40 4 40: 4 - Some Duran Duran for Christmas?

...I have failed at commitment (again).  I owe you (myself) several blogs.  I will catch them all up and make you (me) ohsohappy. 

In the meantime, click on this iTunes link and give a gift to yourself and/or others.  You'll be a more complete person for doing so.  And Santa will thank you.  As will I.

In the words of half my blog inspiration...

~whoosh!

40 4 40: 3 - O Holy Night

"O Holy Night" is my favorite Christmas song.

A close second is "We Three Kings of Orient Are".

Lastly, the exquisite lullaby "Away In A Manger", I could listen to over and over....

Enjoy the new music on the page.

40 4 40: 2 - Food Favorites

Today's 40 4 40 is about my favorite combinations, specific to that which is ingested and legal:

• Peanut butter & chocolate
• Raspberry & dark chocolate
• Popcorn and cherry Coca Cola
• Old Grand Dad and Coca Cola
• Coconut & chocolate
• Piña colada flavored Layla Farms drinkable yogurt drizzled on Red Rock chocolate chip granola
• Crunch peanut butter & strawberry jelly on a spoon at the same time
• Grilled cheese sandwiches with chicken noodle soup
• Tortilla chips & guacamole
• Fritos & bean dip
• Ranch dressing, sautéed mushrooms, mozzarella cheese on a well done burger with potato bread
• Guacamole and tortilla chips
• Sunflower seeds on salad (or a baked potato)
• Do-Si-Dos and chocolate milk (kinda goes with the first on the list)
• Hot lemon tea with honey
• Pepperoni, mushrooms, sausage and onions on thin crust pizza
• Spaghetti with meatballs
• Turkey on the same fork with my cranberry sauce

There are tons more, of course.

~Bon Appétit~

40 4 40: 1 - Comet

My 40th birthday is quickly approaching. I'm welcoming it with a loving embrace and a smile. WTF is wrong with me?! haha!

Admittedly, I'm sort of resigned to "aging", but then there's a tinge of me that isn't. Truthfully, I'm more bothered that I have that tinge than by the aging itself. I suppose it might be the natural grief process of realizing I'll never achieve that potential that everyone but me knew about, and I'll never have that wild youth I so often daydream about, all that globetrotting I had envisioned, and my body isn't in the shape I thought it would be in at this age. All in all, those are some heavy disappointments in my mind.

However, there's more to me than my shape, my wiley, well-travelled youth and being that doctor, teacher, big screen star. I am humbled by all the OTHER things I am at almost-40. I'm amazed at all that I've done by now.

So, to honor being forty, I'm going to do a serial post of forty things about my forty years. These things might be inspirational, spiritual, insightful, jokes, trivia about me, recipes, a lil ditty... You get the idea.

Today -- a big announcement:

I've been accepted to the University of Texas at Dallas, home of the Fighting ..... Comets? 

Okay, so Comets don't fight.  But they are cool.  (Right?)  Therefore *I* am cool.  (Right?!)

I *will* graduate from this school.  And it'll be with a real degree.  And the plan is to graduate from this school BEFORE My Eldest graduates high school.  That gives me eight years. 

What's eight more years?

~Whoosh~

WW: Julie Andrews (Mary Poppins!)

Today we picked Julie Andrews. Here's Wednesday Wickedness!

1. “All love shifts and changes. I don't know if you can be wholeheartedly in love all the time.”

Have ever felt that you’ve been in love with someone constantly over a long period of time?

I believe you can be wholehearted in love all the time, but it might not be with the same person.  I agree that love shifts and changes -- as it should -- after all, people shift and change.  The constant:  GOD.  God is love and love is God.   On that you can rely.

2. “I am an optimistic lady.”

How optimistic are you?

I'm fairly optimistic.  It's hard for me to be around negative energy.  Avoiding negative energy included not watching the news, reading the news, being around people who are cynical, judgmental, pessimistic, critical.

It would be fair to say that I keep my head in the sand.  Someone once told me that if I do that, I should be prepared to have my ass lit on fire.  I will take my chances....

3. “I don't think today's younger audience... would even know what 1920s musicals were like.”

Do you have any knowledge of 1920 films or musicals? If yes, any favorites?

Admittedly, I don't.  I suppose I know of some silent films, but not musicals.  (It's nice to be in the "today's younger audience" group!)

4. “I hate the word wholesome.”

Play word association. I say “wholesome” and you say:

Goody-two-shoes

5. “I have always wished I could learn to be a potter. I love collecting ceramics; it would be so fulfilling to create something lovely.”

What have you always wished that you could be?

A sports photographer (a.k.a trust fund baby? HA!)

6. “Perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding the 20th.”

Tell us about something that you had to persevere through.

I'm not entirely certain that I've perservered anything yet.

7. “Some people regard discipline as a chore. For me, it is a kind of order that sets me free to fly.”
How do you define your self discipline?

Shaky at best.  I admire people who can be driven, ambitious and stay the course.  I admire those who are strongly convicted and have the discipline in which to stay strongly rooted.

Julie Andrews has found the paradox of freedom in "chains".   There are times in my life where I can see that I experienced the same.  For example, entering into Overeaters Anonymous and practicing the twelve steps was so freeing.  The tools and practices that were encouraged were extremely burden-lifting.  I squirm in pain at the simple choice of what to have for breakfast each day when I'm NOT in program, whereas, if I've given it fore-thought and committed it to a sponsor, I can wallow in freedom and just relax, stay the course and see the light at the end of the (never-ending) tunnel.

8. “Sometimes opportunities float right past your nose. Work hard, apply yourself, and be ready. When an opportunity comes you can grab it.”

Have you ever missed a golden opportunity?

Oh sure.  Of course.  But I didn't think of it like that until it passed.

There have been a few times, when presented with a choice to do or not to do, to go or not to go, I've thought "I should do this", but I trust the process.  If it's an opportunity that was golden, and it passed, it wasn't meant for me at that time anyway.  Plus, I try not to dwell on the past too much.

9. “In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun and... SNAP! The job's a game!”

Have you ever had that perfect job that was always entertaining?

Being a mother -- fo' sho'!

10. “Sometimes I'm so sweet even I can't stand it.”

Has anyone ever considered you as sweet?

I don't think so.  I've been told I'm sweet, but not so sweet that it was intolerable.

Santa

Just sharing this year's Santa pictures....

My Eldest & The Best Looking Santa I Know!

My Little One & The Best Looking Santa I Know!

Duran Duran - All You Need Is NOW!

Go download your free copy of the new single from Duran Duran.  (<~~ that's the link to do it.  CLICK!)  It's called "All You Need Is Now".  Just like love, this is really the only other thing you need right now.

You'll be a happy camper.  You'll be president.  You'll be the king or queen of the world.  You'll be numero uno.

Most of all, you'll make me happy.  (Added bonus:  you save money!)

WW: Jennifer Aniston

Today we picked Jennifer Aniston. Here's Wednesday Wickedness!

1. “A relationship isn't going to make me survive. It's the cherry on top.”
What part of your life do you consider “the cherry on the top”?

Willingness to be better.

2. “I almost resent the whole fashion thing. Good God- never wearing the same thing twice and all of those things. It's a pain in the ass.”
How much does fashion impact your life?

It doesn't.  At all.

3. “I've gone for each type: the rough guy; the nerdy, sweet, lovable guy; and the slick guy. I don't really have a type. Men in general are a good thing.”
What’s your type?

"Men in general are a good thing."  Amen, sister.  Having said that, though, I go for clean-cut men that are bigger than me (so I can feel small and secure). 

4. “Once you figure out who you are and what you love about yourself, I think it all kinda falls into place.”
Do you still learn new things about yourself?

Every.  Single.  Day.  (See answer to question 1.)

5. “The greater your capacity to love, the greater your capacity to feel the pain.”
Have you ever had your heart broken? If yes, how did you get over it?

Of course I have, and it's strictly in the context of boyfriend/girlfriend or husband/wife.  Every relationship experiences a heart-break.  In my motherhood, my childhood, my friendships, work relationships, yesyesYES I've experienced them. 

How do I "get over" them?  Pray, act, be & do better.  I try to realize the lesson and move forward.  Forgiveness is immeasurable.  Since that's the case, love is unconditional.  (I, by NO means, have mastered this action! See answer to question 1 again.)

6. “There are no regrets in life, just lessons.”
What is the most recent “life lesson” that you have figured out?

That I don't feel worthy to feel my own feelings that might be in conflict with another's.  That's gotta change.

7. “Really try to follow what it is that you want to do and what your heart is telling you to do.”
Have you ever went against what your heart told you to do?

I am guilty of not following my heart enough. 

8. “The ultimate is finding a place where you have no inhibitions, nothing to hide, where you can learn with one another.”
Do you have any inhibitions when you are in love with someone?

Yes, I do.  I am learning to find safety in being vulnerable with those closest to me.  It's extremely hard -- the hardest thing I've ever done.  Being vulnerable = putting those inhibitions into the light. 

9. “Life can be dramatic and funny all in the same day!”
What is something that happened recently in your life that you found extremely funny?

I don't remember the event, but I remember laughing so hard it hurt last week.  I was with others, and we all just fell out laughing. 

10. “The first time I kissed Brad my knees went weak - I literally lost my breath!”
Have you ever kissed someone and your knees went weak?

YES!  And he still takes my breath away....

The Best 20 Minutes You Can Spend Today That Will Make A HUGE Deposit Into Your Life & Those Around You For A Lifetime and Beyond

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Live this.

Make it your legacy. 

Teach others.

Engage this in your professional lives, your friendships, your parenting, your childhood, your lover/spouse/life partner. 

+

Make the selfless choice. 

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Understand.

+

Validate

+

Empathize

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Invite others into YOUR world.

Be vulnerable.

Allow for growth.

Be teachable.

Surrender.

+

THIS. WORKS.

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It.  Is.  Love.

Unconditional.

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Amen.

WW: Groucho Marx



Is he giving us the finger?!



Today we picked Groucho Marx. Here's Wednesday Wickedness!



 1. 'A black cat crossing your path signifies that the animal is going somewhere." 
What is a superstition that many have that you think is crazy?

Opening an umbrella indoors, the black cat crossing under a ladder at midnight are two that I find crazy. 

Oddly, I am spooked by the broken mirror superstition.
2. "A hospital bed is a parked taxi with the meter running."
What were you in the hospital for the last time that you were admitted?

Child birth.

3. "Alimony is like buying hay for a dead horse."
What payment do you make that seems ridiculous?

Except for medical, I'd say almost any insurance. 

4. "Humor is reason gone mad."
How would you describe your sense of humor?

It's all over the board.  I enjoy a good, cheezy joke.  I like the dry humor of Brits and the subtle double entendre in words.  I also like a bit of dark humor.  I've even been known to laugh at humor that is controversial, but I try to keep all that in check.  I DO NOT like potty humor -- at all.

5. "I have a mind to join a club and beat you over the head with it."
Who was the last person that you wanted to beat with something or other?

I don't have this inclination often, but, without naming names or describing situations, I can think of a person or five that I wanted to at least slap in the back of the head.  I have no tolerance for stupidity.

6. "I never forget a face, but in your case I'll be glad to make an exception."
Would you ever like to change something about your face?

I wish it was thinner so my cheekbones and jawline were more accentuated. 

7. "I was married by a judge. I should have asked for a jury."
I read an article recently that asked if marriage was still relevant. Other than to raise children do you see the point?

Marriage in the context of a sacrement is relevant, yes.  Civil marriage is contextually relevant.

8. "If you've heard this story before, don't stop me, because I'd like to hear it again."
Do you find that you tend to repeat your stories?

I don't think so -- not to the same person over and over.  I will share the same story with a new friend or group of people.  I'm pretty good about remember with whom I've shared stories.

9. "There's one way to find out if a man is honest - ask him. If he says, "Yes," you know he is a crook."
Do you find most people that are in your life to be honest?

I believe everyone tries to be honest, but we all lie. 

10. "Wives are people who feel they don't dance enough."
Have you ever felt that your significant other did not go out with enough?

I'm not sure I understand this question, but this is my interpretation of it:  Do you feel like you dated your significant other long enough?

No, I don't feel like I dated My Husband long enough.  He and I both acknowledge that our courtship was not long enough, BUT, we also both trust the process and believe we were brought together for a reason bigger than us. 

And for the record, I love to dance and don't get to dance nearly enough.  :P