Day 26 - Cheater Cheater Pumpkin Eater...

“It is better to suffer wrong than to do it, and happier to be sometimes cheated than not to trust.” Samuel Johnson

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OK, so today's photo was not taken today. It was taken some time ago but it was edited today. Yeah, I know it's cheating but to me, the most important thing is that I'm grateful. I was totally stressing about how I was going to get my list done, the photo done, the freaks serviced, the family fed, the dog walked, and me to bible study on time. My list is supposed to be my way of putting positivity and gratitude into my heart and out into the universe. It's my way of "paying it forward" if you will. BUT when I panic and stress and fret about it, when it becomes a chore and not a joy, the purpose is defeated. So, with that said, I get on with my gratitude.

Today I'm grateful for:

an improvement in my mood. I'm less crabby, more balanced today. This is a good thing. I'm not sure the ladies in my Bible Study group are ready to meet Ms. Shankabitch.

Jalapeno Pringles. Shut up, don't judge me.

good debates. I thought they were lost. With those women, I should have known better. I'm in way over my head, I feel like an idiot and have, on at least one occasion, been asspuckered. I'm so glad to be back in the sandbox!

the ability to be crabby. I hate being crabby but let’s face it, it takes a certain level of stability and contentment to be crabby. I am not in danger, fear, duress, I am just a crabby sporker and damn lucky to be so.

jobs. Both the man and I have jobs. Those jobs afford us our life of bliss and adventure. I watch with a sad heart as more and more of my friends and neighbors, who have been trying desperately to hold on, circum to the economic madness. While I plan my return trip to paradise, they are trying to figure out how to survive. I resist the urge to say "how'd I get so lucky" and just say "Thank you"

Esther. She still escapes me, but the story is growing on me. We shall see where this journey takes me.

Siesta Key. I just love that place and if I have my way, I will return there yearly for the rest of my days. Who needs Hawaii or Europe. Give me a 4 hour drive Southeast and a beach chair and I'm good. It is 143 days, 22 hours, 32 minutes and 26 seconds until Saturday, June 19, 2010 when we return to paradise.

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Today's Photo & My Cheat for today. I did edit it today.
Turtle Beach, Siesta Key, FL
June 2009

Tuesday Gratitude

This morning a realization dawned. Ms. Shankabitch is back. She's been back for about 3 weeks now. She's been hiding behind a diet, a new puppy and holiday house cleaning. She's been laying in wait to strike at my family, friends and spirit. I caught her though and with the help of Ms. Happyfluffynicenice and her orc, I plan on getting her back in duct tape & Velcro in record time.

I caught her this morning when the alarm went off and I got a hamster tongue up my nose. As the hamster danced my precious 8 minutes of snooze alarm away. As I was laying in the dark, dodging bites on my nose and lips as the hamster expressed his desire to get up NOW I caught sight of her. She was laying there, holding the hamster up in the air screaming "NO I get 8 more minutes you little S#@$" I caught another glimpse of her when I was trying to scoot into the hamsters den without him getting out. "No. NO. NO! NO!!! Damn you NO!!" So, after realizing Ms. Shankabitch is loose, I decided I was going to lock her back up and become the calm assertive pack leader my little hamster needs me to be. Hey! No laughing! I CAN! REALLY!

So, it's time for me to step up and quit being a pansy. I'm going to get the hamster a cage. I'm going to stop viewing it as cruel and lazy, and start seeing it as a tool to make both the hamster and I happier. I want to be a good hamster mommy ALL the time and not just when things are going well. I would also like to avoid more hamster guilt trips and eliminate the possibility of me ending up on YouTube in my underpants in full melt down mode. *cringe*

Today I'm grateful for:

being the calm assertive pack leader. Oh shudd-up you! I am too!

hamster cages. With a few throw pillows, a blankie and his woobie and it will be a nice little den. See? No need for mommy guilt. Right??

Good Advice.

James Taylor's version of "Go Tell it on the Mountain" It's just what I needed to gain the upper hand on Ms. Shankabitch. It's Christmas Awesomeness in song form.

getting in a GOOD 20 minute work-out this morning.

eating a good breakfast. Orange slices & animal crackers. "Grrrr, ROAR!, Woof!" Oh, sorry, I'm back now.

PM quiet season. I'm getting so much work done! Next? The filing cabinet's going down! Wake up Cleo, it's time to scan! *booty dances with Cleo*

good owners. They are few are hard to find, but worth their weight in gold.

hamster kisses, Pixie squeezed and Man moves make life worth living. They keep me going when Ms. Shankabitch is running her muck and I am blessed beyond measure to have them in my life.

Paradise in 193 days. Either our little condo which is the best spot in all the world, or renting an RV and heading to Key West. *shrugs* Whatever, I go for the time with my man and the binken.

Well, that's it for me. The freaks are out in force and in a mood. Apparently Ms. Shankabitch has possessed them too.

Paradise 2009