Overheard today...

"I'd like a cheeseburger, hold the cheese."

"Sir, that's a hamburger."

"I know, but I like the yellow paper."

Bloggerize

It's a word, look it up.


I haven't been around lately. I've been busy. I have had four different blogs that I wanted to write out in the past few days and I just haven't been able to sit still long enough to type them.


So, I just realized that I haven't truly blogged about my dailies in over a MONTH! Wow, what is the world coming to? I find that I am compelled to write it all down now.

So, here's some random thinks from the last month.

I'm going north to visit the kiddies. I am very excited! I'll be in town just after J's 13th birthday. I cannot wait to see them and spend some time with them. I will be taking lots and lots of pictures.

I finally saw Finding Nemo. It was such a cute movie. I interact each day with people that remind me of Dory. There are lines of that movie that apply to vast portions of my everyday life lately and I just want to thank Barry for making sure I had a copy to watch.

I got to play my first game of poker. It was a lot of fun, even though I was totally nervous. I can't wait to go and play again. Maybe next weekend this is my closing weekend.

Oh, speaking of weekends I finally had one after three months! It was an amazing, fun-filled weekend. I enjoyed every moment, well, almost every moment of it.

Work has been good. There are days when I want to pull my hair out, but overall I love working there.

I finally took some pictures of the drive to work over the bridge. The one's on the bridge aren't so great, but the picture up above is right before I get to the bridge. Isn't it lovely? I get to see that every single day not once but twice! I count my blessings as I ride over that bridge and if I don't, my day feels wrong.

Cleaning is zen to me. It's my meditation, my therapy, stress-relief, and a joy. I hate cleaning my own space and my own house. I love cleaning other people's spaces, though. It's a joy to know that when they walk in that they don't have to do a thing. It's satisfying to know that I do this really well. I love trying out new cleaning products, too. I love falling back on old tricks. I LOVE magic erasers, they ARE magic. I've decided that I do not want to know what is in them that makes them magic because it would be like knowing how the magician did his grand finale.

We went to a tent sale for rugs. Did you know that there are 100's of different kinds of rugs? They make leather/suede woven rugs that are almost like a rag rug, only with strips of leather and suede. They are kind of amazing and totally fun.

Did you know that you can paint a room in a day, clean doors and baseboards, and carpet clean and it's a satisfying tired when you are done? Plus, it makes such a difference and it looks all kinds of amazing.

I have to say that I've never owned matching intimates before and now that I do, I have to agree with the statement that women underestimate the power of matching intimates. They make me feel very powerful.

Someone asked me why I liked doing something the other day. I like knowing that something so simple gives someone else so much pleasure. It doesn't take anything away from me to give it and it's fun. So, I guess the answer is selfish, I like giving and having my gifts appreciated.

Random acts of kindness appeal to me on so many levels.

I LOVE surprises. I absolutely love them, but only when they are true surprises. I didn't realize that I have this "clarifying clause". If you TELL me that you have a surprise for me and then make me wait for it, it is the worse torture ever. Everything I do is just in anticipation of the surprise and then, well, it's not really a surprise, is it? Random House has this to say about "surprise": something that surprises someone; a completely unexpected occurrence, appearance, or statement. The key word for me is "unexpected". That means that I don't know about it beforehand and I'm not anticipating anything. The joy of surprise to me is that it is unexpected, like random acts of kindness.

I'm enjoying getting to know my co-workers. I have fun when we hang out after work.
The full moon came and went this month. It's my fourth full moon in TN. I can't believe it. I fall more and more in love with Tennessee the longer I'm here. I can't wait to see what the next month has in store for me.

I get to go to my very first "meet the team" hockey event ever on Monday. I'm very excited. I think I get to see my very first ever hockey game, too! I will make sure to blog about that.

Well, there are probably more moments that were had and I should write about but I have to be off to work in a few.

I promise I won't wait a month this time to tell you what's happening in my little world.

As you go about your day today, remember, someone in Tennessee thinks you are all kinds of amazing!

Oh, and count your blessings!

To my very dear friend...

To my very dear friend,

To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and to endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Challenge

"Make something that will cheer me up. Something that puts the rest of the world on hold for awhile."

I think that this might be the toughest challenge I've been given.

Food as comfort is a subjective challenge.

What cheers me, may not cheer you. The meal I seek out when I'm broken, disheartened, empty, blue, disillusioned, or even numb probably won't be the same one as you seek. Neither will the meal be the same if I'm happy, joyful, excited, celebratory, or silly.

Maybe the nature of the challenge isn't what I choose, but that I choose to do it at all. That I am making a meal and sharing it with a friend.

Maybe the cooking part is the easy part. Maybe it's the "something that puts the world on hold for awhile" that scares me.

Maybe it's because I only bring half of the challenge to the plate. The other half of the challenge is out of my control.

Are you willing to receive and accept my gifts?
Are you willing to let the rest of the world be on hold?
Are you willing to let me help?

If you aren't, it won't change anything about the meal. It will still look, smell, and taste the same way.

If you are, I think it will mean the difference between feeding the body and feeding the soul.

I am so looking forward to dinner tonight.

I wonder what you would make for your best friend? What would you make for a co-worker? How about if someone was celebratory? What if they needed to feed their soul?

Nights in Rodanthe

"I want you to know that any man is a fool that doesn't know how lucky he is to have you."

Watch

You know you have to go see a movie when the trailer makes you cry.
I love that line, I want that.
So, where is he?