to be a news junky....or kind of. Yet yesterday, I must of been asleep or something because it wasn't until I got home that I heard about Anna Nicole Smith dropping dead in a hotel room in Florida. Why hadn't I known this? Do I even care, maybe it's just curiosity.

It takes me back to the day of 911 when I was driving to an avid composer editing class and I was so frustrated that I couldn't find the place so I turned off the radio, thinking it was distracting me. When I finally found the place and walked inside the teacher said, "did you hear what happened in New York"? I was dumbfounded....why did I turn the radio off?

After 911, I told myself that I would always be alert and know what was going on, yet yesterday was a clear reminder to me that you can't always know what is going on in this world. Not that I am comparing Smith to 911, because by no means do they even come close. What I do know is this....there is so much crap that goes on in this world today that sometimes you have to take a break from the "breaking news".

Staying afloat in rough seas.....

After listening to Jenny on the Block tonight, I forgot how good she is at telling everyone in this state what they want to hear......o Jenny, have you ever heard the saying that actions speak louder than words?
If you live here in the State of Michigan, you may be asking yourself, "how am I going to stay afloat in this state"? Do we jump ship, or hang onto our life jackets and pray that the storm will subside. I feel like Noah.....looking for some hope of dry land....somewhere.....anywhere! When will the white dove bring some signs of hope?
I think most people who choose to stay in the boat want to enjoy time on the water, yet the water has had some rough waves for the past few years and a lot of folks are getting sea sick....
So Jenny keeps talking about this 20th century jobs plan that she has, but things don't always turn out as planned, so it is wise to be well prepared for any emergency and this state is defninitly in a state of emergency. When bad weather hits, an overloaded boat can capsize in rough seas. Safety and survival of all on board depends on the boat staying afloat.
Who is the captain of this ship anyway?

The smile of a child...priceless

As I get ready for Ella's 1st birthday party, I can't help but reflect on the past year. From the anticipation of her arrival to now.........
Sleep deprived, I was for sure....
Clueless, I was for sure....
Excited, For sure....(still am every day)
Scared, I was for sure...(still am when I hear "wait till she's 16")
Prepared, hmmmmm (are we ever prepared?)

With all the emotions that come with having a child, one thing is for certain, her smile is what makes my world go around.

Challenges

We endure challenges every day. Even if it's the challenge of just getting out of bed on a very cold February morning. How do you handle your challenges?
One challenge I can tell you about, is the challenge to understand people. There are all kinds of "different" people in this world and sometimes I find it the biggest challenge to understand them. Yet should I waste my time trying to understand? Should I just go ahead in life and not wonder, "why is that girl using the "F" word in this store" and should I tell her how unlady like that is of her? Yet I don't, but as you can tell, it's still on my mind. This was one of my challenges today, not to complex since I just walked away and said, "that just shows the kind of person she is, or wants to be". I think I focus more on the people in my life who are important to me. Sometimes that can be a challenge too, yet a good one! What will your challenge be?

Shadows can tell alot?

Punxsutawney Phil didn't see his shadow today when he was pulled out of his warm cozy little home....which, according to German folklore, means folks can expect an early spring instead of six more weeks of winter. Now this got me really excited to hear this since the winter blues are starting to settle in. Yet I must remember that this is a "German folklore"....so what happens if I see my shadow today....what does that mean? I guess since I am not a ground hog, than it really doesn't matter.
What I do know is that, even if it is a folklore, it brought a smile to my face and made me think of my flowers showing their faces soon. Living in a fantasy land can be good for the soul.

Life in a box...

Life in a box....
Life in a box.... How does life fit into a box? A question that I have been asking myself a lot lately. I guess it's not so much how life fits into a box, more of what is in your box?