(diva)logues

These boots are made for walkin...

 

Saw this on Facebook today and thought I'd share.

The weather is amazing lately.  Get out there and take advantage of it!

Grab a furry friend to go with you and I'm sure they'd appreciate the movement too... 

XOXO

 

 

Walk because it lowers cortisol. Not the power walking stuff, that’s more like running. Slow down. Relax. Look around take in the environment. This is not about calories it’s about cortisol.

Walk because sitting sucks for health. You ever watch a pool of stagnant water develop a disgusting layer of slime and sludge in it? Flowing water is clean, water that sits gets dirty. Well you are mostly water, so make sure you are moving.

Walk for your mood. Increased blood to the brain means less foggy brain, more clarity, more light and less dullness.

Walk for your joints and muscles. Guess what beats massage, hot water, cold water, stretching and foam rolling for soreness? Yep, walking. That’s how you keep joints supple and muscles moving.

You are NOT built to run, you are built to walk. Run if you want, but walk no matter what.

Listen to a book, catch up with a friend, walking meditation is my favorite. Do it in natural settings if you can, research shows it has even more benefits. Walking in the city and walking in the woods both lower stress hormones, but walking in the woods does it more. The Japanese call it shinrin-yoku or “forest bathing." 

If you fall, you can always get back up again...

 

So... my parents called and asked if I wanted to bike the Katy Trail with them on Saturday and hit a winery too. 

But I had a few things momentarily run through my head before I said... ok, I'll join you!

Two of the biggest things I immediately started to overthink was... ummm... I haven't been on anything other than a stationary bike for more than 30 years... 

and... 

Does anyone care that it's supposed to be 98 degrees outside?  

But neither of those things actually came out of my mouth before I agreed to meet them and I think they were really happy with my response too.   

 

As much as I need to work on saying NO to things I don't really want to do, I also need to work on saying YES to things outside my comfort zone.  

 

 

They both have their own bikes and helmets, but we parked in Defiance so we could rent a bike & helmet for me.  The rental place was about a block away from where we had parked with their bikes, so I had to get on my rented bike and ride it to the parking lot while they walked behind me.  

 

Not gonna lie. As I was trying to get on the bike, and after even lowering the seat one more time, I was shaking so badly I wasn't sure I was up for it. 

And I literally said to my mom... I don't know if I can do this.

 

However, she remained quiet, allowed me to get my footing and I kept moving forward. 

It's what a parent does for their child, holds back and watches you go.  

 

I'm fairly certain my mom & dad may have been secretly thinking to themselves as they walked behind me... let's get this girl some training wheels again... because they could see I was shaky.  

 

Long story short though... after a few solid minutes of trying to feel more comfortable again once we got on the trail, we ended up biking from Defiance to Augusta and back, which was a total of about 15 miles.  

Thankfully a lot of our trail included shade too, so the heat wasn't noticed as much as it could've been.  

We had plenty of water and we stopped to get off the bike a few times along the way.

It was a fun day and I truly just tried to soak in as much of the view and experience as I could, quietly thanking God along the way because I needed to get out of my comfort zone like this.  And thankful as well for time spent with my parents because that's really what matters most in life is the time we spend with loved ones.  

 

Did you know the Katy Trail was created over the old railroad path alongside the Missouri River?  

Pretty cool.  

Also my dad is pretty sure we rode past bear poop a few times.  

My mom & I assumed it was from a horse or something, but after he showed us googled pics of examples, we thanked him for not bringing it to our attention until we were sitting at dinner.  

And also glad the actual "pooper" wasn't part of our bike ride.  

 

 

Have you ever had those moments in life when you're going through a period of feeling off-balance and then you have to remind yourself to trust in your own abilities and keep putting one foot in front of the other?  

There's something to be said for an experience that will shake you, yet ground you and help you get your footing again all at the same time.  

 

You have to keep moving forward and putting one foot in front of the other or you'll fall.

If you fall though, you can always get back up and try again. 

 

Falling isn't the worst thing that can happen in life, but you'll never experience any growth until you figure out how you got there and rise up from it. 

 

 

 

 

And strangely enough I kinda want to buy a bike after this whole experience now. 

Also... I've gotta keep up with those two because they certainly aren't spending their life sitting down.

Unless of course it's on a bike.  LOL  

 

XOXO

Cardinal Nation...

What a FUN, FUN day yesterday thanks to having an opportunity to buy Cardinals tickets from my friend, Stephanie!  The day started with an early spin class in the morning, went to my hair appointment, put on my Cardinals gear, pulled Bryn from school a little early so we could drop her off at my parent's house, and then Bob & I went to Busch Stadium for Game #3 of the Cardinals vs. the Giants!  Even my band-aid from Monday's flu shot was RED! 

It's CARDINAL NATION, baby!  Nothin' but RED around here! 

Rally towels were given out to everyone with a paid admission... and we definitely used them too!  We had a blast at the game... until it started raining, that is.  And actually before it even started raining at the stadium, I had a couple friends text me to tell me there were tornado sirens going off where we live... about 40 minutes away from where we were.  Scary!! 

Oh & here's a photo with the woman behind me that clapped LOUDLY the ENTIRE game.  I mean, I'm all about clapping, don't get me wrong.  I do it so much in Zumba, I've been known to literally bruise my hand from my wedding ring hitting my other hand so hard, so many times in an hour.  BUT... her clap was so piercing, I wanted ear plugs.  And she would keep clapping, even when there was nothing to clap about!  LOL

It started POURING down rain in the 7th inning though.  Did I mention I knew there was a very good chance for rain during the game, so I wore a hat & rainboots, and I brought a rain poncho?  So... ponchos went on & we kept watching!  Until they called a rain delay in the middle of the inning with the Cardinals up to bat & 2 men on base.  Boooo!!! 

We stuck around for about a half hour tops & made a really good decision to leave.  It ended up being a 3 1/2 hour rain delay... in which time we had already had dinner at a nearby restaurant, picked up Bryn from my parent's house & drove home.  And then we watched the end of the game... all of about 15 minutes... in the comfort of our own home!  Another WINNER!!!

And we play again tonight!  Go crazy, folks!  Go crazy! 

GO CARDINALS!!! 

I like big butts and I cannot lie...

Ok, I've had a couple requests for details about New York, so here goes.  I have over 100 photos from the weekend so I won't bore you with ALL the details & ALL the photos... we'll just keep it short & sweet.

There was Times Square...

Some shopping in China Town...

Made it out alive & had lunch in SoHo...

Found Parsons School for Design (any Project Runway fans out there besides me??)...

Managed to find a Starbucks every day...

Ran into strange men in bikinis...

Took many dangerous cab rides...

And attended a fashion show at the Waldolf-Astoria Hotel...

There were 5 designers in the show.  Typical runway show... each designer sends their models down the catwalk one at a time & then all the models come out at the end with the designer. 

The show was kicked off with evening wear by Sushma Patel...

Then Robert Flores with mens wear...

And wait a minute.

What? 

They're all coming out at the end in their underwear.  Yes please! 

And then Diani Mota, Joan Couture & Marisu Miranda.

I know.  Who cares. 

You just went back to look at the boys again, didn't you?

My friend's daughter that came on the trip with us had quite a few photos taken with models after the show.  Then the 2 of us were posing for a photo when next thing I know, 2 of the models got in the picture with us.  Not sure how that happened?  I didn't ask them to come over??  But I can say I appeciate their obvious love for eye liner since they were wearing even more than I was...

And there you have it.  My weekend in a NUT shell. 

Pun intended.  ;-) 

"Put your, put your hands up!"

 

After staying up until midnight these past few nights, I've managed to meet an August 1 deadline.  More on that soon!  And I've only been partially paying attention to the Olympics while working, so maybe now I can actually watch more of it.  I'm especially loving all things volleyball.  And the swimmers are hot umm ROCK too.

In the meantime, I saw the movie Step Up Revolution in 3D with some friends...

... and made up a new Zumba routine for my Monday class using the new J. Lo song from the movie's soundtrack... 

And today we're headed to Bryn's middle school orientation + registration.  She's bringing all her new stuff to decorate her locker, so something tells me we might be there awhile. 

Then back home to tape Bryn's old room so I can paint that today. 

Guess what we're doing with her old room?

Here's a photo I found I pinterest that I'm using for my inspiration...

 

If you guessed that we're going to make it my closet... you guessed right.  A local closet company is coming out Thursday to draw up the design & give us the estimated cost.  I'm just a little bit excited about it.

WOOOOOOT  WOOOOOOOOOOOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bermuda love...

Bermuda was awesome.  Phenomenal weather... mid 70's every day.  We did have 2 days of rain, one being on Father's Day, but we made the best of it.  And rain must be expected often, as our room at the resort had a big umbrella in the closet.  Which was good, because I don't do the drowned rat look if I can help it.   

I did become a bit obsessed with the stupid black smudge in most of our photos, but they're going in the scrapbook!  It was part of the trip... like it or not!  And since by the end of the week we just started taking photos off-center to accomodate for it... it helped a bit. 

And at least my iPhone takes good photos too.  Photos without a black smudge even... bonus! 

We tried & tried, but just could not get our jumps in the air at the same time.  And that was only 4 of the shots taken so trust me... people were beginning to stare.  Not that I mind looking like an idiot, because I really don't.  LOL

Sadly, the black smudge thing didn't end up on this guys butt crack hanging out in my photo.  Noooo... it had to be right next to the butt crack... 

We had a little snack from room service on Father's Day before we went out to dinner.  That was also the day it rained, so we took a bus to the Dockyard.  It was so chilly & rainy that Bryn & I had to buy a sweatshirt & hoodie to wear.  Just what I need... a hoodie that says Bermuda.  Desperation...

It was a company trip, for which Bob qualified.  His 3rd time there, my 2nd time & Bryn's first.  We all loved it.

It was a great trip that I would highly recommend.  Also love that it's only about a 3 1/2 hour flight from here too. 

I do love being home though... ♥

Some-ting wong here...

Case in point...

Ridiculous. 

Not sure if we need to buy a new lens or a new camera or what, but this black smudge thingy is really annoying me.  Last time I checked, a big black smear on the nose is NOT a good look.

And every Bermuda photo  we've taken so far, has a black smudge in it somewhere. 

It's like "where's Waldo" every time we take a photo.

And Bryn had TWO food allergy reactions in the same day today.  Not good.

But aside from all that, this trip has been AWESOME so far!

"Chicago, Chicago..."

We had a quick weekend in Chicago to celebrate our 12-year anniversary, returned home yesterday (gotta love a 45-minute flight) & now it's back to teaching Zumba on Monday!   

On Saturday we met up with my good friend, Stephanie who was in Chicago with her daughters & niece for the One Direction concert, and her friend, Nicki who I've known for quite a few years, that lives in Chicago.  It wasn't a planned get-together, but so much fun to hang out with them!  The subject of my blog & my crafting/design life came up when Stephanie was telling Nicki about it because Stephanie thinks I make going to Target & the grocery store sound more interesting than it is in her life...which it's really NOT.  In fact, it bores me to tears & I wish I had an assistant...LOL.  I explained to Nicki that when I started blogging over 4 years ago, no one I knew personally was reading my blog.  It was only people in the crafting world.  So I put it all out there (most of it), because I figured what I wrote was an extension of our scrapbooks & a more detailed account of our daily life than I could ever get documented in our books. 

In the past couple years though, with more people I know in "real life" reading my blog I feel like I can't stop talking about our family life now (along with all the crafty stuff on here), as I've been told it's what keeps people coming back.  As my friends in "real life" can attest to though, my life is really NOT that interesting or exciting.  But like I told Steph, there's probably random funny things that happen to her & everyone else at Target & the grocery store too... I just happen to be writing about it.             

And quite frankly at this point, if I DON'T blog about it... I'll never remember anything for the scrapbooks because Lord knows I've become quite behind in keeping up-to-date with things.  So... bear with me friends near & far, as I once again bore you with some more details of our life!  

We arrived in Chicago on Thursday night & stayed at the Westin on Dearborn.  It's the 2nd time we've stayed at this location & love it.  It's close to lots of great restaurants & shopping... all walking distance.  Although we did hail a few cabs during our stay too.  Friday was pretty chilly & windy (they don't call it the Windy City for nothing!) and it even rained a bit that morning.  We had lunch at Harry Caray's (yummo!) & went shopping afterward.  I bought some clothes... yay!   

The sun finally came out & it warmed up a bit later that afternoon.  We had a great dinner at Coco Pazzo.  Never wear high heels when Bob tells you it's only a few blocks.  It was more like 10 blocks & we had to keep asking random people on the street where it was. 

The weather on Saturday was warmer & sunny and we made plans to meet Stephanie & girls and Nicki & her family at Ed Debevic's for lunch.  I was there during a girls trip the year after college & thought it would be a fun place for Bryn to experiece.  If you've never been there, the waiters & waitresses are totally rude... on purpose.  It's funny. 

After lunch we all headed to Navy Pier.  Girls got to ride the Ferris Wheel & swings and do an indoor maze, while the adults sat outside on the patio of a bar & had a drink. 

We had dinner reservations at Nick's Fish Market, but ended up going back to Harry Caray's since it was right across the street & we all loved it for lunch the day prior.  Bob wasn't in the mood for another cab ride & we were all happy with just walking across the street instead.  Great food there, can't say enough! 

Sat in the hotel lobby for awhile after dinner & then headed upstairs to pack & get ready for our early flight the next morning.  And we were home for lunch! 

Such a memorable weekend.  Can't wait to go back.  Love that city!  ♥

Forty freakin' four...

Age is just a number.  I know that.  But for some reason, this one sounds a bit older.  Although, I guess the next one will sound worse.  Quite frankly, in my mind I still think I'm in my mid 30's, and if nothing else I know I could outrun my 20-something self.  And Zumba wasn't even around in my 20's, so life is definitely MORE fun now than it was then.  But all that aside... I'm another year older.  And I suppose aging is a blessing, considering life is short & can be taken at any moment.  I know that all too well. 

I'm not going down without a fight though.  Skincare has become a MUST.  And thankfully, Bob has accepted that it's going in the budget.  LOL! 

Total BLAST over the weekend, from Friday through Sunday, celebrating with people I love & adore. 

So many funny & fun photos from the last 3 days, that there are too many to post.  Although I'm sure you'll see a lot of them on future scrapbook pages. 

Some are so funny, I can't post for fear that you'll know how much of a dork I really am. Well... no fear really, just a bit of pride... a very small bit, mind you.

Yay for a fantastic weekend!  Yay for Zumba on Monday!  And yay for lots of love in my life!  I am truly BLESSED.

And PS... thanks for all the sweet birthday wishes all weekend.  You all ROCK!  :-)

"... and may the odds be ever in your favor..."

I would just like to say that The Hunger Games is the most F'd up movie I have ever seen. 

Is that because I haven't read the books?  Someone please explain.  At the beginning of the movie I thought it was going to be about the Holocaust.  And then all the weirdly dressed freaky make-up wearing people came on & I kept saying, "What the hell is going on??"   

Although I can say I had a blast seeing it thanks to 2 very nutty friends.  Well, actually 1 is nuttier than the other.  Seeing movies with her is like reliving my high school years.  And I kinda like it.  LOL    

Anywhoooo... my Mother's Day was great.  But then again, just having Bryn for a daughter makes my life special every single day of the year.  She made me breakfast in bed yesterday & brought me lots of gifts.  The 3 of us had lunch together and then we had dinner with my parents & my sister that night.  It was a full day & I feel pretty lucky to have so much love in my life...  

I hope your Mother's Day was special too!

Happy Monday & have a GREAT week!

Girls weekend...

Happy Monday... aka ZUMBA day!  Love it!  Had a great class with quite a few girls today + an impromptu lunch afterward with my 2 oh-so-fabulous friends...at our favorite place with lots of laughs.  Now I'm anxiously awaiting the plumber's arrival so I can finally get a shower after my workout.  Yay me.   

Girls Weekend in Phoenix was a blast.  I got back home last night.  We accomplished a LOT in a short time in helping my friend get boxed up, moved & ready to close on her house.  It wasn't just all work & no play though.  We had time for a fun night out together too!  I have known these 2 forever.  They are like family to me.  The 3 of us don't have a chance to get together very often, but when we do... there's always much to talk about & many laughs... 

... and Justin Bieber showed up to help us with the move.  Wasn't that so nice of him?  LOL

Have a GREAT week, everyone!!!

All good things must come to an end...

...or must they?

Since I'm coming back to AZ in a couple weeks for a rescheduled girls weekend, I'm not so sad about leaving our home-away-from-home today.

Our home-away-from-home means... Yard House for happy hour, Green for vegan ice cream, Whole Foods for lunch, PF Changs for carry-out, lots of time at the pool, Gordon Biersch, lots of running on the treadmill, a little shopping, fun times with my friend Sally, who lives in Phoenix & just sold her house in 24 HOURS, and much, much more!  We packed in a LOT in just a matter of a few short days...

Really SAD that Picnik, the free photo editing site, is coming to an end soon, but did find the Diptic app, so at least I can still create photo collages using my iPhone with a bit of funky editing.  But I am still pouting about Picnik... POO!  Guess I better keep using my phone instead of my camera?  If nothing else, it is a LOT lighter to carry. 

And why did I even bring my camera on this trip when all I ended up using was my phone??? 

As much as I LOVE to travel though, there's no place I'd rather be than HOME...

"Don't you know you're going to shock the monkey..."

It's been a few days... but I'm finally back!  Been entertaining & entertained.  Been a bit crazy & somewhat sane.  Been busy doing lots of stuff & busy doing absolutely nothing constructive.  But... all in all... I've been having too much fun lately due in large part to my friend's birthday celebration last weekend.  There was a banana theme going on, thus the banana-themed card...   

I do love my Zumba friends.  They're fun to work-out with at the Y and even more fun to hang out with afterward...

And just to keep the "party" going... we had an impromtu lunch yesterday to hug goodbye another friend who's heading out of town for 2 weeks.  And lunch just happened to be at one of my favorite restaurants.  You already know where that is!  And NO, it wasn't my idea, but YES I was loving it!

Now... I really need to get busy doing something constructive and actually create something. 

Crazy concept.  I know...  

PLEASE make it go away...

Day #2 of a raging migraine.  But, the water has been shut off in our subdivision for some kind of water system repairs today, so I'm out & about until it resumes.  And besides, no amount of Advil helps my migraines and for some strange reason I do get an hour of relief when I'm working out (I guess it's adrenaline that helps?) so staying in bed is not an option anyway.  Thank goodness for Spin class... and a shower at the Y so I'm not a sweaty mess all day!

Bob & I had a fun "date night" on Saturday night, while Bryn & her cousin were with my parents.  They went to see a live "Grinch" show & then spent the night.  So, Bob & I had dinner at BARcelona, made a quick run through the mall to replace the gifts I had ordered online that never arrived in time because we needed them on Sunday (I'll have to ship those back now when they arrive!), then stopped for a glass of wine at Araka and spent the night at a hotel so we didn't have to drive home.  We had FUN!

On Sunday, we entertained Bob's daughter & her family, and Bob's niece for an early Christmas lunch since we won't see them on Christmas.  Another fun day with family... although I was the hostess without the mostess that day, since I was not feeling well.  I rallied though & made it through! 

Gonna have to get over all this SOON.  It's cramping my style and I've got too much to do!  LOL

Happy Monday and only 5 more days until Christmas Eve! 

"Jack & Jill went up the hill, each with a buck and a quarter... Jill came back with two-fifty... a working girl, now work it girl..."

6 days without blogging & I'm not even on vacation.  What up with that? 

Aside from being totally uninspired & lacking in motivation to do anything scrapbooking-related lately, here's a little of what's been going on around here lately & keeping me busy... 

... a family photo shoot (more on that later)...

... had a moment of temporary insanity & allowed a 10-year old to talk me into putting the tree up the weekend before Thanksgiving...

... prepared this turkey (inspired by an image on Pinterest), since I SUCK at the Butterball version...

... found out at 7am on Thanksgiving morning that I was going to have to teach the 75-minute Zumba class at 9:15am, when my friend/Zumba instructor said she was sick.  Created a playlist & burned a cd at lightening speed to prepare for the class.  Had about 70 people in the gym that morning... total BLAST...

... spent the rest of the day at my parent's house with my family... being thankful, eating, drinking & playing board games...

... saw 2 awesome movies in one weekend with our friends... (Jack & Jill was HILARIOUS, especially since I was seeing it with my friend, who's a TWIN... LOL)...

     

... some Christmas shopping online AND at the mall...

... wore this mini dress & these thigh-high boots to a dinner with friends and someone said to me, "Cute dress!  Missoni, right?" to which I replied, "Ummm, no... this would be the much lower priced knock-off."  (as in Forever 21... LOL)...

... helping spread the word about the upcoming ZUMBATHON at the O'Fallon YMCA on New Year's Day morning, with DJ Pru, strobe lights, prizes & the BEST WORK-OUT EVER to start your 2012 off right!  EVERYONE welcome & I'll be helping teach a few songs, just sayin'...

... back home from an awesome Spin class now & I'm determined to get to work and meet a deadline that's looming.  In major need of inspiration! 

SOS please someone help me... 

"Yeah, you keep me holding on in Red Hill Town..."

We painted the town red Saturday night.  Well... I was wearing my red pants anyway.  We started with dinner at Modesto Tapas Bar on The Hill.  Haven't been there in at least 5 years, maybe more.  Always yummy food & it's just a great restaurant.  Bob forgot he had told them we were celebrating our anniversary when he made the reservation & they brought us each a glass of champagne.  Nice!  Didn't get to meet up with my sister & her friends afterward, as our dinner finished before theirs... and quite frankly we're just getting too old to stay out all night.  So we stopped at Bailey's Chocolate Bar in Lafayette Square on the way home for dessert... some "Chocolate Inebriation."  Bailey's is one of my favorite little hip & swanky places to go after dinner.  It's always packed there, so we're obviously not the only ones who love it.  If only they were closer to home.  Or maybe that would be a bad thing... ;-)

Here's another page using more of the photo collages created with Picnik.  It's just makes it too easy to put a lot of photos onto a page.  And what can I say... I find it difficult to just use one photo to sum up an event.  Maybe that makes all my pages look the same.  I do not care.  LOL  

 

I used a few SRM stickers on here, including the running shoes + lots of Bella Blvd...

 

Happy rainy Monday!  Have a GREAT week, everyone!

A little Cardinals RED...

Just having a quick little fun-in-the-sun trip while Bryn has a couple days off school for conferences.  So far, our trip has mostly involved where we're going to be able to eat dinner AND watch the World Series.  Game #1 was a success... great dinner AND the game was on TV there.  But then last night we sat on a patio for a great dinner, and they actually had a freakin' football game on TV?!  Our waitress told us she attempted to change the channel, but there were 2 men sitting at the bar watching that game so we'd have to wait until they left.  Losers.  So, we had to keep up with the game on Bob's iPhone instead.

Make sure to check out the giveaway on yesterday's post if you haven't done already!

Have a GREAT WEEKEND, everyone!

"Dance, dance, dance..."

Just a quick recap from an eventful and FUN weekend...

• On Friday night, we helped my sister's boyfriend out with some new advertising & promotional pics for Shock City Studios.  He'd like to start promoting having more karaoke parties there, so we brought Bryn and my friends' daughters so they could sing & pretend like they were having a party.  And then they all left with cd's of all the songs they sang.  Soooo CUTE!

• We have a new addition to the family & his name is Junior.  My mom told me she was hoping for a REAL "junior," but alas it's only a Gecko.  He looks like a snake with 4 legs... and you KNOW how I feel about snakes.  And... his home is in my craft room.  Something is very, very wrong here.

• I found out that my TV appearance finally aired when someone who works at the Y asked me if I was on TV.  I said, "Yes, back in December."  She said, "No, I just saw you yesterday?"  Nice.  They were supposed to email me & let me know when it was going to air so I could set the DVR, dang it!  Anyway... as you already know, they came over to tape this 2nd segment at the end of July, but it finally aired on Friday morning.  You can watch it here.  Not amused that they mispronounced my name... it's DEEE-na... NOT De-ANNA.  Kinda funny that the lead-in to the "Mom Cave" segment is about the Rally Squirrel.  Go Cardinals! 

• Did LOTS of Zumba on Saturday.  Love when that happens!  Had my regular 75-minute Zumba class on Saturday morning that I attend.  And then on Saturday night, I did an intense hour Master Class taught by Jason Thompson.  He was AMAZING.  The boy can flat DANCE.  He's from Kentucky, but travels around doing Zumba videos with Beto (the creator of Zumba), Zumba conventions and special Master Classes.  I think my friend & I may have to stalk him, so we can take another one of his classes.  It was THAT good...

• And I finished this page that's been in progress on my table for quite some time now.  The color combo started off because it matched all the crazy colors in my photos, but then it just seemed like too much, so I reprinted the photos in black & white.  Still not totally thrilled with the outcome, but quite frankly I'm sick of looking at it.    

So I called it finished & I'm moving on...

"Girl look at that body.... I work out... "

 

• Way too many bottles of chardonnay & pinot grigio consumed... just say NO to purple teeth
• Inappropriate conversations in Teresa's van, along with a bottle that fit perfectly into a Louis Vuitton
• McGurks with the girls & Ice Kitchen with the boys
• Singing "You & I" with Jeanine in the car as LOUD as we possibly could, including the best car dancing ever... just ask Bob & Jim who were in the front seat
• "I swear I've seen her in a porno video... minus the buns"
• Random creepy restaurant guy doing a lap dance for one of the birthday girls
• "Why isn't he answering his phone?!  I swear I'm going to go home & jump on the bed and wake his @$$ up!"
• Cray-cray at Crazy Bowls
• 2 sets of Bridesmaids videos for each birthday girl... great minds think alike!
• Advil
• Red Robin for the little girls on Friday with Bob
• Watching Bridesmaids with Jodi, while trying my best to be an "extra" for the food poisoning scene
• Hilariously fun Zumba class on Saturday morning... "Actually, she's still drunk."
• The pu (or poo) line at the airport (aka... pickup line)
• Waking up in the middle of the night & laughing out loud about funny conversations 
• Teresa staying up until midnight on Friday so she could tag us all on Facebook
• More Advil
• The crazy Chinese paparrazi dude... "Take the lens cover off, MF'er!" 
• Scratchy voice on Sunday from loud singing in the car
• Never-ending laughter
• And maybe a couple more Advil, just for good measure, before driving Jodi back to the airport 

Just some of the random things I wanted to remember from the past weekend (those that I could actually post anyway!)... which incidently was the BEST weekend I've had in a long, long time.  I didn't want it to end! 

Whassup...

Just some of the random things going on around here lately...

• I guess I'm not the only one around who had the new Missoni for Target collection on my calendar yesterday so I'd remember to go on the day it debuted.  Evidently Target's website crashed from the madness of people trying to get access to it.  While the 2 Target stores I visited yesterday didn't have the entire collection for sale (or if they did, it must've sold out prior to 11am), I did pick up a couple things.  I got this black & white sweater dress that I'll probably wear with black leggings & booties... 

 
 

... and I picked up this travel valet...

 

I'm kind of obsessed with all things chevron right now.  

• Aside from shopping, I got certified to teach Zumba last weekend.  I don't think there's any surprise here how much I LOVE Zumba.  I went with my bestie/Zumba instructor for the training.  Had a blast.  We're still laughing about some of it...

 

 

• I'm loving this debate that was started on the Crafty Pod blog the other day.  A friend in the industry sent me a link to it and I have to say, it really got me thinking.  More so than I had already been thinking, I might add.

 

• Had a deep tissue full body massage on Monday at Massage Envy that rocked my world.  Went in with a pulled muscle in my back/shoulder blade area.  Cannot believe how much better I felt afterward.  During the massage, it hurt like hell though when she was working on that area.  Have no clue how I even pulled the muscle, although my all-day Zumba training certainly did not help.  Needless to say, I joined their monthly program.  Will be going once a month now.   

 

• New favorite song... "Sexy and I Know It" by LMFAO. 

  
 

• I have my 25-year high school reunion this weekend.  How did that many years pass by already?  Seems like a lifetime ago.

  

• Oh... and Bryn leaves for 5th grade camp on Sunday night & doesn't return until next Thursday night.  She's looking forward to it.  I'm not.  Why exactly do they need to spend 4 nights away from home?

 

Have a great day everyone! 

Forty is the new thirty...

What a fun, fun weekend.  I had a BLAST with my sister & mom on Friday night at a St Louis art studio.  We had purchased some Groupons last October for a "Canvas & Cocktails" class and FINALLY set a date to use them before they expired.  All I can say is... those poor 2 people sitting at our table with us.  All we do is talk & laugh (mostly at each other) every time we get together... and trust me... this "art" we were creating gave us plenty of reason to laugh.  The theme was "Tuscan Landscape" and we had a table full of postcards & pictures we could pick from to use for inspiration for our paintings.  

I told my mom her apples she painted looked more like "road apples."  LOL  And then someone told my mom as we were leaving, that her painting was so good it should be hung in a restaurant.  We all decided that wasn't a restaurant where we'd want to eat.  LOL  Oh my gosh... I love them so much.  We really need to get together more often than we do.  

I took pictures of each of our paintings along with the postcards we chose as our inspiration... 

 

Then on Saturday night, I was out with Bob & my friends to celebrate a 40th birthday.  I made a quick card for my friend using some of my "Family Dynamix" from Bella Blvd + a couple sentiments from the SRM birthday stickers sheet...... 

 

 

 

 

Forty looks good on her.  Actually I think the forties look good on all of us.  Or maybe it's Zumba that looks good on us... since that's where I met all my fabulous friends.  Or maybe it's all the wine.  It is an antioxidant, you know... LOL   

Whatever it is... age is merely a number... not a state of mind!   

Have a great week everyone!

"Don't stop the party..."

I actually created something for the first time in 3 weeks.  

I mentioned that to Bryn & she stared at me and said, "I think that's a record."  I just laughed... because she's probably right.  

Between taking a quick end-of-summer family trip and hanging out with friends every single day in the last few weeks, I have accomplished nothing.  Not one darn thing.  And quite frankly, I haven't felt even remotely sad about it either.  Ok, well... maybe a minor twinge of guilt that I have some things that need to be completed by the end of the month, but not enough to make me say no to having fun.  LOL

So... since Bryn left yesterday to go to the lake with her cousin & my parents until Sunday (I got tears in my eyes after I dropped her off... 6 days is a long time.  LOL), I decided yesterday would be a good time to get back in my craft room.  So... I started with the page I was "pretending" to make when Great Day St Louis here filming me in my craft room.  Thought maybe I should finish what I started.  And I still haven't heard when that segment will air.  Not that I'm in a hurry to see it, mind you. 

It's just a mix of some Pink Paislee, some Bella Blvd & some SRM Stickers...

 

 

School starts next Wednesday.  It's not my favorite day of the year, I have to say.  Even though we can manage to get on each other's nerves sometimes, I miss Bryn when she's not here.  So, since summer is just about over & I'll only have next Monday & Tuesday with her after she returns from the lake, we went to Six Flags on Monday with our friends.  Haven't been there in at LEAST 20 years... probably more.  The weather had actually cooled off a bit & a lot of schools in the area went back that day, so the lines were tolerable & we weren't totally sweating our butts off.  It was fun! 

 

I'll attempt to spend some time creating this week so I actually have something worth posting here.  I'm not making any promises though, as I seem to be easily talked out of working these days. 

Hope you're enjoying the end of your summer too!

More fun in the summer sun... with a bag of ice + some Advil...

 

My shoulder hurts.  Clearly... hitting about 36 balls for the first time in about 15 years, without stretching, was not my best idea ever.  In my mind I tend to think I can do anything.  Just jump in feet first.  My shoulder started hurting while we were still there though, so hopefully I just pulled a muscle.  And why aren't Bob & Bryn sore at all?  It's not fair.  LOL

Even in spite of my pain the @#$... or shoulder... injury, it still kinda made me want to play softball again.  May need to look into that...           

"C'mon let's sweat... let the music take control... let the rhythm move you... sweat... sweat..."

 

source

Off to Spin class this morning... one of my many favorite ways to sweat every day.   

Then... I may be sweating a bit with nerves this afternoon during the video shoot. 

And just to continue the sweating, we'll be off to see the Journey, Foreigner & Night Ranger concert tonight.  Which will be outside.  And it's like 97 degrees today.  NOT my favorite way to sweat.

May need some electrolytes today.  Just sayin'... 

Well that's random...

 

source

• A couple weeks ago I noticed I had a link to my blog for my volleyball tubes on the Tip Junkie website.  I hadn't heard of this site before, but it's kinda cute!  Thank you, Tip Junkie!
• I'm going to be on TV again.  The producer from Great Day St Louis emailed me and said they were doing a segment on "Mom Caves" and said I had "an amazing one" and asked if they could come back again & shoot some more video.  They'll be here on Wednesday.  Will find out when it will air then.  What the hell am I going to wear is really the only thing concerning me right now.  You can see my other appearance in December right here... fast forward to about 7:30.  Big dork.  
• Bryn is spending the night at my sister's house tonight, along with her cousin, and they are going to be at her boyfriend's studio (he's a music producer)... singing songs (karaoke style) and making cd's.  Ummm... when can I come & play?  I want to sing, too!
• So... of course that means "date night" for Bob & me.  Dinner at a new (to us) restaurant, then spending the night Downtown.  Bob told them it was our "anniversary," so we're supposed to have a special room.  And I'm guessing there will be "treats" delivered to our room as well.  Love it.  ;-)
• My friend told me that if I went to the Fox 2 News website, there was a link to a U2 360 page where there was a 360 degree photo of the stadium.  If you knew where you were sitting for the concert, you could zoom in & find yourself.  Could NOT believe it, but yes... I found myself & my friends right here.  So cool.  And scary.  One just never knows when they might be being photographed. 
• And the heat wave continues.  Will attempt to not look like a sweaty pig on "date night" tonight. 

Hope you have a GREAT weekend everyone!

Sunday SWEATY Sunday...

Oh my gosh. What a fun night. U2 is probably one of my all-time favorite bands and this concert was amazing. And HOT. 52,000+ people, packed into Busch Stadium. I was sweaty & gross by the time I got home at almost 1:00am, but it was worth it. I've seen a lot of concerts in my life. And I have to say this one ranked right up there in my top 5 concerts ever.

 

 

I was supposed to go to the show with my friends, Sally, Stephanie and Stephanie's husband, Curt. But Steph texted us yesterday & told us she was REALLY sick and was going to have to miss the show. One of their neighbor friends that Sally & I both know, stepped in & took her place. Just incase you were wondering who the 2 men were and... where is Bob? We had a blast though. Lots of laughs. Missed you, Steph! Hope you're feeling better! Excuse the partial recording of one of my fav U2 songs, but the battery on my iPhone was almost dead by the end of the show. You get the idea though! And thank you, Sally, for singing on my recording, too. LOL

Goodbyes are not forever...

 

Don't be dismayed at goodbyes.  A farewell is necessary before you can meet again.  And meeting again, after moments or lifetime, is certain for those who are friends. 

                                                 ~Richard Bach

"I think I'm ready to leap, I'm ready to live, I'm ready to go..."

Some of the things going on around here lately:

... making birthday cards & celebrating birthdays...

 

... practicing the recorder...

 

... eating the first snowcone of the year...

 

... dining out...

 

... "pinning" things on Pinterest...

 

... listening to my music really loud with this fun birthday gift from my parents (like All of the Lights, recently added to my playlist)...

 

... shopping for cool tanks...

 

... enjoying occasional rainbows...

 

... and much, much more!

"Blame it on the goose, got you feelin loose... blame it on patron, got you in the zone..."

 

Love this free download here.

 

Love hanging out with crazy friends, too!

Hope  you're enjoying your weekend!

I ♥ teachers...

 

It's Teacher Appreciation week.  In addition to contributing to the Teacher Appreciation Lunch at our school on Tuesday, I made a little something for Bryn's 4th grade teacher.  Bryn has loved her... so much, in fact, that she wrote in the card that she didn't want to go to 5th grade.  I told Bryn she'd have a teacher just as great as this one next year.  Keeping my fingers crossed.  My card was made using a combination of leftover school-themed product, along with some SRM teacher stickers... love these stickers for teacher cards!  We also gave her a gift certificate for the local frozen custard place.  Of course, I needed to get some for myself while we were there.  ;-)

Had a really fun Cinco de Mayo lunch yesterday with all the Zumba girls.  But since I have no photos to show from the occasion, I'll post a photo of Bryn & me at the same Mexican restaurant back in 2005 when she was 4 years old.  We still have the sombrero & I just might need to use it again soon...

 

... like next Friday night, for instance!  Ole! 

Have a great weekend everyone!  My weekend will begin tomorrow morning with the Mud Run for MS... running 6.1 miles with my team + an obstacle course... all while covered in mud.  Accck!