the 3 presidents - crossing the finish line!

I am so grateful for these two...They were there with me

every step of the way and made this year so incredibly special.

I hope to continue serving with them on other boards and committees.

My Best Day In Philly

T i m R u s s e r t

By far one of the best speakers I've ever listened to...Sincere.

Funny. Authentic. Passionate. Grateful.

Dinner with the girls at Buddakan. C'est magnifique!

ALB in the Philly cab.

One of the Triple L Club members
and ALB checking the emails...

ALB and B. watching the JAGS v. Colts game at a

predominantly Colts environment. They lost.

philly continues...

first friday in filly

so, we've arrived in the city of brotherly love and so far everything is well. the hotel for this year's prsa conference is nice and the opening reception for assembly delegates was just what i needed to immerse myself in the whole four days of pr pr pr. lr and i are ready for a new challenge and we both read our folders thoroughly on the plane. should be good.


we headed to dinner and tried all the hot spots for places to dine but ended up going with a recommendation i received before i left...TEQUILLA'S. great mexican place that didn't look much like a restaurant from the street but once you got in it, the candle lit atmosphere and servers gracefully balancing things on their heads and tips of their fingers assured us that we had chosen the right place.


sylvio was our server and something struck me as familiar...his accent? his look? as it turns out, he's from ecuador -- cunca. how awesome is that? i had to call my other dear ecuadorian friends and tell them the news. no, of course i didn't ask if they knew each other. i just laughed at the fun little coincidence and moved on.

i do have a couple of photos but for some reason am unable to upload them right now. maybe later...

this week

for a girl who's not playing soccer, i sure got my fill this week. haggis won. voodoo won. team co lost by one (sorry aa and ap...almost had it!). this weekend man u. is playing but i will miss it since i'm

heading to philadelphia for five days. i'm sure i'll be blogging it up and will post at ya laters...

Nobody wants your negativity!

Naysayers tend to deflate motivation and bring productivity to a grinding halt -- just to salve their needy egos. "Negative evaluation is a tactic people use when they're intellectually insecure," says Teresa Amabile, a professor of business administration at Harvard Business School.

Steven Gaffney writes, "Choose not to be around people who are negative. Instead choose to be around people who have the attitude you want or desire. It is amazing how often people allow themselves to be around people who have lousy attitudes. You can at least limit your time around that person(s) with a negative attitude as much as possible."

If I've seen it once...Negativity breeds negativity. I once had a friend who thrived on it. I chose to distance myself from them because of one too many moments of mistreatment and disappointment in this person's overall behavior. I realized I could no longer be okay with their inability to control their negativity not only toward me but on everyone that wasn't on their good list (the list had about two people, maybe four). Complete and total viciousnes came through but even through all of it, I wished them nothing but happiness and joy. I figure they need the wishes more than me. It was as if their whole life was built on pointing out what's wrong with everyone else and never looking inside to see what's REALLY going on or maybe even wrong with them. They mastered the art of projection, ascribing one's own feelings, thoughts, or attitudes to others. I sincerely hope that they get to find what truly makes them happy and that once and for all, they really see themselves and all the possibilities of what true faith and positivity can bring them.

There is war. There is pollution. There is tragedy. You have the choice to create something better to help us all through the unfortunates. Be a positive light instead of a dark cave of negativity.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDRES!

Weekend, out!

Mr. Wonderful and I got up extra early to go to our appointments with one of our favorite people to see -- Jennifer Balestri. She is our massage therapist and someone who has become a part of our family. There are people in this world who are doing exactly what they are suppose to be doing and she is one of them. She has the touch of healing and of comfort. We had tried to get appointments earlier in the week for anniversary #3 but didn't make it since I decided to twist my ankle and was unable to walk and could not imagine letting someone actually touch anywhere near my left foot. So, we went on Saturday and it was one of the highlights on my week/month/year. Mr. W. was there for the first hour or so and then I went in. With my injury, she knew exactly what to do and I even shed a few tears as she was lightly touching my foot. "That feels amazing," I said to Jennifer. She is amazing and has been so good for Mr. Wonderful.

After a relaxing morning, we headed to Melbourne to see R&H tie the Knot. R&H both play soccer and not that the VooDoo Posse put them together but I certainly think we helped bring them closer. Believe it or not, they both played on Wednesday night and helped us win our first game (4-1). The wedding was great. The reception was fun and their favors were cute and personal. We got to spend a lot of time with Nathan and Laura from Australia(other VooDoo teammates) and I did the cha cha slide standing still (not as easy as you think). We got home around 9 that evening and were both exhausted.

On Sunday, we headed to Jax to celebrate Fab Father-in-law's Birthday. Took him to lunch after church and had great dessert with his friend, Tina. She baked a pecan pie and a cherry cobbler. It was sooooo good. I really should learn how to bake but I think it would be the death of me and my already dessert filled hips. :-) After lunch and dessert, we talked for a few hours with ffil and then headed home. It's these very conversations and visits that make me so grateful. It helps me remember that I have so many wonderful people around me who have beautiful stories and great thoughts and so much love to offer the world.

It was a weekend of celebration and of reflection and of thanks for all that has been, all that is and all that will be.

R&H Wedding

Happy Birthday FFIL!

Celebrating Mr. Crunch Bar!

So, tonight Mr. Wonderful and I joined some friends over at Samba Room for dinner and dancing (not too much cha cha cha for me since my ankle is still on the fritz). AA was leaving his number for the Russian server. So proud of him. I did snap a couple of photos that I will eventually display when I take them off the camera. Certainly, the celebration was one of great fun! So glad I got a chance to hang with everyone. :-)

This gets me ready for the weekend...

thanks jan for sharing this shot with me. such a nice one!

year THREE for C&B

Happy Anniversary to my Mr. Wonderful!

I love you.

I love you.

I love you.

and the Wall(paper) comes tumbling down!

thanks to everyone who helped!

i am so so so happy that the blue and white walls with ducks, rabbits and lambs are gone!

I got to hold her!

fi and the new little diva, annelise

fab friday night with friends

GO KNIGHTS!

Went with the Knight Fans yesterday to the second game in history at the new stadium. They won by 36 points and there was plenty of water for everyone...Mr. W. and I had a great time watching despite his love for Florida and my lukewarm like for college football. I went to Flagler for a reason. Thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Knight Fan for a fantastic day!

it's foggy out there

this photo jumped out at me today and said,

"please display me for all to see." so here it is.

Our Driveway ~ Beautiful Foggy Morning
Originally uploaded by BathtubJunkie

voodoo got rained out (boo!) so i enjoyed the opportunity to go home before 8. i got a lot done and had a chance to talk with the mommy-glow. she sounds good. mr. wonderful and i are getting ready for a busy weekend so the objective tonight was to get a head start on the to-do list so we're not totally unorganized next week. he's such a great help! i've learned that if i'm doing something, he will typically jump in too.

season one complete 4 haggis

so the haggis did well last night defeating the first team with seven goals and letting one slip by (it happens). there was a lull between games so we hung out in the stands checking out the competition. then, we were up for our second game. we ended up holding the orange team at 0-0 until the 2nd half when they got a lucky bounce near our goal and it barely hit net. that's the way it works, i guess. so, we're done. we celebrated our third place ranking at ale house. really cool people and i couldn't be more thankful that i continue to be a part of such good teams.

so, here's to haggis and the first season! voodoo plays on wednesday so we shall see what happens.

friendly fire

today, i went to church with mrs. tag and was amazed by how God connects the dots way before you can. we were discussing the importance of friendship and the investment with those who create a positive difference in our lives. well, we go into the service and the sermon shared was all about Daniel and the friends he surrounded himself with and how that relates to our friendship choices. here are some of my notes...
-- you will in large part be the friends that you choose. their attributes become your attributes.
if that's true, we should be specific about how we decide who to call a friend.
-- there are friends that drain you, and others that sustain you. you have the choice of who to invest in...you choose who surround you.
-- tyrants are people who are tied to a rant. they want their own way and they are quick to get mad if you don't let them. (we all know that person who rants because they just can't be happy and if they don't have something to rant about, they start ranting for you about things you're okay with.)
-- every day we walk in the fire...God is there with us just like he was with Daniel and his friends.
-- back to tyrant...like Nebucbuchadnezzar, tyrants try to get you to bow down because they're right and you're wrong. they are intimidators and manipulators rather than motivators or inspirational. they get mad when you don't agree. (yep, they sure do.)
-- when you are confident in the truth, you don't have to get upset or mad or begin to yell...if you know the truth, you stand on it. the truth is, tyrants are scared. they just want to appear bigger than you. they try and exaggerate the circumstances. they try and make it seem like you are ruining everything for them because they don't want to take responsibility. (TRUE!!)
-- don't invest time and attention into the life of a tyrant. (i've learned my lesson.)

Instead surround yourself with SUPPORTERS:
-- be drawn to those who are committed to loving God and loving you...they inspire you. they want make you want to live a life of Christ.
-- God doesn't save us FROM the fire. He saves us while we are IN the fire. We are in the fire every day. He has plans for you in the fire...

thanks mrs. tag for the adventure today and for understanding the value of a friendship full of support.

and i want to send some love to my be frie ~ THANKS FOR ALWAYS MEETING ME WHERE I AM.

geri's kids

no photos from last night and today which is fine but this is the third annual event i've gone to and i have zero pics.

enjoyed a leadership conference that was full of good networking and an opportunity to speak about what i've experienced as past membership chair and other roles as a board member. the main thing at the conference was all about connecting the dots. very important in anything you do!

in addition to connecting the dots, i loved the way everyone can relate even though we're not from the same areas or situations. we all have the same objective...to provide value for each person.

last night, amy lyn and i went over to geri's to help set up for the dinner. immediately, i found myself getting jealous of all the decor and completed projects they've done to their home. we have such a long way to go...the dinner went incredibly well and everyone enjoyed the time together. i'm looking forward to next year as geri has agreed to contine to host the shindig..perfect! (has nothing to do with how close geri lives to where i live and that amy lyn and i could've walked there if we had wanted to.) they (geri and lee) are awesome!

i am so glad that i've had the chance to meet so many great people in the last three years of QS and hope to continue being a part of it all. from being an intrigued spectator to having the chance to present, it was a great way to solidify the growth that has taken place in such a short time. i'm thankful for it all and for staying involved and passionate about something that has naturally taken me to the next step again and again.

Congrats to the Shah Shah!

so excited for our friends, m&s, and their great news!

(photo taken @ the curry cook off)

Thanks SDCC!

we celebrated the success of putting together a great event the other night...AF helped me with getting everyone mouse ears that had their names embroidered on the back. thanks again!

MEAN PEOPLE SUCK!

so, it continues to be evident (unfortunately) that mean people are everywhere...nothing profound i know but seriously, it's disappointing. most of the mean people i've met personally are in the non-mean zones or disguise themselves as friends or those that care about you...they claim to be "nice" and walk around irresponsibly taking what they can and forwarding their underlying agendas all for the purpose of themselves. no one is immune...not their closest friends...not their family members...not their spiritual leaders...not their co-workers. it's sad and all i can say is that LIFE IS TOO SHORT! again, not profound but WHY in the world would you want to live every day thinking of ways to hurt people, especially the people you love? it just doesn't make any sense to me.

so, here's to mean people detox...we've all had to rid our circle of those who can't play nice with others. it's great for moving forward and opening yourself up for quality relationships and strengthening the ones that have withstood the sunny and stormy days of life.

question and message for the meanies out there: how many people do you have to abuse and lose before you realize that the problems all lie within your lack of owning up to your mean side? and even though i'm wasting my finger energy on typing this ...please start focusing on something good in your life so you can stop trying to destroy all the good that's happening for others.

at the end of the day, it's your choice.

new year for rock star mom!

Happy Birthday to my dear friend, rock star momma!

See you when you get back from San Fran. Dinner on Saturday night and a show next Friday....Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love you tomorrow...you're only a day a way!

in love with ocean reef!

On our way to Ocean Reef with my assigned reading.

i have no idea what's coming...

thanks to the chaz and k, mr. wonderful and i had a great time in Ocean Reef.

if you get a chance, go...it's a slice of heaven on earth.

here are some of my not-even-doing-this-trip-justice vacation pics:

Happy Birthday!

Birthday wishes to Fio!

Hope it's the best one ever!

thanks labor day

mr. wonderful and i completed our lucky #7 labor day together. it was low key and relaxing which is always good. getting ready for vaca with chaz & k so it's wonderful to take it easy before it all.

went to the movies and saw MY BEST FRIEND at the Enzian. totally cute movie! met aa's friend from turkey. she was very sweet.

so much to report on today but just don't have it in me right now. hope everyone had a great holiday! will try and catch up before i leave on thursday night for the keys.