Day 5 - Chocolate and Champagne

It's been a long day but a good day. It seems the day had been plotting against me. Trying to make me miss out on my daily dose of gratitude, but in the end, I'm sleepy and at peace.
Record breaking cold, hamster puddles on wood floor found with bare feet, $64,834.00 worth of rent receipts on new software, a shipment of troops in processing to Jax NAS means 15 sets of keys checked out and 12 leads all processed while processing rent, answering the phone and handling no heat calls. My superhero cape is dusty to be sure. Phones ringing at work, in the car and at home. Over exposed, under exposed and out of focus shoots and the temptation of an open bottle of Champagne all conspired to rob me of my gratitude and induce a meltdown. HA! Didn't happen. I have a soaring man in my bed and a soaring hamster on my lap and I end the day meltdown free and grateful. So HA Tuesday! I win!

Today I'm grateful for:

a baby sill on board. As of this moment, Jackson is still where he belongs.

a momma more healthy and less scared. Even if she IS sick and scared. We take our good news in small increments these days. Tomorrow 1/6/10 will be Jackson's birthday. It's a good day to be born.

sunshine rainbows. Sally's heart cast rainbows for my commute home. They never fail to make me smile.

my man. He navigated past my mood and managed to teach me something. Do NOT try this at home. Leave it to the trained professionals. He nearly lost an arm at one point but hung in there. His training and skill saved his life yet again.

remote sync auto speedflash. Who freakin knew? Manual? What's that?

crystal clear skies &  a winking little dipper. The  cold weather has produced some amazingly beautiful skies. Wish my camera could handle night sky shots. Perhaps one day.

drumming lessons for the Pixie. Our church drummer is a woman and she will be giving June lessons starting Sunday. Dude, that so rocks you have no idea.

a deposit that balanced on the first try. 2 in a row! Considering what I had to deal with and the interruptions I had, I'm a freakin accounting rock star!

Kelly being safely with her big sister. Wonder who is taking care of whom or if it really matters?

back to school day. For Real this time. Just in time for the snow they are calling for Thursday. Oh, Joy.

surviving today without letting Ms. Shankabitch loose. She's been gnawing on the duct tape again, but I've managed to keep her in line. The orc has taken some damage though.

The Biggest Loser. Season started tonight with a bang. I love that show. Even if it means typing up my list 1/2 asleep. It's worth it.

music. It's kept me going the last 2 days. That whole "Music has Charms to sooth a savage Breast, To soften Rocks, or bend a knotted oak" thing is true apparently.

the word awesome. I have used it in every conceivable way imaginable and a few unimaginable. When I say it; it never gets old. When I tell someone they are awesome it never fails to produce a smile and sometimes a blush. Making someone feel awesome is something that makes me feel grateful. The word awesome is indeed....well....awesome.

God. He is holding my hand tonight.

Not many usable photos from tonight but I learned a lot.

That's what this 365 day thing is supposed to be about right?

Thursday Gratitude

Well let’s see, this morning started with the sound of a hamster puking on my bed, of me lifting said puking hamster off the bed to the floor, of hamster yelping so loud he woke the man, of me cleaning up hamster puke from the bed and the floor @ 2:37 A.M. Of the alarm going off and the hamster, still on the floor, nowhere to be seen. Apparently he is trained enough to know he was naughty for pissing and pooping on my bedroom floor. Oh, and more puke. What made the hamster puke you ask? Seems he decided to eat a rather large dust bunny. The dust bunny decided to fight back. *yawns*

All that aside, I am in a very good mood. One could even say I'm leaking sunshine and farting rainbows. I've decided to just let it all go. It's just not worth the effort of being crabby. I'm enjoying the unscheduled sunshine, I'm passing out candy canes to freak spawn, I'm complementing the freaks on their Christmas sweaters, light up snowman earrings, and Crocs with the little plastic Christmas trees stuffed in the holes. Oh, and the best yet! The Stunning bleach blond with the "Christmas" tube top doing double duty as a top AND a bra for her Double D's. The green stretch jeans just topped it off so perfectly. When I asked sweetly "OH! Where can I get a pair?" I was told "At the Wal-Marts Sweetie! Of course!" Oh how silly of me to even ask...

Today I'm grateful for:

mastering the art of screwing with the freaks. They leave happy and with candy so who gets hurt?

Letting it all go. It's Christmas, I refuse to let it be marred by a foul attitude.

Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas Album. I forgot I loaded it on Steve for the Pixie. I have been singing along and grinning all day. It's awesomeness w/ helium voices.

a cute boy following me home. I got a text saying he would. *crosses fingers, toes and eyes*

Pixie kisses in the morning. Since she started school she is rarely up when I leave for work. She left her key at school AGAIN and had to take my key and lock the door behind me when I left. Though she was only 1/2 conscious and her breath smelled like a 4 day old dead troll, I got morning Pixie kisses. They were wonderful.

free hamster cages. When you're nice to people, sometimes they are nice back. This is my reward for telling Ms. Tube-Top I loved her fashion with a straight face.

being in a good mood. I've been subliminally crabby for so long, I forgot how good it feels to just feel good.

morning work-outs. Don't get me wrong, I STILL hate the stationary beast, but I LOVE the feeling I get from FINISHING a work out. I think next week I'm going to go to a 2 work out a day routine until I can take Roxie out again. I am counting the days till DST is over!

still being 191 lbs. Given how naughty I was last night, I should have gained that lb back. I was an angel at dinner, I was a dumbass at dessert, and, and. Um, yeah...

Whole Grain Wild Rice. Had this stuff with my green beans and steamed chicken last night. It's freakin awesomeness! It's even pretty :)

Today's Poohism: “It gets you nowhere if the other person's tail is only just in sight for the second half of the conversation.” Right on Pooh *thumbs up*

Could you resist that face?

Tuesday Gratitude

Getting used to this new format is taking some time. I miss the personal aspect of talking one on one to my Mom and Daughter. Going "WWW" seems so impersonal, yet I feel it's the proper progression. I need to put it out there in the hopes someone will stumble into my Gratitude Web and get stuck. It's time for me to Man-Up and put on my big girl panties. Well, lets get on with it then...

Today I am in a good mood. Even though I just wasted a 12 hour fast, gave up my morning cup of coffee and my morning work-out. I didn't get stabbed damn-it. I sat for over an hour in Lab-Core waiting to get my blood work before they made the announcement "We have 18 scheduled appointments for this morning. If you cannot wait please feel free to go" Well, gee, thanks for that. You could not have warned me about that an hour ago when I walked in? There's an hour of my life wasted *sighs* Guess I get the joy of doing it all over again tomorrow morning. Lucky for me the lab is within walking distance of my office. I was only 10 minutes late this morning. I plan on being at the lab at 6:30 A.M tomorrow. OH, and Ms. Shankabitch and her sporks will be going in my stead. SHE knows all about righteous indignation and SHE will get seen...or make one.

Guess I'm in a good mood because today is puppy day! *booty dances* Today, after work, I get to go look at a puppy. I have the man's permission to bring it home if I feel it's a good match. Oh, no pressure Beth. It's a Chiwawa/Poodle mix. I've decided I'm calling the breed a Poochi, the man wants to call it a ChiwPoo but that just sounds wrong. Poochi it is. We've kicked around a few names. You've seen a few in my list. SayBark, Spiffy, Fred, but the man is right. In order to name the little beasty properly, I must SEE him. Oh, and it's a boy! You guys know how much I wanted a little boy. Now, just may have one. Cross your fingers and toes please. For me AND the dog. I have to drive into the scary section of town to look at him. The man has told me to be careful and my boss has stated emphatically that I am not to drive there alone. Mussette is going with me and we are going mid-day. *twitch* Really? There is a place in Jacksonville THAT scary? I'm from D.C. it's hard to scare me, but these folks have me a tad worried. But a Poochie is worth it!

Today I'm grateful for:

Poochies. Ok, or ChiwPoos. Either way, I may be getting some puppy love today. I would say something silly like "I hope I don't get my hopes up" but that ship has sailed.

the BFF coming out of surgery just fine. I was her last night on my way home. She's kinda hot with that eye patch. In a very Pirate kinda way.

Taco's. Last night’s taco's were kick ass. Nice too since I start my detox tomorrow. It was the last good meal before a week of raw. I scheduled dinner a tad early so I could get it in before my 12 fast started for the blood work. Tonight’s dinner is "feed your damn self" night. This is of course due to me puppy lookin after work. Have I mentioned I may be getting a puppy? Oh, sorry...

SYTYCD. Each Monday and Tuesday it gives me pure entertainment. For those 3 hours I get to turn my brain off. The man can drool over...well, all the women. I can swoon over *sighs* Donny and root for the underdog. It does not make the world a better place, it will not save the world, it merely makes me happy.

facebook. As much as it annoys me, there is nothing like opening up my inbox to find an old friend I hurt in another life has not only forgiven me, but reached out from the past to be friends again. THAT is what Facebook should remember it's all about. THAT is what Facebook does well and what it should stick to. *waves to Natalie* Glad to have you back friend!

My mom. Life is getting her down right now but she keeps trying. She is brave and strong and awesomeness in Mom form.

Misty. She was the best dog ever and I miss her every single day. I hope she will help me not compare the new puppy to her. No dog could stack up to the ghost of Misty.

a clean house. I WILL have one by the time this weekend is over. *puts foot down* I'm tired of living in a bio-hazard.

Skinny Granny. She comforts me on my fat days. She is a welcomed additions to my dysfunctional pack

Shank telling me I now weigh 192.0 Not sure how I managed that, but hey, I'm not going to question how I lost 2.2 lbs in ONE day. I bought a digital scale for its accuracy. For the purpose of being encouraged. It is not defective, it is not trying to confuse me, it is not out to get me. It's no more than the fact that my body is as weird as my brain. Guess I should have seen that one coming. Silly me...

My man. Even when he doesn’t get me he gets me. He is my race car driver, my knight in white armor, my bug killer, my trash taker outer, my mechanic, my sock monkey, my favorite and my partner. He fills my adventure book with memories and plans. I like him a little. Can I keep him?

My 3rd cup of coffee. I’ve nearly recovered from my morning fast. I was doing really well. I picked a bad time to fall off the coffee wagon. How on earth am I going to survive the next 7 days without it? Skinny Granny better be right or this is going to be a very long week. Oh, and someone better check on Ms. Shankabitch’s duct tape and arm the Orc with epic sporks with +11 to snark resistance and +12 to smite.

Me and the man holding hands. We do it right.

Wednesday Gratitude

Shades of Grey


It's been grey for 3 days. The last two it began to rain JUST as I got in my car to drive home. Last night we attended a Veterans Day concert for the Pixies BFF in the rain. YET, I am still in a sunny and bright mood. Where the grey skies of MD are claustrophobic and appear one dimensional, the skies here in FL are open with clouds layering for a stunning 3D effect. This is a perfect example of "perspective" The truth is, if you were to photograph a grey sky in both MD and FL you would find them strikingly similar. Well, as similar as a sky can be from one day to the next. It's my perspective that makes FL skies so much better. You see, I trust FL skies to become blue and bright again soon. Whereas with MD skies, I know I'm stuck with them for months and months and months. Whatever dude, I know FL skies rule and MD's just drools.

Today I'm grateful for:

Shank (for those that don't know, I name inanimate objects. Shank is my new digital bathroom scale. Hey, don't judge. It amuses me) Shank informed me this morning that I now weigh 193.4. I'll let him stay in one piece....for today, but one wrong move and I break out the man's sledge hammer.

sledge hammers. First, the word is just fun to say. It makes your mouth twist into interesting shapes and it's one of those words that's just hard to lip read. Oh, and I've discovered that, occasionally, they can be more intimidating than sporks. *shrugs* go figure.

mounting the stationary beast. It was a close call this morning but I did it. 20 minutes of slack jawed, gasping completed. Day 3 started very unattractive but at least it started.

Day 2 and thus far, all goals complete. No cheating.

100% confidence. Oprah WILL call and I WILL be a svelte, smokin hot, domesticated cougar. Meow baby...

my man. He considered, possibly, almost getting me a Stinker. That says a lot right there and it's enough for now. Thank you babe, Love you!

my job. The superhero is back. She came to the rescue of a tenant in need. One who called screaming and yelling and hung up with tears of gratitude. I freaking love my job man. Being a Superhero is NOT over rated. It's awesomeness with a purple cape and a yellow flourish. Integration IS over rated. I am back to having 3 personalities.

Pizza for lunch. It is NOT on my diet but the boss is buying as a treat for having to work the holiday. I'm not happy about eating it, but I am happy that my boss is the kind of boss that WANTS to say thank you. Those bosses are rare and should always be on someone’s gratitude list.

this moment right here. Since starting on this journey I've adopted the practice of occasionally taking stock of THIS MOMENT. In the beginning it helped me distress, calm down and reign in the anger. Now, this far down the road, I still do it as an acknowledgement of God for the blessings of the moment, Me for learning to embrace the moment, and the universe for giving me the moment. Sitting right here, at my desk, taking stock, it's a pretty damn good moment. Right here, right now, all is right in my world. A moment from now, that world could blow up, but I'll always have the memory of this one. String enough moments together and you have a happy, fulfilled and purposeful life.

longing to give more. Giving is cool and keeps my yellow flowing. Giving my money is OK from time to time but very impersonal. I like to give of ME. When I give myself away, I get more in return. Handmade blankets bring smiles to little faces. A framed photograph in a dreary hospital room chases gloom away, a special and beautiful card gives a smile. None cost much money, all cost my time. Those are the things, the little things, that make a big difference. I'll leave the giving of money to Oprah. She can afford it. Me? I'll stick to the small. Think small people and change the world!

I'm grateful for friends willing to walk dark bridges in the dark and cold.