I'm Rich!

We're trying to buy a house.  We're just in the beginning stages, but it would certainly be easier if money were no object. 

It's not that we're looking for a fancy home, but we happen to live where real estate, any real estate is expensive.  Because money is a factor, I started thinkin' about things in my life that have no bearing on the amount of money I have:

My mom would still think I was amazing and could do anything I set my mind to.  I wonder if she knows that I'm flying by the seat of my pants, most of the time.

I would still receive the most amazing birthday cards from Hollise and Donnalee.  And, they insist I am everything their cards say I am.  If they're right, I am sumthin' special!

When Kim is having a bad day, she would call me to vent, to be encouraged, and to be reminded that she's awesome (she is!).  This makes me feel humble and powerful, at the same time.

Even though they're my friends, Glenda and Petrain always ask about my Sweetie and remind me to be good to him.  They tell me "Sandra, let that man have his say!"  I do!

I still married well. My husband's parents and family really make me feel like I'm one of them.

Carrie and Jordan would still blow me away with their request that we be godparents to their son.

No matter how upscale the neighborhood, Christian will always announce himself, loudly, with "Ma, it's me!"

Where it counts, I'm rich!

I Can't Help Myself

One of my goals was to read at least one book each month in 2010.  It's only March and I'm already 2 months behind. 

The first book I planned to read only has 169 pages and I just can't seem to find the time.  Ok, that's not exactly truthful.  If I quit watching reruns of The Office, I would have time to read.  But I can't.  This show is LOL, slap your thighs, hold your side -- funny!  And highly addictive.  Whenever my Sweetie hears me laughing out loud, he knows I'm watching The Office.  I TiVo episodes on every television in the house, so I can watch whether I'm in bed or in the family room.

My girl, Kisha, tried to get me to watch this show when it first started.  But, I said No.  I should have listened to her.  Now, she's telling me I should watch Arrested Development.  No.  If I start watching another show, I'll never get caught up on my reading.  Right now, I'm only 2 months behind, there's still hope that I could catch up. 

I just need to focus and get down to business.  That's what she said.

I Choose the Light

God is so good!  Today, I felt myself being pulled, no, pushed, into a funky mood.  Lately, I've just been feeling a bit overwhelmed and off-kilter.

Recent working-related events and personal commitments were about to overwhelm me and I felt a grayness coming over me.  In my head, I was thinking, no, praying, Lord, please don't let me slip into grayness.  I need to see the Light.

And, just like that (snap!), God showed me that while I may have a lot on my plate, I have a lot of help.

• I recently suffered a setback at work.  A major setback.  My boss' reaction was to encourage me and be supportive.  He could have taken a really hard line and been very "un":  un-reasonable, un-sympathetic and un-relenting.  But, he wasn't.
• I'm the editor of my service group's newsletter.  A mass mailing of almost 600 newsletters coincided with an unexpected business trip.  How in the hell am I supposed to mail 600 newsletters when I'm 300 miles away?!  Here's how:  one friend volunteers to pick up everything from the printer and deliver it to my house; another friend volunteers to coordinates a crew to assemble and mail them; my husband couriers assembled newsletters to the post office and picks up more stamps.

Instead of being in a gray, funky mood and feeling overwhelmed, I decided to feel over-blessed:  I have a job I love and a boss who is supportive; I have friends who jump right in and help me; and most of all I have a husband who knows that "love" is an action word.

Matthew 5:16 tells us that we should let our light shine, do good works and God will be glorified.  I wonder if my friends knew it was their shining light and good works that would remind me of God's goodness.  So, grayness, go away from this place!  It is only God's Light that I will see and allow to overtake me.

Leaving Las Vegas

That's the best part about Las Vegas. 

The casinos are smoke-filled, dark, noisy, and smelly.  I hate the fact that I leave smelling like I rubbed cigarette ashes all over me.

This trip was only made tolerable by The Signature at MGM Grand.  Located right off the trip, on the MGM Grand property, this hotel was fabulous!  Great rates.  Valet parking.  Outstanding Customer Service.  Private Entrance.  Large rooms.  No casino.  No smoking.  No noise.  FAB-U-LOUS!

I think I actually enjoyed this trip to Vegas. 

What is it with Vegas and its strip malls?  If a place isn't in or adjacent to a casino, it's in a strip mall.  On my way out of town, I decided to forego breakfast at the Peppermill and headed over to a small joint called Jamm's (y'all know how I love a 'joint').  The corned-beef hash was home made, potatoes were crispy, and the service was friendly.

Maybe Las Vegas isn't such a bad place after all.

One Down. . .

. . .just a few more to go.

This year, one of my goals was to visit the Norton Simon Museum. We've driven by this museum dozens of times since living in the SGV.

It was so worth it! We saw paintings by Picasso (Woman with a Book, pictured), sketches by Rembrandt, and the stunningly beautiful Comtesse d'Haussonville by Ingres (pronounced Ang), which was on loan.

Whenever I visit museums, I'm always surprised at how vivid the paintings are. Many of these paintings dated from the 14th century, but the color was still so vivid -- you could see the brush strokes on the canvas. One of my favorites was this Still Life with Lemons, Oranges and a Rose, by Francisco Zubaran. You can actually see the texture on the skin of the lemons!

I can't wait to visit again and explore the grounds and see more of the Asian art.

Love is You!

What a surprise -- my sweetie made real plans for Valentine's Day!

We've never made a big deal about Valentine's Day. A card. Maybe a small, inexpensive gift. I cook at home and we enjoy a delicious, unhurried, dinner.

But this year, my Sweetie surprised me with tickets to see John Legend in concert. Several months ago, I purchased one of his CD's and Sweetie just fell in love with it! He played it all the way to New Mexico. Continuously. For 800 miles. Finally, I couldn't take it any more and had to ask for a break. (Road Trip rules state the driver controls the music).

I think because we usually don't make a big deal of Valentine's Day, it was a special treat to get dressed up and go out. It's weird, but there's something nice about standing in the driveway, all dressed up, knowing you're just a car ride away from a good time. And John Legend didn't disappoint.

I Feel Like. . .

. . .peanut butter without the jam. . .macaroni with no cheese. . .Abbott sans Costello. . .

This past summer, I began participating in a community-organized mentoring program. I took my job as mentor very seriously -- meeting with the parent and the child at her home before we were officially partnered; talking with the Program Coordinator; asking people who know me very well whether they thought I could be a mentor; setting up a regular schedule for our meetings. I even had to be fingerprinted.

Everything was going great for several months. We went to the movies, cooked, played video games, and went to the library. As part of the program, we did even more fun stuff, like hiking, visiting the Aquarium of the Pacific, and attending an Angels baseball game. I was having a great time and so was mini-me (that's what I called my mentee). Then CRASH!! Things stopped going so great -- mini-me started missing our scheduled "dates" and the parent wouldn't call me.

On at least half-dozen ocassions, I attempted to speak with the parent. I thought maybe we needed to adjust our schedule and pick a more convenient time for our activities. Finally, after getting no response, I had to speak to the Program Coordinator. He made several attempts with the same results -- no response.

So, now I'm a mentor with no mini-me. I'm sad.