Happy Birthday Samir!

On Saturday, July 16, 2005, I saw him watching me from across a crowded room. Electricity flew through me. We danced, I looked into his eyes, and I fell in love.

Just like that.

And I still feel just as head over heels, if not more so, today.

Before I met Samir, I seriously thought there was something wrong with me, that I couldn't stay happy in a relationship with a man for longer than a year. My mom said I put men out like recycling!

I "joked" that I was cursed with being a "serial monogamist."

Apparently, I just needed to meet the right man. One that has truly become my friend- we laugh, we argue, we work together, sometimes we can even finish each other's sentences! We accept and repect each other's differences-yeah, sometimes after a boistrous "discussion," but, at the end, we always admire the strength and thoughtful decisions of the other.

We don't try to overshadow one another, to change each other....we also don't hesitate to point out the mistakes of each other. Not harshly, but because we want each other to succeed.

He makes me a better person. I trust him with my life- with my children's life.

And, on top of all that, he's so sexy to me that he makes my toes curl! Seriously, I still get butterflies when I am about to see him after a long day of work.

And, don't get me started on how yummy he smells!

Happy Birthday, Sweetie...and forever doesn't seem long enough.

Furlough Friday

'nuff said.

Furlough Friday

Happy Furlough Friday!

For this week's episode of Furlough Friday, I thought you might enjoy reading a quote from Our Governor in an article that ran just after his second (yes-I said second! Who voted for him a second time???? THOSE are the people who should be furloughed...) inauguration.

"The governor harkened back to the dismal year he had in 2005 when his clash with the state's public employee unions cut his approval rating in half and led to a trouncing at the polls during his special election. Using a religious metaphor, he said the debacle had awakened him to a new way of doing business.

"Like Paul on the road to Damascus, I had an experience that opened my eyes," he said to laughter among the crowd. 'And what was it that I saw? I saw that people, not just in California, but across the nation, were hungry for a new kind of politics, a politics that looks beyond the old labels, the old ways, the old arguments.' "

New? His current plan is new compared to 2005, how?

Want to read the whole article?

http://cbs5.com/politics/governor.arnold.schwarzenegger.2.451125.html

Enjoy your day....but don't go spending money! Let the state feel a day without the state worker.

You Gotta Eat the Soup

People are always complementing me on my outfits. They ask, "Where'd you find that sweater?" or, "Those shose are fabulous!" 99.9% of the time I tell them, "Thanks-I went shopping in my mom's closet!"

It's true; my mom has awesome clothes. They are high quality, in style (but classic), and beautiful. She wears them for a bit, then gives them to me. Perfect! I am so lucky!!!!!

But, there is a cost to this unbelievable benefit. You gotta eat the soup.

What's the soup? The soup is the collection of advice and opinion I have to consume when accepting the fabulous clothes.

My mom loves me, and I love her. It's just that she's still waiting for me to grow up and become her vision for me. Never mind that I am just on the sunny side of 40, and pretty much grown. She's still hoping.

Most recently, the soup du jour was literally soup. You see, she's worried about my weight; and did I know that if I ate only homemade soup for a month I could lose so much weight? In fact, she just bought a soup making machine, and she's going to make the soup for me and bring it over.

Did I mention my weight? Did I ask for soup? No, and no.

When I told my husband she had called and told me to "come shopping in her closet today," but that I wasn't sure if I wanted to deal with the soup conversation anymore or not, he said I would go.

Because, he said, "If you want the clothes, you gotta eat the soup."

He was so right. Going to go and try my 3 bags of gorgeous clothes on now.

Furlough Friday

I'm not sure how this works...but somehow, drastically reducing the income of almost 244,000 working, tax paying, Californians will fix the state's financial crisis. Logic be damned, we're happy to take one for the team, and glad the rest of you will be fine.

Never mind that we are making less and paying less taxes.

Forget that we can't afford to shop, dine out, have our cars serviced, our lawns mowed, our fences built, keep paying for cable service, or go on vacation. No day care providers are affected by us working 3 days (perhaps 4 next month!) less per month. Oh, and I'm sure the mortgage and consumer credit companies don't mind, either...we can issue them IOUs, right?

I did mention that there are more than 244,000 of us, didn't I?

And so, in my patriotic fervor and steadfast belief in our Able Leader, this blog will be dedicated on all Furlough Fridays to the Governor of the Great State of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Heil! Er...I mean, Hurray!

Welcome

You know what I'm talking about: the want ad gives you the title of the job along with a couple vague, obvious descriptions of daily work. You circle the ad, thinking, "Oh, that looks like a fun job! Just what I want to do!"

Then, you read the sneaky punch line: "...and other duties as required."

The first few times this happened in my life, I shrugged it off. "Scooping ice cream at Baskin-Robbins?? Fun!" But, then came the insidious "other duties," like cleaning the oogie drains in the floor, or scraping your forearms all to shreds on the rims of those tubs of ice cream as you scoop. Not so fun.

Selling clothing? With commission? And an employee discount??? I'll take the job! You guessed it: those "other duties" even ruined that. I mean, shouldn't they have warned me I would have to help naked old ladies in the fitting rooms (my eyes! my eyes!), or reset an entire sales floor while wearing a wool suit and heels?

Don't get me started on the other duties hidden in the contract for being a wife and mother...

Ok; so you get the idea.

As my life has continued, I have learned to be much more wary of those 5 little words hiding in the fine print. But, as you'll discover if you continue to follow this blog, not wary enough.

Not nearly.