NEW SHOES

Summary of my week:

1. I was released from my (second) jury summons


2. I found thirty bucks on the ground while walking


3. I found these snazzy red shoes at the store in the clearance isle. After internally arguing with myself if I really *needed* them (like OF COARSE I do!) and what I'd wear them (playing pinup dress up etc...) for, I walked up to the cashier ready to pay the 50% off price ($25.00) but to my surprise they rang up for $4.00!!

I mean could my week be even any awesom-er? I think not! Ever since I skipped out of the store with my new shoes, I couldn't help but think of the Paolo Nutini song "New Shoes":

"Hey, I put some new shoes on

And suddenly everything is right

I said, Hey, I put some new shoes on

And everybody's smiling, it's so inviting...."

G'night everyone. :O)

You Just Gotta Roll With It

Nearly two weeks ago I was informed that my second job was no longer because the bulk of the work was going to be completed through a distribution company in Las Vegas. I will still work on a small account that is owned by job #2 and there is 1 to 2 possibilities of a traveling assignment(s) through the rest of this year, however, other then that it is done. I'd dealt with the shock & loss the best way I could (I had high hopes for the work I was doing for them plus I am out a chunk of change each month) and just laid the rest up to fate. He apparently has something bigger and better in store for me right?

The majority of my work was done for this job on the Saturday mornings I did not work my "real job" (the one that pays the bills and the one I went to college for...twice and of coarse the one I love just as much doing) which I rotate with my teammates, but I also would find myself logging on and working about an hour a day as well, so what to do with all my new found time??

For starters, my apartment has been cleaner then it has been in the last two years! But I also found myself saying "yes" to activities that I could not before due to time restrictions. Then last Saturday I went for a bike ride on the sand trails (which my knees swelled up for three days afterwards but it was still fun!) which I hadn't done in a really long time, and today I walked over the causeway for the first time in the four years I have lived here.

one of the many causeways leading to beach side

I have heard people talk about walking, jogging, running, or biking over the causeway through work and it sounded fun, especially when I heard if the water is calm below you can see dolphins playing. (Next to sea turtles, dolphins are my favorite) Since our mornings are still pretty mild (afternoons are another story!) with the heat/humidity index I decided to go for it this morning.

The start of the way up the causeway at 7am this morning

Now I am a moderately active person. I mean I am a trainer for goodness sake! However I found myself kinda pooped at the end. Maybe it was all the fresh air? Yeah. I'll go with that! I didn't wear my iPod because I am also trying to be more "in the now" and enjoy the sounds of my surroundings.... I enjoyed listening to the birds chirp and the laughter of other patrons on the causeway, but I also heard splashing from below and that is when I saw the dolphins.

Even with it's twists n' turns isn't life grand? :O)

LEAPING LIZARDS

Miss B

Living in the south you will usually find yourself chasing after a little lizard (gecko, chameleon, etc) through your home or work from time to time. It is just the way it is. This is one of the reasons why I chose to live on the second floor of an apartment complex, however, I still occasionally will find the miniature reptiles in my space.

Yes, they are harmless, however, they are icky and obviously I don't want them making themselves cozy in my air conditioned casa. The first lizard I chased was a chameleon. He had made it all the way to my bathroom and scared the bejesus out of me when I stepped out of the shower. I attempted to catch him with the help of a small garbage can. My intention was to get him in the can and toss him back out to his space outside, but unfortunately in my panic I squashed him dead with the lip of the can. RIP little fella.

The next assassination, I mean attempted rescue, was when I turned on the kitchen light and saw a gecko stuck to one of my dinner plates sitting on the dish rack. I carefully took the plate and placed a jelly jar over him then walked to the front door. Since I needed a hand to open the door I tried to balance the plate & jar to the wall when the plate crashed to the floor breaking and the gecko scurried under a cabinet. Stumped on how to get him out from under there, I thought I could use my vacuum cleaner (since is bag less) to suck him up and put him back outside. He was still alive when I took the canister off the vacuum, however, when I tossed him out on the foyer, I apparently used too much gusto and he tumbled over the top of the stair case and fell 12 feet to his death. Sorry buddy.

So today when a fellow teammate at work casually asked: "is somebody going to catch the lizard running across the floor?" I did not raise my hand. I didn't have a jar to help in the capture and I certainly was not going to use my bare hands, so I stood silent in a dramatic pause hoping someone else was up for the challenge. It was Miss B who stepped up to the plate and captured the unwelcomed guest and helped him back outside.

May you live a long and healthy life kid, but if you make you way back into the office, I make no guarantees you'll be so lucky next time.

STALKARAZZING YOURSELF

I recently noticed a friend on Facebook joined a "Self Shot Pics" fan page. Remember back when taking a photo of yourself was considered conceited, strange, or just plain lame? Now it's such a craze that this particular FB page has over 690 "fans" and not only that but even celebrities are taking self shots of themselves and loading them to their Twitter & other social media pages. Whether it be a photo of yourself and your dazzling new hair-do or because you just plain felt like being silly, you know 99% of us have all done it. Blog about your own "self shot". In the honor of this blog entry, I'll head it with this one. Here I am with my teammate Miss B. We were on break from shooting a tv commercial at work.

LIFE

Have a wonderful week everyone! Make it count!

Sundays: simple moments of joy

The photo heading this blog was taken by my sister. She has an incredible talent of catching spectacular moments of emotion, especially with children. This is one of my current favorites. It reminds me of innocent childhoods filled with simple moments of joy.

Since today is Sunday (for most folks reading this), I thought I'd share what my Sundays that brought me simple moments of joy as a child growing up were:

• Tim would drop my sister and I off back at my mother's before 8am so we could get ready for Sunday School followed by church. While procrastinating I'd lay in the sun rays entering in from the open front door with our cat, Motormouth.


• Every once in a while my mother would pass us a note during church service saying: Cheese attack at Paradiso? (A local Mexican restaurant were we'd overload on cheese such as: nachos and main dishes.) Which would instantly put smiles on our faces.


• Wiggling in my seat & flapping my arms listening to the Chicken Dance on the AM Radio while traveling to gma's for our weekly visit.


• Making homemade Play-Doh with gma.


• Collecting Lilacs from outside and putting them in water filled mason jars.


• Swinging on the swings at a park nearby gma's or sliding down the metal slide (that would usually burn our butts on a hot summer day).


• Playing a game of UNO or Trouble after dinner with my sister & mother.

Now my Sunday simple moments of joy consist of sleeping in and allowing myself to be lazy enough to re energize for the upcoming week. I hope however you wish to spend your Sunday is bringing you some simple moments of joy as well. :)

Get Ready, Get Set, GO!

My first bicycle was pink with a white banana seat that had pink & purple daisies on it. It also had a wicker basket that hung off the high rise handle bars. I very vividly remember the day the training wheels came off although I must have only been 4 or 5 years old? I felt like most kids getting their training wheels off their "big bike".... excitably-terrified. On one hand that meant I was a big girl that could balance on two wheels on the other I could seriously wipe out!

Michelson Trail - Black Hills, SD

I moved up to a Huffy ten speed bike with curved handle bars that was shared between my sister and I as teenagers, then a mountain bike from Walmart as an adult. It wasn't until about 5 years ago when I splurged and purchased a TREK3700. She is cherry red with front shocks, and now that I know the difference between a average joe bike and a bike with shocks, I will never go back.



2010


I don't participate in the local bicycle clubs because I would have to purchase a road bike to keep up to their pace given mountain bikes are considerably heavier. That and they ride on the side of highways and I have seen those bike lanes, there is barely enough space to fit your bike and both legs on each side. A car gets too close; goodbye kneecap hello road rash. But I do try to keep up on charity bicycle runs and I ride the sand trails nearby and at the park from time to time.


May is National Bike Month. For more information visit the League of American Bicyclists here.

Are your tires aired up?