My Last Day

Today is my last day with Imagination Project. It's bittersweet for me. On one hand, I am SO excited for this new venture and cannot wait to get started. On the other hand - I have so many good friends and memories here. Nobody ever said life was easy - that's for sure. But, today I'm going to celebrate - the friendships that I've made over my three years here and hopefully the new friends I will meet!

I'm taking two days off in-between to organize my home, have a yard sale and spend some time with my kids. Maggie's last day of school is tomorrow, and I'll be at her party which is a first for me. She's super excited about it and truthfully, so am I. It's not easy being the "working mom" whenever you go to a school function. All the other moms know each other and you can tell that they don't quite understand where you're coming from. I went to her awards assembly yesterday and felt very out of place. But, this is a decision that I made a long time ago. One that I really don't have a choice with but one that I need to embrace anyway. Maggie thinks it's cool some of the stuff her mom does. Let's hope it stays that way.

I just wanted to end this with some funny pictures of some of the things I've done of the past few years. Good times...

Moments

You ever find those little moments in life where you capture a picture and you see more than maybe what others see? I was going through the photos from Nic's wedding and found two that I absolutely LOVE. Normally, I wouldn't pay much attention to them, but they actually had me chuckling and bursting all at the same time. My husband is a great dad. I mean that - A GREAT DAD. When I met him YEARS ago, I knew he would be. He was just very attentive and fun. Those were two traits I KNEW would equal "great dad".

Before the wedding, I wanted to snap a few shots of Scott with the girls. Of course, it turned into an all-out hair pulling event with Addison. Maggie has this gorgeous, long hair and Addie likes to grab on tight sometimes. This photo is actually one in a series where Scott is trying to hold onto Addie, hold onto Maggie's hair and Addie is going to town. Of course, I'm laughing as Maggie is hollering. (This happens ALL the time) Good thing she's a good sport about it!



This one was taken at the end of the day - Addie was tired and Scott was holding her. His girls are his absolute pride and joy. I'm sure one day Addie will love seeing this picture - I'm thinking of blowing it up and framing it in the house.



On another note, I've talked to a few of my future co-workers and am VERY excited about my new role. It's almost bittersweet because I'm going to miss so many of the people I work with now, but I love to meet new people. Good times ahead!

A Great Weekend and Clarification

You know - it's funny how you can have a great weekend and then come in Monday to a bunch of rumors, incorrect facts, etc. It amazes me how people think that they "know" you - and they make assumptions, verbalize their disdain (which in my opinion is completely unwarranted) and have no problem hiding behind the Internet and it's anonymous protection.

Anyway- first things first. The positive. My cousin, Nic, got married this weekend. He's like a little brother to me and I love him dearly. I was 8 when Nic was born and have watched him grow up to be a fine young man. It's always nice going back to Somerset to see my family because that feels like home to me. Even though I don't get to visit as often as I used to, it's just nice going back to a close-knit family and feeling welcome. I miss them!

Here's Nic and his wife - it was a beautiful wedding!



Then, my mom - being the comedian she is had to embarrass him. They had "request time" and the DJ let her tell this story from when Nic was about 6 years old. We were all at a fair and he wondered off (It was a small town festival) and next thing we know, he's on stage singing "Achy Breaky Heart". So - she had the DJ tell the story of "Nic the Performer" and then they had to dance to Billy Ray. Trust me - you had to be there to gage how funny it really was!



Good times I tell ya - good times.

Now - for clarification. It's funny how rumors, etc., start flying and truthfully - I don't understand why some people feel the need to tear me apart. But, for those that were genuinely curious as to what I'll be doing, etc., here's the 411. I'm not going to work for Memory Makers. I'm working for F&W. That's different. It's the parent company and I'll be working in the books division as the Marketing Manager. Not only will I work on craft titles, but also other fine arts & hobby titles. So, this isn't just in the scrapbook industry. It's in multiple industries. I do not "own" the company that I work for now. Gin-X is merely a licensed brand under Imagination Project and I was their Creative Director. I am the one that made the decision to move on - I wasn't "fired" or anything else. I made this decision based on my family and they are the most important thing to me. Plus, I wanted to be back in a corporate setting and I wanted to go back to marketing full-time.

If you still have questions - see that little rim that says "No Pimping" on the side? Then, click it and e-mail me. For those of you that have shown your support - thank you. I really appreciate it.

Cha...cha...cha...changes....

You know - life is about changes. They can be good, bad, up, down, anticipated, unexpected, exciting, etc. Right now - I've got some changes coming up. Changes that I'm excited about and ones that are going to benefit my family greatly.

What type of change do you ask? Well, my last day as the Creative Director at Imagination Project will be May 30th. I've accepted a position with F&W Publications as their Marketing Manager in the Books Division - more specifically the craft, fine arts and woodworking books. (Yes - that includes scrapbooking titles!) Truthfully, my roots are in marketing and to be able to combine the two really excites me! I love marketing (anyone who has ever heard me go on a marketing rampage knows that) and of course, I love crafting (especially scrapbooking) so there you go. It's like when Reese's figured out chocolate and peanut butter. Or Forrest with his peas and carrots. Yes - marketing and crafting. Good stuff...

I'll have releases for this show for Gin-X. It's very emotional for me, though. I must admit. Gin-X is my third child - a baby that I created three years ago and have nurtured through 23+ collections. It's a part of me - that's for sure. But, as I said before - things change. And, the best way to handle that is to go with the flow.

Been Tagged...

I know I don't update as often as I should and I promise (lightheartedly) to be better about it! But - sometimes I worry that I'll bore you with the mundane details of my life. (i.e. Took Maggie to school. Went to work. etc...)

But, at least Barb H. gave me something to write about! She tagged me on her blog (link to the left) so now I have some questions to fill out. You know the geek in me loves questions! Here goes:

FAVORITE SNACK FOOD - If it's stamped "Hostess" or "Little Debbie" and involves chocolate with NO nuts, then I'm game. But, since I guess those are "desserts" and not really a "snack", then I'll say chips and salsa. Have you tried the new flour Tostitos? Yummy stuff! With some Jack's fresh garden salsa. HOT!

CATS OR DOGS & WHY - Well, 10 years ago I would have said cats, no question. I had a cat from the time I was 5 until I was 27 when we had to have her put to sleep. I LOVED Opal. But, then I got married to a dog person. And, we had two dogs until Maggie had an allergic reaction. I loved BOTH. My dogs were great and my cats (I had a cat, Nemo, with the dogs) were awesome. It's a hard call. I think it depends on the pet. My lab was the greatest pet ever. If it were based on Sicily, I'd have to say dogs.

COKE OR PEPSI - For dark cola, Coke all the way. (no ice) If it's a different type of soda, then Mountain Dew. (Hey - you knew the hillbilly was bound to come out in me at some point!)

THREE PET PEEVES - I only can list three? Let's see.... 1) When people honk at you immediately after the light turns or when you're at a stop waiting for a car to pass by. Had a chick do that this morning and she and I nearly had a bout at 8:00 am at a stop sign. Then, she saw the car coming. That's right - she had to wave her hand in apology. She was about to get stomped! 2) Stupid questions. Think Bill Engvall's "Here's Your Sign". Ever doing something and someone walks up and asks a dumb question? Don't you want to say "Here's your sign". Idiot... 3) The word "embellies". Drives me nuts. Don't know why - but it gets under my skin. 4) That's right - I took a fourth. Cockiness. Who cares how great you are? We all have some positive traits so get over yourself.

THREE NEW THINGS THAT I'VE TRIED THIS YEAR - 1) Dave Ramsey's budget plan. Trust me - the man's a genius. It works! 2) Curves - a great spot to work out. I get up at 5:30 am three days a week to hit the circuit. 3) Sunless tanning lotion. Hey - when you're as white as I am and reflect the sun, you gotta try something. Jergen's works best!

So - I'm going to tag a few friends of mine - Heather, Teresa, Stacey and Angie. Would love to hear yours! :)

Is it possible that a vacuum cleaner can make one happy?

I realized that I'm getting old when all I want is a vacuum cleaner. For months I've been saving for a Dyson and finally bought one this week. Can I just tell you something? It's life changing. I remember talking with Tricia Reubens probably three or four years ago about Dysons and she said that there is nothing like it. Ever since then, I coveted one but never had the guts to actually shell out the cash for it. So, I saved. And my mom kicked in the remainder (early birthday present) so that I could buy it. Can I just tell you - love at first use!



I bought the one for all floors so that I could vacuum the carpets, ceramic tile and hardwood. It's a total gem. My old vacuum would blow everything around on a smooth floor, so I always had to use the attachment. Not this baby. It sucks it up right away without any additional air flow out the sides. Amazing how something so simple can make your life so much easier.

Balance

You know - sometimes I have these great blog entries in my head and then when I go to write them down, they somehow disappear into oblivion and I'm left with some blank entry that isn't deep or funny, etc. Same goes for the one today. I haven't really posted in over a week because I've been swamped but I have been thinking about my post. So, bear with me as I try to write something witty and funny (kind of like Meredith's monologue at the end of each Grey's).

I've been wanting to talk about the decision I made to create more balance in my life. This past weekend, I taught at Cord Camera in Macedonia and it was GREAT! Felicia (the manager) is one of the sweetest people on the planet and I tried to convince her to move to Cincinnati so we could hang out. (Felicia - if you read this - I'm telling you - I know a lot of cool people here. You'd have a great time!) Anyway - a few of the girls that came to my classes had went to CKU in Detroit and had asked about me and I received a few e-mails from scrappers wondering where I was. Basically, I have cut down my teaching at private stores as well as going to CKU because I wanted to have more family balance in my life. I wanted to spend more time with Scott and the girls and at one point in 2005, I was gone at least 1 week per month and it was just too much. So, when 2007 rolled around, I decided that I would do VERY limited private teaching and focus more on internal operations here at IP, etc. That's why you don't see me around as much as before. It is a decision that I made and fortunately others have been very supportive.

With that being said, I do have to say that I had a GREAT time in Macedonia with the girls at Cord and even talked about possibly going up again later on in the year. When we pulled in to the store, I was pretty excited to find the sign out front had my name on it. How cool is that?



Here's a photo of some of the girls in class. We had a great time - not only did we do a fun project, but we laughed and talked and I got to know the students and it was awesome. I LOVE meeting new people! Especially when they're good-hearted and fun! Plus, the Cord staff couldn't be better! Seriously - the sweetest people you'll ever meet! Even Kerig the photo guy was absolutely wonderful! I can't say enough good things about everyone there.



Anyway - I think a good time was had by all!

If you live in Ohio and want to take some cool classes...

Do I have a proposition for you! I will be at Cord Camera in Macedonia on April 28th teaching three SUPER fun classes. This is the first time in a long time that I've really looked forward to teaching my projects because I just LOVE them! I was surprised at how easy the Project Essentials line made it for me to put these together and I guarantee that if you take the classes, you'll LOVE them!

Cord Camera Macedonia Schedule

The first one is called "Year in Review". This little book was put together with some very fun Chloe's Closet and Office Supplied papers, plus embellished with cardstock stickers, coasters, buttons and more.




The second one is about "Goals". You know how everyone makes resolutions in the beginning of the year? Well, they don't always stick but I think that if you make goals, you're more likely to follow-through with them. That's what this fun little album is about.




Last but not least is the board book album - made primarily from "As You Wish". And, you guessed it - it's about YOU. These little board books (about 5" x 5") are smokin' hot!




In all seriousness, I cannot wait for these classes next week. Scott is taking off of work to drive up with me and we're doing the crop on Friday night. (Well, I'll be at the crop doing Make & Takes and giveaways - Scott will be watching ESPN back at the hotel - the football draft is next weekend.) I hear the crop is going to be a good time - complete with pizza and I plan on doing some serious giveaways. You might want to call Felicia at Cord and sign-up as soon as you can!

If you don't live in the Ohio valley, e-mail me if you're interested in any of the projects. I might be able to hook you up!

Hopefully this is a better week...

Last week was just too much. With Margaret's death, the funeral, and my mom having an emergency CT Scan because they thought she had appendicitis (turns out to be diverticulitis instead), I pretty much had a rough week. I'm praying that this one gets better.

Of course, we did have one bright spot in the week - Scott and I got a brand new Sonata. I have to be honest when I saw that I never thought I'd buy a Hyundai. I remember the days in the 90's when Hyundai's weren't necessarily your best car. They weren't Yugos, but they weren't Toyotas, either. However, with the rise in gas prices and our SUV that sucked gas constantly, we decided that we needed to check out the mid-size sedans and see what we could find. (Especially since Addie's car seat probably wouldn't fit comfortably in an RX-8.)

We had already test drove the Mazda6 (LOVED IT) but the dealer wouldn't work with me on pricing the way I wanted him to. (After trading in 13 cars in 12 years, I know how to harass a dealer!) I started asking friends and family about their cars because were were going to buy outside of Mazda and my SIL and Barb H. both have Sonatas and LOVE them. Like, serious LOVE. The type of love for a car that causes them to light up when they talk about it. They're simple cars, yes, but I'm an adult now and have realized that sometimes the basic cars are the good ones. Boy - were they right! I picked it out - Dark Grey. And, new car smell. LOVE new car smell.



Good thing is - my payment is cheaper, so I'll have it paid off about the same time or sooner than the Tribute. Plus, this baby has XM Satellite radio. I never realized how awesome that is! I've been enjoying my morning commute with my 80's, 90's and Hitlist channels and Maggie's pretty stoked about Radio Disney.

Anyway - not too sure what the purpose of my car post was except to say that I'm now the PROUD owner of a Hyundai. Maggie wants it when she turns 16. (I'm sure she'll change her mind by then!) But, hopefully it will be gas friendly (seems to be so far) and everything that my friends and family said it would be.

On a final note, if you do not know about Jen Gallacher and her little boy, Joey, please check out the link at the side of my blog. It's heartbreaking to think about everything her family must be going through right now. Anyway - Tania Willis has organized a benefit for the family and as someone who has been touched by cancer in her life, I know how much this can mean to someone. So - please check out the benefit information. There are a lot of great scrappers donating a lot of time and products and if you donate, your name may be drawn to receive one of the amazing gifts. I believe in the power of many.

Unfinished Pearls

For those of you who may not know, Maggie's real name is Margaret. When I was pregnant with her, Scott and I thought it would be fitting to give her a very classy name. My mom's best friend was Margaret. I grew up with her daughter and had actually grown very close to her, and since her children never had any plans to have children of their own, we thought we would name our daughter "Margaret", after mom's best friend. I remember one day Margaret telling me that it was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for her - and I was glad that we did it.

When Maggie was born, Margaret bought her a necklace and started the strand of pearls. Basically, every year, so many pearls would be added to the necklace so that when Maggie got married, she'd have a string of pearls (something old) to wear. Here's where I wanted to insert the photo but my camera is at home and I'm a bit frazzled right now.

Saturday we got a phone call. It was about 3:00 in the afternoon and I was vacuuming the living room floor. Scott was downstairs playing with the girls and I was getting the house cleaned up so we could meet his parents later. My brother called Scott's line and he brought me the phone. I figured he wanted to go out to eat or something, but when I took the phone, he had different news. Margaret died. Just like that. She was gone. Nothing expected, etc. He had my mom in the car and they were headed to the hospital to say their goodbyes. Mom wasn't doing well. She had just lost a good friend two months ago, but this was Margaret. They talked every day and got together often on the weekends to go shopping and eat dinner. This was different. This was the woman I named my daugther after. It was unexpected - she was only 63.

When I got to the hospital, I stood with my mom at Margaret's side. I prayed that God made her transition easy. I promised her I'd finish the pearls.

The service is sometime this week. I guess I'll find out today since they had to wait to make the arrangements due to the holiday. Ironically, I believe Easter was one of Margaret's favorite holidays. She had just brought Maggie a basket with a bunny on Friday. I don't think the bunny has left Maggie's side since.

I guess there is no moral to my story. I just wanted to get it out - type it out, put it in writing to make it more real. Right now, it doesn't seem real. I keep waiting for her to call me about Mom or send a little card over, etc. I also keep waiting for life to get just a bit easier.

Old Wives' Tales

You know - I've been thinking about all of these sayings and tales my mom has and how true they are. Especially now - they are VERY true to life. Thought I'd share a few of my favorites:

1) Whatever can go wrong, usually will. (I know this one - especially since I had to replace four tires on my car yesterday. I must have ran over something on the highway that blew one out and sliced the other. That was a great way to start my morning.)

2) It takes a friend and an enemy to hurt you. The enemy to do it and the friend to tell you about it. (Yes - but then they both are no longer friends.)

3) Throw a dog a bone and he'll bury you with it. (Pretty self-explanatory. I won't be throwing bones any more.)

4) Buy someone for what they're worth and sell them for what they think they're worth. (We refer to it as the "Diana Ross Syndrome". Ha!)

Had a great weekend!

You know, to be a scrapbooker, I'm HORRIBLE about photos. Therefore, I don't have many to post from this weekend because I had one heck of a good time at a crop on Saturday and took NO photos. That's right. None. But, I did finish 12 layouts (nothing groundbreaking of course) and caught up with some very good friends and new friends to boot! I can't wait to do it again. Here's one of my layouts - photo is crooked - I apologize for that.



On Friday night (I'm working backwards here, aren't I?), Scott had his belt ceremony. We ended up sitting Maggie out for this testing just because it's a different level and she was not ready for Senior Blue. Plus, it gave Scott a chance to catch up and be the same rank with Maggie. One of the reasons why I'm glad they're the same rank now, is that if and when they do become black belts, hopefully it will be at the same time. There was a father there giving a speech that evening regarding his daughter that had just earned her black belt and I became teary eyed. It was one of the BEST speeches I have ever heard. He told her how she was differentiating herself from the norm, and how she had something that even her daddy didn't have. It was so moving to see this father talk about his daughter with such raw emotion. Afterwards, I went up to the family to talk for a minute because I was so inspired by them. Even Scott said he got a little verklempt. (My girls know what I'm talking about!) Anyway, I DID get a photo of Scott with his new belt and Mr. Lewis - the instructor. (Relax girls - Lewis is taken. He has a very sweet girlfriend, Nim.)



Other than that - nothing is really going on. I'm trying to catch up on my sleep from Saturday still. (Got home close to 2 am - only because I was behind a drunk passed out at the wheel at an intersection and had to call the cops - that was fun - NOT!)

Addie's Stats

Scott just called me from the doctor's office. Addie is in for her 1 year appointment and it's so funny how different she is from Maggie. At 1, Maggie was about 24 pounds and wearing a size 4 shoe, 18-24 month clothes and she was a good-sized kid. Addie is weighing in at a whopping 16 lbs, 7 ounces (it's still all about the ounces right now) and is 28" long. (She has LONG legs, though - I now have her wearing her 3 month pants as capris - LOL!) Her two outfits I just bought her today are 9 months. Normally, she wears anything from 9-12 months and her shoe size is a 2.

I'm thinking my kids are going to look NOTHING alike. Scott even said the other day that Maggie will be about 5' 9" (my height) and Addie might top out at 5' 2". Unless this kid has a big growth spurt later on, I'm willing to say that he's right.

Scott's call came before her shot. I'm sure this is what's going on by now...



Poor little peanut. :(

Just precious...

I'm getting ready for a crop this weekend and have been working on some photos - going to get them printed tomorrow and thought I'd post a few.

Blurry but I like it.


She's all about the curtsy...


Finally - pfffttt! Addie's favorite thing to do when she doesn't like what you say. (She also nods yes and no, but prefers the pfffttt!)

Before Karin threatens me one more time...

I figured I'd better post a new blog entry. I've had a lot going on with Scott and the kids, which is why I SHOULD blog but I've been swamped at work and at home. However, I'm taking a few minutes and doing it now. (Ok Karin?)

Scott and Maggie had their Father/Daughter dance with her brownie troop this weekend. It was actually all of the Girl Scout troops in our neighborhood. It was a square dance, so they went with denim for attire. Unfortunately, my husband hates having his photo taken (sort of ironic that he's married to a scrapper, huh?) but you know this event wasn't going to take place without one! Here they are in the front yard before the dance. He took her out to dinner (McDonalds - her choice) and then to the dance where they DoSiDo'd all night. (Is that even how you spell Dosido?)



This weekend I grabbed some shots of the girls. First, Addie all passed out on the couch. She had a rough night of partying. (Ok - I'm kidding, but you gotta admit that a 1 year old partying hard is funny)



We put her toys together from her birthday. (Boy - does this kid have TOYS!) Her favorite so far is the Busy Ball Popper. It's like a popcorn popper on steroids. It pops these balls out and all over the place and the girls entertained each other for probably an hour with that thing. (Yes - Maggie thinks it's cool, too)



Last is a shot of the two of them together. What you don't see is the 15 other photos of Addie giving Maggie all sorts of grief. The two of them are HILARIOUS together. Maggie tries to read to Addie and Addie grabs the book. Addie will take Maggie's toy and when Mags goes to take it back, Addie screams at her at the top of her lungs until Maggie freaks out and gives it to her. It's hysterical. But, they love each other. Addie calls her "MA". You'll hear her in the back of the car "MA - MA!" (Long A, not a short one. That's my name)



Maggie's in that phase where she won't give me a normal pose or smile. Six going on sixteen.

My baby turned 1...

I knew the big day was coming but I swear - it just seems like it was yesterday that I was bringing Addie home. What's cool is that I can go back and read on the blog about when I was getting ready to go to the hospital and when we brought her home, etc. (The beauty of new technology!) On Saturday, my baby girl turned 1!

That morning I got her up and I was holding out my finger saying "Addie - you're 1! You're a big girl" to which she promptly gave me a "pffffttt" with her tongue. I guess my girl is not about celebrating birthdays. LOL!

We ended up having 2 parties - one on Scott's side and one on mine with a few friends intermingled between the two. That meant two cakes, two mini-cakes, two outfits, two times with a messy baby and LOTS of presents!

Here's Addie with her first cake - I got one that was yellow and the other was chocolate. Here she is on Saturday night for her first party (the theme of course was shamrocks!):





Sunday is when we did the party with my family and the chocolate cake. Guess which one she liked better?



The funniest part of the entire weekend was her reaction when everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to her. On Saturday night, she laughed and danced. Sunday - she covered her head. (I'm thinking my family must have been REALLY out of tune!)



It was a good weekend, and I'm holding up well. Considering that this is probaby our last (ok - I'd say if Scott has his way, it is), I did good. Now - I'm not going to promise no tears when she goes into Kindergarten.

Regina George

Recognize her?



The first time I saw "Mean Girls", I was in Provo (actually Ogden, UT) staying with my good friend, Teresa Collins. Let me tell you - we had a laugh watching the movie because we remember high school and the "plastics". But, what's sad is - lately, I've seen this behavior in GROWN women.

Case in point. I have a very good friend who participates in a recreational activity. (No, it's not me and no the recreational activity isn't "recreational" as in "Dazed and Confused" recreational) She's good at what she does. VERY good. However, there is a Regina George in the facility. She likes to be the leader of the pack so to speak. Quite frankly, it's upsetting to me to see adults treat each other this way. The jealousy and competitiveness obviously wasn't left at the door when she graduated eighth grade, much less high school. So, this girl (Regina George) has decided to create her own little "clique" and purposely leave my friend out, even though they were once close friends. She's been ousted. Why? Because she's good at what she does. Doesn't really sound mature, does it?

Then, I have another friend that gets pummeled with vicious rumors about her personal life that aren't true. Once again - remember when Regina calls the mom of the girl who was dating the boy her friend liked and makes up a nasty lie to get her in trouble? Or, the slam book? Ah yes... I'm starting to see a pattern here.

Tina Fey probably wrote the movie based on her own experiences, but I bet half of them happened during ADULTHOOD. You would think that as grown women, we'd look around and realize what we're doing to each other. I'm not saying we all act like the chick that wants to "bake a cake full of rainbows". But, take a step back and realize that we're only hurting ourselves by doing these types of things. Girls need to band together. Not connive and fight and back stab. It's not a good thing.

Fortunately, I surround myself with what I like to refer to as "low maintenance friends". I don't have to ask them if I can wear a ponytail at the lunch table and I'm not limited to jeans once per week. It's good that way.

Yes, it COULD suck more...

I had to laugh at this photo - I stole it from Barb's blog, so my apologies to Barb in advance for building upon her idea. But, it's a good one.



Here's the deal. I let things bother me. So much so that I probably need to wear the bag because in the grand scheme of things, it's small potatoes. There are big things going on that I need to take care of more and not worry about those little ones. But, I always let things eat away at my core and piss me off. Maybe I'll celebrate National "Get Over It" day. Hey Barb - how about you crack open a bottle of wine and we let it all go! I'll drink to that!

Here's another thing - WHY do people feel this need make themselves feel important, even if it means putting someone else down or stepping on them? Maybe they need to wear the bag, too. Or, get a good check on themselves.

That's all. Just my PSA of the day.

I honestly don't have a lot to say

Ok - so this morning after my 6th e-mail of people wondering when I'm going to update my blog, I decided that I better put something on here. The truth is - I don't have a lot to say right now. Or - maybe the things that I DO have to say, I can't. That's probably a more accurate statement.

BUT - I did find something really cool this weekend. Scott's cousin has the Nintendo Wii. Ok - I'm not one for video games but this thing is FLIPPIN' SWEET! We bowled, played tennis, etc., all with these motion sensors. I even KO'd a guy in the first 20 seconds of the first round during boxing. (I LOVE to box!)



According to Dave Ramsey (because I follow his plan pretty religiously these days), I need to save for one, so the Wii was added to my savings list. Besides, they're not out in stores, yet, anyway. In the interim, I'll probably go to the gym and try to find someone to box me. LOL!

The greatest moment in television...

Scott told me it's just a show. But, it's not...it's so much more.

I watched the greatest moment in television ever for me. It outranked the first kiss Ross and Rachel shared at Cafe Perk. That (Ross and Rachel) was NOTHING compared to Izzy and Denny last night.

When my dad died almost 13 years ago I was young and wasn't real sure of faith, the world, etc. I didn't really put a lot into it because teenagers think they're invincible. They truly do. I did. But, then dad died. Reality smacked me in the face so hard that it left bruises. Not physical ones, but emotional ones.

I often would ask my mom "Mom - do you ever "feel" dad? Sometimes I feel like he's with me." And she would tell me that she did, get teary eyed and we'd change the subject. I asked her again this morning and we had a good cry. Almost as good as the one I had last night when I cried myself to sleep over Izzy and Denny. It was validation. Even though it's television it was validation through the writers. Someone - maybe Shonda - has felt the same way. I'm not alone. Mom's not alone. Dad feels us. He's there. I told her about the scene and we cried for a moment. That's what's great about my mom and I. We can share those things and that faith.

I didn't expect that scene. I really didn't. I thought it was over when Meredith came back. I thought that Izzy would be burning bridges with George and it would be over. But then...it happened. That moment in the hallway where Izzy stands there and closes her eyes and the camera pans away and there's Denny. He's beside her. He feels her. She feels him. (Oh God - I need another Kleenex)

Sorry I don't have a photo. I looked everywhere for one. I guess it hasn't been posted, yet.