Veteran's Day

Thank you just doesn't seem to say enough. I can only hope any Veteran's that see this can read between the lines and see the gratitude, love, admiration, awe, and pride that is behind those two simple words.

Post Secret

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard.

Post Secret

I don't think I need to elaborate on this one. It really does speak for itself. And for me.


PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard.

Post Secret

Maybe I'm not now, but my fear is that one day I will be and because I'm single that burden will fall to my younger siblings. I'm also pretty sure it's one of the reasons I'm still single. I can't stand the thought of being a burden, an inconvenience, or a bother to anyone, especially a future husband.




PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard.

Mix It Up For MDA!

On Thursday, July 30, Carrabba’s Italian Grill invites consumers to “Mix It Up for MDA” at a special event combining exclusive cocktails from award-winning mixologist Charlotte Voisey with new Carrabba’s food items to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA).

Admission to “Mix It Up for MDA” is $15 per person from 5 pm to close at Carrabba’s. The ticket price includes a sampling of four food items from the new Mr. C’s Bar Menu and, for guests 21 years and older, one of Voisey’s signature cocktails created for the event. The food tasting includes a delicious array of appetizers from the new Mr. C’s Menu, designed for snacking and sharing, including: Antipasti Misto; Meatballs with Ricotta Cheese; Patatinas with Blue Cheese; and Chicken Parmesan Piccolinos

In addition to monies raised from “Mix It Up for MDA” event admission, Carrabba’s also will donate $1 to MDA for each of Voisey’s drinks sold from July 30 – August 6. During that week, consumers are encouraged to visit www.carrabbas.com and cast their vote for their favorite cocktail and the winner will make it on the menu!



There are two Dallas area locations...

North Dallas
(972)732-7752
17548 Dallas Parkway
Dallas, TX 75287

E. Plano
(972) 516-9900
3400 N. Central Expressway
Plano, TX 75074

Or go to Carrabba's website for a location near you. http://www.carrabbas.com/index.aspx

Happy Father's Day PostSecret Style!

It's a day late, but so was my phone call. He didn't mind at all and was just thrilled that I called. It was my weekly call to my Mommy, but I spent most of the time on the phone with him. She didn't mind either.

He came into our lives on my 15th birthday. While my friends were decorating our house for my surprise birthday party, he took my Mom & me to the mall and out to lunch. He even bought me a hot fudge sundae for dessert. I've been fat since I was 5. Not a lot of people in my life would have even offered that.

While he has sometimes been stubborn, unyielding, and even angry, he has more often been supportive, kind, and loving. He came into the relationship with our Mom saying that he wouldn't be our dad. He just never saw himself as a dad at all. At first, we agreed because we'd gotten use to it being just the three of us (our Mom, my brother, & me). But that didn't last long.

Now, nearly 21 years to the day, he's our Pops. Our father came back into our lives (after a 10 year absence) about 18 months after we found Pops. I do love my Dad, but if I got married tomorrow it would be my Pops I would want to walk me down the aisle.

I do tell my Pops that I love him, every time I talk to him. But I don't think I've ever told him how much he really means to me. He DOES mean the world to me. Most days I'm proud of the person I've become and I know he played a big part in that. I hope he knows that too. :)

Rock the Space

My friend & budding music star, Eric Dodge, has a chance to win a recording contract. So please give this very talented man a listen and then spread the word by getting your own widget & posting it on Facebook, MySpace, your blog, or even your website. Thanks! And you won't be sorry!

PostSecret

This is the one that jumped out at me this week......



I am guilty more often that I'd like of not letting people get close enough to really love me. Even when they do, I still sometimes put up walls that they don't even know about.

But when I do let them in completely, I discover all over again why God created love. It truly is beyond words.

Music...

www.ericdodge.com




Eric's MySpace




Eric on Facebook




Eric on BlogTalkRadio

PostSecret

There were two this week that jumped out at me. :)

This is true for just about everyone that reads my blog. And you all know who you are. :)

The thought of the Rainbow Bridge has always made me happy. Those who know me well know how much I love my puppies. Past & present. :)

The Dichotomy of This Writer...

For some strange reason I get really excited when something I wrote gets posted online, but I hate showing my writing to almost everyone. And those of you who have read my writing should know how special you are to me. You also know that I'm full of contradictions like that. :D

Today's excitement is due to being in the new 6S Newsletter.

http://sixsentences.blogspot.com/2009/02/newsletter-sixes.html

My piece is the "Bonus Six" at the end called "Happiness".

This 6S was inspired by an email conversation I had one day with my friend, Maria. Something she said got me to thinking and then got me to writing. Thanks for the inspiration, Mia! (Love you & miss you bunches!)

Anyway, thanks for stopping by and be sure to let me know what you think. :)

PostSecret

I'm not sure what made this secret stand out for me. Is it the sentiment or is it the gorgeous plus-sized girl? Maybe it's both.



PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard.

Lemonade Anyone?

Kwizgiver was passing out "When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade" Awards and she tossed one my way. I'm honored. Thanks, Sunshine!


So here's the deal...

1) You must link back to the person you received the award from.
2) You have to nominate 10 bloggers who are deserving of this award!

So... ten bloggers to whom I pass this honor along to, but first a disclaimer.

My first choice would have been Cleggy, but his sister (Wendy Darling) got to him first. Dagnabit! :)

1. Cormac at Cormac Writes
2. Margo at Musings v3.0
3. Crystal at Boobs, Injuries and Dr Pepper
4. Tammy at Sweetest T (partly because I haven't tagged her in a while so she's due) :P
5. Terry at On The Turning Away
6. The Feel Good Librarian
7. Scarlet Hip
8. Gluten-Free Girl
9. Todd at The Moviequill
10. Mr. McKnob

Interview Me...

My friend Kwizgiver was interviewed by one of her blog buddies and I figured I was brave enough to try it too! So here are the questions she gave me.


1. How nervous are you to speak in front of an audience? (I'm thinking of you being interviewed by the local news for your job) Let's just say that if you sit in the first row (and maybe the second) or if you're interviewing me, don't wear your favorite pair of Jimmy Choo's because they WILL get thrown up on. Sorry. That's just how it is.


2. Would you rather be Miss America for a year, win an Oscar or win a Grammy? And why? It's a close race between an Oscar and a Grammy, but I think Oscar wins by a nose. Despite the fact that I have horrible stage fright, I have always wanted to act. I even took Drama in high school. I was told I was pretty good at it, when I forgot to be queasy.


3. President Obama would like you to be his advisor for... what? The Arts. I would love to be the advisor that helps him decide which arts programs need grants & government assistance. And how cool would it be to basically get paid to read, watch movies, listen to music, and go to the theater.


4. What t.v. show would you like to have to watch every day for the rest of your life? CSI - Las Vegas or New York. Or Bones. Or Criminal Minds. What can I say? I like watching the good guys catch the bad guys.


5. Would you rather wear a sombrero or a clown cone hat for a week? (no, you can't wear your tiara) I'll go with the sombrero and secretly wear my tiara underneath. So there. :P




Want to play too? Here's how:

1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."

2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. (I get to pick the questions).

3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.

4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview others in the same post.

5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Twilight...

I’m 40 years old and for the first time in my life, I went to the movies alone. Seriously. I know. Half of you are shocked that this is the first time I’ve done it and the other half are shocked that actually did it. I’m kind of shocked too.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind being alone. Heck I lived alone for about four years and loved it. There are just a few things that I don’t really like to do alone. Going to the movies was pretty much the last one I hadn’t done yet. There are several things that brought it about.

The movie. I’ve read all of Stephenie Meyer’s books. Including her latest that isn’t in the TWILIGHT series, THE HOST. I love the way she writes. I think she is a very talented author and can’t wait for more of her books to come out.

A vampire. If you talk to anyone that knows me for any length of time, they will eventually reveal what some would call my unhealthy fascination with vampires. Yup, I’m a fan of the vamps. I like reading about them, I like watching movies about them, and I even like writing about them. I am such a fan that I even attempted to read Anne Rice’s vampire series despite the fact that I absolutely loathe her writing. I got through the first five before I had to stop. I’ve even been known to read children’s & young adult books or watch anime. The former being how I found Stephenie Meyer. Or I should say was open to reading her books because Cleggy is the one that found her for me. Instead of merely tolerating my almost obsession, he likes to make me happy by finding new authors for me to read. Thanks again, Cleggy.

The mini road trip. To find a theater still showing TWILIGHT, I had to travel over 19 miles. This was actually a good thing. For the most part, I am a homebody. I don’t mind staying home and usually prefer it. Most of the time. There is a tiny voice in the back of my head that apparently represents the small restless side of me. Usually that voice is easily ignored, but sometimes it’s hard to push aside what it wants. The desire to grab my keys and just hit the road in any direction can be almost irresistible. And when I do give in to that desire, it’s even harder to resist the thought of just never going home again. To go someplace new and be someone new.

So off I went a little after noon today. I purposefully took a route that put me on the highway to feed that desire for open road. I was thrilled by the thought of going somewhere I’ve never been before and doing it all alone. Liking the movie was just a bonus.

Yes, I liked the movie. I thought it progressed well and understandably despite having to leave out parts of the book. I mean only a true fan would sit through a movie taken word for word from the book. I was even thrilled that they included several of my favorite lines. I was only disappointed once when they changed a scene slightly and bypassed one of very favorite lines in the entire series. I mean it can’t be everyone’s favorite, right?

The theater was nice and the bargain show only cost me $5. The crowd even pleasantly surprised me. I expected teens & pre-teens with the occasional mother who did the driving. There was a small group of 4 pre-teens. A few more teenagers in sets of 2 or 3. And the rest were adults ranging from 20 to 50. I was not the oldest one there and not the only one alone. There was even a Goth teen there that made me smile. What made me laugh out loud was the comment she made to me on the way out.

I couldn’t help myself. I was smiling at her, seeing a bit of myself in her. She saw me smiling, gestured at her outfit, pointed at the screen, and said, “How cliché, right?” Then she smiled as I laughed and confessed that I was actually thinking that I sometimes miss my old Goth look. That made her laugh. As we stepped out into the brightly lit lobby, she declared that going for a Goth look must have been a no-brainer with my skin colour and obviously attraction to vampires. As I told her, sometimes it’s good to be so pale.

I’ve now seen the movie I’ve been dying to see since it came out just before Thanksgiving. I had a little adventure and quieted that restless voice for a little while. I won’t kid myself. That voice will pipe up again soon. It’s been so long since I took it on a real trip (moving does NOT count). Not since Cleggy & I took a small trip a few years ago. Family and work obligations along with a general lack of extra money have kept us from setting off on another adventure. But I live in hope that we’ll get back to that cabin with the fireflies eventually.

I Need YOUR Help...

On Saturday, January 31st, the MDA office where I work will be at Grapevine Mills Mall before dawn to host the 2009 MDA DFW Stride & Ride.

My goal is to send at least one kid to camp. Thanks to MDA that only costs $800. That's amazing for one week at a barrier-free camp. Kids who spend the other 51 weeks of the year in a wheelchair or leg braces get a chance to swim, canoe, ride horses, and even ride on a zip line.

Please make a donation and help me reach my goal! Remember that any size donation is appreciated. So give what you can and what your heart leads you to give. $5, $10, or whatever you can. And then feel proud of the fact that together we're providing help and hope to kids and adults served by MDA in our community.

Thanks for making a difference!

https://www.joinmda.org/dfwstride2009/cpldybg

Also, please pass this on to anyone and everyone. I need all the help I can get. Thanks!

PostSecret

This one really jumped out at me today...



PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard.

I'm So Excited!!!

My first submission to Six Sentences was rejected with one of the nicest rejections I've evern gotten.

"I've decided not to use this piece, but I wanted to thank you for sending it, and I hope you'll consider sending more work in the future.

Sincerely,
Robert McEvily
Editor, 6S"


So he only has himself to blame for me submitting a piece again a few days ago.


Mr. McEvily not only accepted it but said it gets express service. Which means it's already posted. :)

http://sixsentences.blogspot.com/2009/01/obsession.html


I'm so thrilled and honored. So much so that I've been telling everyone I know. :)

Happy New Year!!!!!!

So what did YOU do for New Year’s Eve?

For yet another year there was no party, no crowds, and no special kiss at midnight for me. And no regrets either. Okay, well maybe just a few little ones about the lack of a kiss, but I’ll live. :P

Instead of braving crowds of drunken revelers, I went to my best friend’s house. Betty (Mistress Violet), her husband, their two boys, and I made our own party. Complete with party hats, noise makers, and champagne for toasting. No one panic. I only had two very tiny sips.

I arrived at their house about 8:30. Betty and I spent some time catching up since it had been nearly two weeks since we last saw each other. Yes we do talk daily via text messages, emails, IM’s, and phone calls, but that’s not the point. :P

Then we rounded up the guys and played the American Idol karaoke game. Yeah, you read that right. I managed to wriggle my way out of playing. For the first round. I was not so lucky for rounds two & three. Yeah, you read that right too. I sang. In front of people. Without evidence of force.

You know what is even crazier? I WON!!! Both rounds two & three. No kidding. Here’s proof of my round two winning…

We also played Dance, Dance Revolution. Okay, they played. I did get a legitimate pass on that one due to the ongoing back trouble that hasn’t quite been taken care of yet. Still it was sure fun to watch.

In the midst of our revelry, we paused to watch the ball drop & have a champagne toast. (Remember there is no panicking allowed here.) What did we toast to? Good health & happiness. And love. Always love. Hmmm, maybe I’ll get that kiss next year. Maybe. :)