Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Fashion Flair 2012 - Helping Women and Children


Love these ladies and love that attending this annual Salvation Army event that helps women find jobs, save money and become self-sufficient and rule the world.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

sunday adventures :: Eat Your Miso Soup - It's Yummy!


I love that at a few years old, the baby girl enjoys a hot bowl of Miso Soup as much as I do. The tofu, the seaweed...all of it.

While waiting for soup, she decided to start writing random words out of her little white Bible that has her name on it. She got it when she was dedicated before her first birthday. She's growing up so fast and I love watching her every step of the way.


After a little soup and writing, we made the journey to visit Baby Dyls. And of course, someone was just a little happy to see his big brother, J!

 Me and precious baby Dyls. So sweet and so proud of his momma!

And the adventure continued at Jan's Keg and Cigar Bar where baby girl learned how to feed the fish.

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Baby Girl and I Go to the Swamp

Lemonade at the Swamp to help keep us hydrated on what seemed
like the hottest day of the year. Let's Go Gators!

Nothing like THE SWAMP!

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Go MIAMI Dolphins! Our day at the Dolphins vs. Raiders game

Hanging on Ft. Lauderdale Beach at the same hotel
that the Oakland Raiders stayed in as they prepped
for their game against the Miami Dolphins.
 It is exactly what you think. The baby girl is wearing an old Dolphins jersey and we are at a game. Dream come true!

The day was extremely hot...At one point the little one turned to me and said, "I thought these pants weren't going to be hot. That's what you said mommy. No long pants!" Soon after, we took off the long pants and proceeded to replace them with shorts which is what she wanted to wear earlier that day.

The two of them worked together to get a pom pom from one of the former cheerleaders who was there to join in on a big reunion.

Friday, September 14, 2012

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Marlins game in Miami - Thanks Gaby and team!

Our view for the evening. Marlins win!

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Falling in Love with Family Dinner

The other day my fabulous cousin and I were trying to figure out what she could give her sister-in-law for her birthday. (That's one of the reasons my cousin is so fabulous because she is ever so thoughtful and committed to finding the perfect gift for those she loves.) She was perusing the shelves of the bookstore in the cookbook section (reason #2 she's fab) and found Dinner: A Love Story by Jenny Rosenstrach.

Fabulous cousin and I in OBX at the local grocery store
we pretty much lived in during our OBX vacation. 
So I must confess...I own a lot of cookbooks. (I'm obsessed with books in general so it's no surprise.) What's interesting about cookbooks is that in no way do I like/love or remotely enjoy cooking food, especially if there's a complicated recipe with more than five ingredients. I just like the idea of it all, looking through books with amazing pictures and  ultimately, eating the food that maybe someone else in my family (Mr. Wonderful) will make me. There are quite a few pages that have been bent back or one of those tiny post it notes are stuck on just in case someone (hint, hint) gets ambitious.

But one night...Something changed.

I decided to take a recipe out of the DALS playbook and make it happen. My recipe of choice - Jenny's Oven "Fried" Chicken. I carefully wrote my grocery list and shopped carefully for the ingredients. The biggest challenge was finding the cornflake crumbs so I did what I do and improvised accordingly with regular cornflakes. How hard could it be to make cornflake crumbs? Smush some flakes and voila! Crumbs. Right?


The recipe required eight items and I really only had to buy three of them. (Marry me, Jenny. Seriously.) The mixing the ingredients wasn't too bad and the cornflake crumbs were probably not as crummy as they were supposed to be but as a result, some delicious, flavorful and good lookin' and (fingers crossed) finger lickin' chicken was coming out of my oven...because of me and my new BFF Jenny.



Two thumbs up from the family and a possible rivalry to Mrs. Publix fried chicken. Always good to find a healthier option to something that I know my family loves to eat every once in awhile. Overall, I thank my lucky stars and you should too that DALS is out there to save any family dinner from becoming bland or boring. 

Sunday, September 09, 2012

Disney On Ice - Take 2 (hold your wallets)

This was our second time taking the baby girl to Disney On Ice. The first time was all Toy Story characters at the old arena and this time was a whole new venue and it was focused on princesses. Dream come true! (as usual from Disney)

So, we arrive for the show and discover that we're sitting on the same row with one of her classmates. Out of the entire place, we're four seats from a friend from school. What are the odds? What's not that odd but so true is the way that they merchandise the sparkles out of  the event. Immediately, princess outfits and popcorn in princess bowls and circling light things are for sale. None of this is priced reasonably. All of it is very expensive, but because you're already there, you want to get your kid something, anything, to win top honors as Parent of the Year.

Last time around, we came out of the experience unscathed. The baby girl was younger, not as adamant.  Not this time, the wallet came out and we bought a princess light wand (in action in the above blurry photo).

Now how many times do you think our little one has played with this toy consistently since she's been home? Try never.

I write this to only give fair warning to all of you parents out there who may head to a Disney On Ice show with no idea that it's an absolute merch fest. Not a bad thing overall but definitely something to prepare for with a set amount if you plan to purchase something and the appropriate responses for why a princess popcorn bucket is not gonna happen.

Here are a few pics of what our baby girl said she had to have (in addition to the toy we bought her).





Important note: We absolutely loved the Disney On Ice Show. 

It's amazing what they can do while ice skating...the sets, the lights, the performers...All fantastic! I highly recommend going especially if you have children under the age of 10. Depending on the theme, some kids do wear costumes which is always fun.

Monday, September 03, 2012

Thursday, July 26, 2012

You Need to Know

"There is nourishment from being encouraged and held up by others when we are weak. We are nourished from feedback from friends whom we trust and who will be honest with us."

-Rich G. Buhler

Thursday, June 28, 2012

I Like You June, especially that one time in California.

Me just hanging at the beach in La Jolla, California.
Had the incredible opportunity to learn how to use my powers for good.
And, I am so grateful that there are so many amazing women who,
similar to me, want to make an impact in a positive way.
Watch out because there's No Crying in Cable!

This lived up to its name. Learned so much.
Thank you WICT, Classes 14 and 15 and Proteus International. 


Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Why I Love Being A Mom


I love to dance. Not because I've taken a dance lesson or had aspirations to pursue a career in it but because there's something so liberating when you're in the moment and you just let yourself move. Recently I discovered what I love even more than cutting a rug (please tell me that means dancing)...I love to watch my daughter dance. A few weeks ago, she participated in her first recital and as a mom, I couldn't be prouder. Now before you send my name on to the producers of Dance Moms, know that it's not because of how she rocked that stage like it was hers (Yeaaa baby!) but more importantly, I experienced her growing up in such a big way right before my very eyes. True, it doesn't hurt that the costumes are so adorable and she had makeup on. Makeup!  The moment she walked out on that stage during her one and only number, a little voice whispered, "She's not a baby anymore." Of course, I air slapped that cray cray voice and said "Get back! She'll always be my baby!"

So these moments are reason #4,567 why I love being a mom...I already get to be a part of watching the baby girl become a big girl. I get to jump up and down at the end and clap loudly even though she can't see me through the stage lights. I'm out there watching her and celebrating every (dance) step of the way.

Bravo, baby, BRAVO!

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Still Here and Yes, I Think About You All the Time

This makes me happy. A day outdoor while golfing with friends. 
When I haven't posted in awhile I immediately feel the need to apologize to whoever's out there reading. It's the same old song about how busy life has been and how I know that so much has happened since my last post so instead of trying to start from where I left off, I've decided that right now is the best place to be and move forward. History may repeat itself and there may be a back dated post here and there with some photos from special moments I've captured the last several months. It's what I do. Probably some form of blogging OCD.

So let's move forward...

How are you? What have you been up to these days? What have you found lately that has been helpful? Are you reading any good books? Have you met someone new? Have you found a new job since we last talked? Are you happy?

I want you to know that I'm doing well. Yes, life has been a six month marathon and in some ways, I'm in the last four miles wondering why in the world did I decide to run this race but I know somewhere deep inside of me, like way down where the soul whispers "carry on" and "you got this" that all is going to be okay...Like more than okay. And that's why I push on and that's what I find most helpful these days. Choosing to trust that in the valleys of temporary uncertainty, you can still remember to choose something better and bigger than you. Recently and because of a work related program, I read Erika Andersen's "Being Strategic." I found the book to breakdown the strategic process in a way that didn't make it seem like some big mountain top but rather the steps that we take to get us there.  No new job to speak of but I can say that I'm enjoying my current one very much since to date, I work with some of the most dedicated, dynamic, creative and just nice to be around people. And to answer whether or not I'm happy...{deep sigh} Yes, I'm happy.

I'm happy that I have a place to share and connect and process how I choose happy each day consciously. Sometimes that's what it takes. That and a lot of prayer. That's where I am but enough about that, where are you?


Are you finding what you're looking for these days? What has changed about how you choose to live and feel on a daily basis? 


I'll tell ya one thing...Let's finish this race together and let's make whatever is next, AMAZING.  

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Top Five Values

Last year, I was handed a deck of cards with different words on it. The words would represent my main values. The task was to narrow the cards down to my top five values. Initially, I was confident that I knew my what they would be...Piece of cake. As I started to shuffling through my cards and noticed that there were words that had meaning to me but in the process of elimination, I couldn't keep them. Only five. Just five? Ugh. Ok. I can do this. So after shuffling through the cards again and trying my hardest to not over-think this exercise, it was complete. Alas, my top values are:


Love - By His love I have life and I'm surrounded by love through family and friends. For all the love I've been given, I'm grateful. 

Responsibility - With great power, comes great responsibility. When you're given a gift, no matter what it is, be responsible with how you share that with the world and when you mess up, be responsible. 

Wisdom - When you have wisdom, you have the ability to make the best choices and to know it is the best. 

Friendship - Almost all (minus one) of my friends I am in touch today...Whether I met them at four years old or 30 something, I have a way to keep in touch with them.

Integrity - It's the little voice that has guided me time and time again away from doing something or saying something that was outside of who I am and want to be. 

What are your top five values? 

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Leap Day - 29 Things I'd Do with an Extra Day

1. Sleep in 30 minutes.
2. Take a hot bath.
3. Make an omelette.
4. Journal.
5. Re-watch Parenthood's Season Finale.
6. Read.
7. Go to the park with my baby girl.
7. Paint something...Pottery or a wall.
8. Visit my friend and her newborn baby girl.
9. Stretch a lot.
10. Drink water.
11. Sit outside.
12. Blog.
13. Play with Pinterest.
14. Curl my hair.
15. Write a letter.
16. Order books from Amazon
17. Listen to some Nina Simone.
18. Visit the animal shelter.
19. Call my mom.
20. Play soccer.
21. Pick strawberries.
22. Go to St. Augustine.
23. Scan photos.
24. Watch the sunrise at the beach.
25. Test drive a sports car.
26. Organize my closet.
27. Send thank you notes.
28. Pray.
29. Breathe.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Three Reasons Why You Should Always Watch the Daytona 500

My cousin Justin and I at the Daytona 500 prior to the announcement
about the race being postponed to Monday at noon.
So in case you were out of the country or sleeping before 11:30 p.m. ET on Monday night, I want to be the one to tell say that you missed one of the most historical races in Daytona International Speedway history. Besides the race being postponed due to weather and 200 gallons of jet fuel igniting the track, there was a lot of talk about Brad Keselowski who "tweeted" the first pic from inside his race car while on the track and then, the Tide showed up...There has never been a cleaner track in all the world. Most importantly, there has never been a race like this is all the world!

After deciding to not return to Daytona and instead, let my cousin take my place on a school night, It was happy to park myself into my favorite chair and power up the laptop.

So to make a long race short, CONGRATULATIONS to team Kenseth, #17 who just happens to be Justin's favorite driver. I'm more of a Harvick girl...#29!

Here are three reasons why you should always watch the Daytona 500:

1 - You never know what's going to happen. 


2 - Even when you think you know, you really don't. 


3 - Tide and Twitter are NASCAR super stars (Maybe one day @DaleJr will actually send out a Tweet.")

Thanks to all of my followers on Twitter who put up with my non-stop tweets on Race night. The Daytona 500 was the most memorable race I've ever watched on TV. To think, I was almost right there near Turn 4. There's always 2013!

[[[ congrats to kevin and delana harvick on their anniversary and the upcoming birth of their baby! ]]]


Monday, February 27, 2012

Baby Showering My Cousin In Preparation for Baby J

Cousins, cupcakes and strawberry cream cake at Three Layers Coffee House
Congratulations to my cousin and her super hero husband! 
I wish you two the best as you prepare for the arrival of your baby. 

Some of the baby shower guests with Tanya and Baby J

Sunday, February 26, 2012

happy birthday to my mr. wonderful!

Happy Birthday my love! Dinner at the "Dojo"/ Sakura in Jax. The first place where we ever had lunch together.
From left to right - Justin, Tanya (baby J), Shells, Teala, Tori, Ted, Baby girl, Cindy, Ted and Todd

Friday, February 17, 2012

Sunday, February 05, 2012