Wednesday Hodgepodge

Happy Wednesday.  Have a great day 

1. What's something you're looking forward to in the month of June?  I have a family reunion next weekend and supposed to go ride Harleys with some good friends of ours on the 20^th.
2.   In what way have you come full circle?  Hmm kind of a hard one.  I think I would say my marriage with Todd.  We have been best friends for over 18 years and only together for 4 of those years. We gave each other dating advice, work advice, etc.  The fact we ended up together as husband and wife is really coming full circle.
3. Lonely Planet lists ten spots in America you should see in 2015 and the reasons why.  How many on the list have you seen?  Which one on the list would you most like to see? Queens NY,  Western South Dakota, New Orleans, the Colorado River region, North Conway NH, Indianapolis IN, Greenville SC, Oakland CA, Duluth MN, and the Mt. Shasta region CA.   I’ve been lucky to say I’ve seen all these places minus the Indiana and the New Hampshire locations.  I love New Orleans the most out of all these.
4. A song that describes your mood right now?  Unwell by Matchbox 20.   I feel like I’m not myself lately and cant explain it.  For one thing though are my hot flashes. They are so uncomfortable.
5. 5.  Strawberry ice cream, strawberry shortcake, strawberry pie, or strawberry right off the wine... your favorite? I love strawberry cake cupcakes. There is a bakery not too far that make the most yummy strawberry cupcakes with strawberry icing.   I also love chocolate covered strawberries. If I had to choose from this list I would say the shortcake.
6. Aesop's birthday is celebrated on June 4th - although there is some disagreement to whether or not that's accurate, or if he was a real person.   Regardless, the name Aesop is associated to this day with many well known fables.  Which of the following best applies to something in your life right now?   The Tortoise & the Hare (slow and steady wins the race),  The Ant & the Grasshopper (be prepared), The Fox & the Goat (look before you leap), or The Crow & the Pitcher (necessity is the mother of invention)?  Hmm, I am going to go with The Ant & Grasshopper and The Fox & the Goat.  My job has been very busy and don’t get me wrong- I love every minute of it.  I’ve mentioned that we are going thru a HUGE company merger and I feel like I cant breathe or relax.  In other words I need to always be on my “A” game at all times. We are constantly laying off one group or another and I don’t live in fear.  However, I just need to stay realistic and hope that I can remain busy and needed with my company.  I celebrate 20 years in September and I really love my job.
7. The answer is yes...   what's the question?  Do I love sweet tea? Do I love music more than anything? Do I have the cutest 2 dogs in all the world? Do I adore my blogger friends? Do I love to dance?
8. My random thought.    I am happy that the rain has stopped for a while here in Texas.  I am happy we were able to FINALLY mow the lawn after all the weeks of rain and flooding. The grass was getting so high I could barely see my dogs. The mosquitos are out of control from all the water. I look like I have the chicken pox again. 

Wednesday Hodgepodge

I haven't linked up lately with Joyce on her weekly Hodgepodge.  So today was a good day to do that.

1. What's a phrase your mother often said to you? If you're a parent, is this something you now say to your own children?

I love you no matter what! My Mom was the “wild child” out of the (one older sister and a younger brother).  No matter how crazy she got, my grandparents always showed her love. Mom did the same with me and my brother. She said we would make mistakes along the way but to stand behind our decisions and she loves us no matter.  I don’t have children of my own but I do have 2 stepkids. I hope they know that I love them and support them no matter what.

2. What is a scent you associate with your mother or your childhood home?

Lasagna.  Mom wasn’t a baker when I was growing up. She is now which is so funny.  Mom makes the most amazing Lasagna and Spaghetti. She would make the sauce the night before and it made the house smell so good. Garlic meat sauce.  Yum!!

3. What's an activity you remember always doing with your mother (or someone who was a mother figure in your life)?  Everything but sewing and cooking. LOL.  My mom was really young when she had me. I went everywhere with her.  She never has sewn and when she cooked, I usually just stayed out of the kitchen.  A fond memory with mom though is her reading to me. She and my grandma used to always read to me and I knew my alphabet and could read by first grade.  That’s a passion we all three share today.  We swap books all the time. 

 

4. Flared jeans, maxi dresses, and jumpsuits are 70's fashion trends back this spring. Are you on board? Which trend would you be most inclined to try? For the men...flared corduroys, wide-collared shirts, and floral prints...what say you?  I love love love maxi dresses!!   I do have pair of bootcut flared jeans to wear also but they’re not crazy flared. I wear them when I ride the Harley with my boots.   No to all the men’s options above.

5. May 6th is Teacher Appreciation Day and also Nurse Appreciation Day. Is there a nurse or teacher  you have especially appreciated along the way? Tell us why?

One of my closest friends  “T” is a nurse.  We used to be waitresses together in college and I am so proud of her and all she’s accomplished. She is a head Trauma RN and is very respected in a huge Dallas hospital here. I used to help her study every week for her tests.   I remember when she lived in a garage efficiency apartment barely scraping by to go to Nursing school and now she owns a home and is doing so well. I love her to pieces and she has a heart of gold and compassion. 

6. If I came by your house, what would I find on your frig door?  Shredded parmesan cheese, bottled waters , milk and yogurt. We always have milk  to have cereal and Todd eats yogurt.  We eat a lot of pasta and sometimes just throw butter and parmesan on the pasta.  Hmmm, we really need to go grocery shopping.

7. Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana made her royal entrance on Saturday, May 2nd. On a scale of 1-10, how much attention did you give to all the news coverage? 1=Who's Charlotte? 10=sat glued to the telly, cuppa in hand.  Not much.  I am happy for the royal family and the baby is adorable but it didn’t interfere with my weekend.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Today would have been my stepdad Don’s 79 birthday.  I miss him so much!  I was so blessed to have him in my life and I still am so sad for my baby brother.  As hard as this for me, its 90% harder for him. They were so close.  We lost him in January of this year.   As I’ve mentioned before, I also wish Mother’s Day would just go by quietly.   Not a fan!!

 

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Do you wear your heart on your sleeve, or keep your emotions tucked in tight? Most of the time on my sleeve. I think with certain people or situations I can hold it in tight though.

2. How did you meet your closest friend? Hard question but I have a few closest friends. Kimi and I met in high school, Diana and I met in the early 90’s and she worked at a boutique. I was looking for a black blazer to wear on job interviews and I told her that. I was hired the next day and worked with her for years.  I am very close with a few of my cousins and they are also my best friends.

3.  Pink lemonade, grilled salmon, cotton candy, pink grapefruit, a strawberry milkshake, or raspberry sorbet...of the pink foods listed, which one is your favorite? Least favorite? Which one have you most recently consumed? It’s a toss between pink lemonade and strawberry milkshake. Both sound delicious right now! I am not a fan at all of salmon or grapefruit. When I was a kid, cotton candy was my all time favorite.  I will share one of my most embarrassing stories about myself: when I was maybe 5 or 6, I went to the state fair with my aunt and cousins. I really wanted some cotton candy but didn’t know what it was called .  I also at that time could not pronounce words with the letter ‘S”.  I wore hocks and hoos ( socks and shoes) then. Soooo I asked my aunt for some Pink hair on a dick( aka Stick).   It was all very innocent but that’s one that my family doesn’t let me live down.

4. When were you last 'tickled pink' over something? Explain.  My husband and I had date night last Friday night. We went to one of our favorite Italian restaurants in our old neighborhood and it was so delicious. Afterwards, we went to the Harley shop that was close by and was about to close in another hour. I sat on one of their new 2015 freecyle trikes and it felt good.  Like really really comfortable! I was tickled pink that it was a smaller bike that I know I can maneuver easily.  I didn’t have time to do the test drive though.

5. Are you a fan of television talk shows? Daytime, nighttime, or both? What's your favorite? I love Ellen. I tape her show because I work full time in an office . I also tape Jimmy Fallon because he's on too late but he has the best time with his guests.

6. When was the last time you wanted to ask a question, but felt too foolish to do so? Every day. My work merger has me scratching my head everyday and sometimes I don’t even know how to ask the questions.

7. My favorite __________________right now is _________________.  Snack right now is Bare chocolate bliss crunchy coconut chips.  SOOO good!

8.  Insert your own random thought here.  My mom was supposed to have gall bladder surgery this morning but when she got to hospital, her potassium was too low and they admitted her. She’s been super sick and cant keep anything down. I hate that she live in Montana at times like this. She’s way too far. If you pray- I would appreciate prayers for her.

HodgePodge

Good morning, today i'm back with From this Side of the Pond for the weekly Hodgepodge.

1. What is one new holiday tradition you'd like to establish, or one you've established recently, say in the last year or two?

 A few years ago I went to new york for macys parade. I went into Tiffanys and the only thing I could afford was a snowflake charm. I went to macys and bought a chain.  I wear it now every year from thanksgiving day until day after Christmas sometimes until new year.

2. It's the second week of December. Have you sipped a cup of eggnog yet this month? Wrapped a gift? Opened a gift? Kissed someone under the mistletoe? Lit a candle? Eaten a Christmas cookie? Seen Santa in person? Watched a Christmas movie or special? Read scripture relating to the birth of Jesus?

  I don’t drink eggnog. I have put gifts in gift bags ( I don’t wrap), I did open a gift , I haven’t found any mistletoe, I light candles every day when I get home from work, I had a Christmas cookie exchange at our pastors wife this past Sunday and had my share of cookies, I saw Santa in person also at church, I‘ve watched a few Christmas specials- the Rockefeller Tree lighting and Santa Claus is coming to town cartoon, I read scripture every morning.

3. Do you think it's better to be an adult or a child at Christmastime? Explain.

 A child. The delight and joy and wonderment of the lights and the tree and the presents is so wonderful. There's no stress of having to provide gifts like adults have

4. It's often said, 'Good things come to those who wait'...agree or disagree? Why?

  I absolutely agree. I waited for 46 years to find the one and only man that God intended for me to have as my husband .  I had family give up on me because I had never married and was an old maid. Haha

5. What's the last sweet thing you baked? Did you keep it, take it to a party/event, or give it away?

 I baked cookies for the cookie exchange mentioned above. I will admit that they were premade frozen cookie dough that all I had to do was pop in the oven.

6.  This question comes to us courtesy of Jhona who blogs over at The Red House at the End of the Lane. Everyone hop over and say hi to Jhona this week!  Here is her question... "I heard an actor talk about how he makes a conscious choice to talk to people in elevators.  He chooses to connect, make eye contact, and converse. Do you talk to people/strangers when you're in an elevator or any other place where you might have to wait together? Why or why not?"
Depends on where the elevator is.  When I travel for work, I try not to be too chatty in the hotel elevator. Safety reasons I guess but I just don't want anyone knowing I'm alone , out of state on business.  If I'm in an office building , I do talk to others because you never know who you're riding with. It could be the CEO of the company or  manager that you're there to see. 

7. Are you on the naughty or nice list this year? What put you there?
Depends on who you ask. Hahaha.  My husband tends to catch the side of my grumpiness and bad moods and so I feel naughty sometimes from the way I act.  I do try to volunteer and help my church and community as much as I can which helps me go on the nice list.  I try my best and I'm far from perfect.  

8. Insert your own random thought here.

 I'm starting to feel the holiday stress creep up on me as we approach closer and closer to Christmas.  I've GOT to mail my families package to Montana or else they won't get it until close to New Years .   We had Christmas cards made and I never sent them out.  Deep breaths- breathe in , breathe out . Oh and last night was the finale of the show Sons of Anarchy. I am really bummed that it ended. I got attached to those fictional characters. LOL

A little HodgePodge today

1.       The best part of waking up is____taking my sweet puppy out to the backyard and both of us stretching and  shaking the cobwebs out. How many of you sung the jingle to Folgers when you read the question?  Cant help it!

     
2.  Given a choice, which animal interaction would you most like to experience (or for those non-adventurers...which would you dislike the least?)- Swim with the dolphins at one of several locations in the Florida Keys, a lion encounter ten minutes from Victoria Falls (Africa), or a day at a remote base camp high in the Big Sur wilderness via the Ventana Wildlife Society helping track California condors?

It’s a toss between the dolphins and the lions. I really would love to do both.  Florida is easier to get to though so I may end up doing that before the lion encounter in Africa.  The condors being the least but I would take ANY excuse to get to California.

3. What is something you fear about 'old age'? What is something you look forward to? I look forward to the AARP and senior discounts in restaurants and retail shops.  I look forward to the day I’m retired and I can sit still and look back on how long and hard I’ve worked.  I fear dying alone and being too sick to take care of myself.  I don’t want to live with Alzheimer’s or a crippling disease that would put me in a position to burden someone else. I cant even think about it without getting very sad. 

4. Hot sauce...are you a fan? If you answered yes, what's something you make/eat that must have hot sauce? On a scale of 1-10 how hot is too hot? I love a good mild to medium sauce that has great flavor. I am not a fan of it being too hot.  I am very fortunate and biased of living in Dallas with the best salsas around.  I love chips and hot sauce and can eat it every week. 

5. It's been said that children learn what they live. What do you think children learn at your house? I don’t have kids of my own. I have 2 stepkids that are both teenagers and they don’t come over often anymore. I did babysit last weekend and the boys didn’t want to leave. I would hope they know that they can have fun and be safe at my house while at the same time abide by rules.

6. What's your favorite movie with a number in it's title? Hmmm, for teenage campy I loved Sixteen Candles, for a scary creeper I liked Seven and old cheesy would be Three Amigos.

7. Saturday (August 16th) is National Tell a Joke Day...share one here.   Here is a wine joke: Father O'Reilly was driving down to Boston when got stopped for speeding in Medford. The highway patrol officer smelled alcohol on the priest's breath and then saw an empty wine bottle on the floor of the car.
He said, 'Father, have you been drinking?'
'Only water', replied Father O'Reilly.
The policeman asked, 'Then how come I can smell wine?'
The priest looked at the bottle and said, 'Good Lord! He's done it again.'


8.  Insert your own random thought here.   So last night we all got the news that Lauren Bacall died at the age of 89.  I had always heard death happens in 3’s.  Do you believe that?

Hodgepodge this Wednesday

1. When I look at the sky I feel______so small.  To look at the moon and stars and know that we all can see it and share that together is so cool.  When I was traveling all the time, I loved looking out the window and flying through the clouds. They looked like soft pillows.

2. If you had to run for political office, which one would you run for? Do you have any real desire to actually do this? I do not have any desire to run for political office.  You cant please everyone but when you’re in office it seems as if you cant please anyone. If I had to, I would be vice-president so I could have my own projects but completely support and backup the Prez.

3. What scent makes you think of home? Cinnamon or vanilla.

4. How often do you take a step back to think about where you're headed in life? Do you need more or less self-reflection?  I do this often.  Many large “life events” have occurred in the last few years. My wedding, my Dad’s illness, Todd’s new job, my company merger,etc.  All these make me sit back and think about all the changes and my future.  I certainly don’t need more self-reflection so maybe a little less.

5. July is National Ice Cream Month...besides a cone, what's your favorite food item to top with ice cream? Um a nice warm brownie or peach cobbler. I cant choose between the two.

6. What might your autobiography be called?  Two Lungs and a Wedding.

7. Your least favorite mode of transportation? Why?  Bus. I rode a bus from Wyoming to Dallas when I was in college and it took FOREVER!! Way too many stops. Its stinky in the back. Seats are so uncomfortable.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.  Not this weekend but next weekend I will be flying into Rapid City, South Dakota to join my husband and our group in Sturgis. I’m getting excited now that I am starting to feel better.  I need a vacation so bad!  I know this may sound silly but I have anxiety over leaving my puppy. He’s never spent the night without us since the day we got him last December.  He’s staying with some good friends of ours who have 2 big dogs and they love Jax.  He will have fun but I’m still nervous.   Oh and this is my 3^rd post this week. What? I  know! I’m on a roll. HAHA. 

And to leave this post with some music, this is silly but one of my favorite songs from the 90's.
Peaches from The Presidents of United States of America ( that's the name of group-lol).

 

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. What summer activity most takes you back to your own childhood? Probably jumping thru the sprinklers in our back yard. We didn’t have a pool and my cousins and I would go to my grandma’s house and would play hours outside running and jumping through the sprinklers. It was so much fun! We also had a slip n slide and wore that out as well.

2. What's your favorite summer smell? Hmmm, Probably the smell of suntan lotion. The coconut-lemon smell will automatically take you to memories of the beach or swimming pool.

  3. It's beach season in the US of A...so how do you feel about sand? I don’t mind the sand. In fact, I dream of having my toes in the sand right about now. When I travel anywhere there is a beach, I have my own tradition that I have to put my feet in the sand. Even if its winter.

  4. Sun tea, SunChips, sunflower seeds, Capri Sun, Sunny Delight, Sun-Maid raisins, sun-dried tomatoes...your favorite food or beverage with sun in its name? Sunflower seeds and then sunchips. I really love the unshelled sunflower seeds. I eat them quite a bit

. 5. What's your favorite way to cool off on a hot summer day? The older I get, the heat really gives me headaches and I am more sensitive to the sun. I enjoy air-conditioned cool rooms with cold frozen beverages

. 6. Share a favorite song with the word sun or sunshine in it's title.

  First one that comes to mind is Here comes the sun by the Beatles and then my childhood song- You are my Sunshine, My only Sunshine, You make me happy when skies are gray….

7. Tell us about a time you had an exceedingly good or truly awful customer service experience. If it was awful, did you report it? Ever go back there again? I’ve had a few awful experiences with customer service but I didn’t report them. I probably should have. I was in Pennsylvania on business with 3 other coworkers and we stopped at this restaurant we had seen that had cars in parking lot so we figured it might be good. They were terribly understaffed. The hostess sat us quickly but then our waitress never showed up for another 15 minutes. I got up asked the manager if we had a waitress assigned to our table- the waitress came over and Literally yelled at us. She said we are very busy and its not going to do you any good to tell the manager! I cant tell you how I fumed over this for days. I new I would never go back because I don’t live there but I never wanted to slap a waitress before until then.
  8. Insert your own random thought here. So this week I began my training to the other company we’re merging with ( the enemy). I’ve been so busy preparing and training that the blog posts are not happening this week. I got to office extra early today so I can at least post to the hodgepodge link. I love it! I hope to maybe post tomorrow or Friday though.  Have  a great day y'all!

Hodgepodging it today

1. Since you weren't Hodgepodging last Wednesday, how did you pass the time? I still actually posted. I made it a goal to post more than once and I ended up posting 3 times last week. 

 2. What's the first word that comes to mind when I say marriage? Yes, one word. Forever

 3. Summer officially arrives in the Northern hemishpere later this week. Does it feel like summer where you live? Describe your idea of the perfect summer day. It started feeling like summer back in the spring. Dallas, Tx is always sweltering hot! My perfect summer day would be near a beach with a light breeze blowing and a frozen drink in my hand, on lawn chair reading a book. 

 4. "Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability."(Sam Keen) Is laziness ever respectable? Do you have a lazy summer planned, or something semi-ambitious? Being lazy is not a good quality unless its planned. There is nothing wrong with decompressing and relaxing on a planned vacation day or even a quiet Sunday after church at home spending time with the husband. I am so crazy busy at work that I need to plan a lazy summer for sure. Instead, we are going to try to make it to Montana in September to see my mom. 

 5. Past or present, who's your favorite television dad? Why is he a favorite? Is he anything like your own dad? Herman Munster. He always had best intentions for his family but he was also goofy and had fun sense of humor. That is definitely like my dad!! Daddy is a prankster and always playing jokes. At the end of the day though he is a great Dad and will be there for you in a heartbeat! 

 6. June 18th is International Picnic Day...share a favorite picnic memory. Well, its been a very long time since I have been on a picnic. I even have the cutest picnic basket I need to use. I went on a few picnic dates long long time ago and they were actually pretty fun. My favorite is when we packed a basket with grapes, cheese, crackers and some salami and climbed on the top of an old train car looking over downtown Dallas.

 7. The travel site Trip Advisor lists the top five islands in the world for 2014 as- Ambergris Caye in Belize Cayes, Providenciales in Turks and Caicos, Bora Bora in French Polynesia, Marco Island Florida, and Lewis and Harris in The Outer Hebrides (Scotland). Have you been to any of these? Of those listed (and if price were not a factor) which would you most like to book for a holiday? I have been to Marco Island in Florida and its is beautiful! If money was no object, I would love to go to Bora Bora. I’ve always wanted to see those crystal blue waters and stay in a hut that is above the water. We’ve all seen those pictures that are used for computer backgrounds. lol

 8. Insert your own random thought here. I have so much randomness going on in my head right now , its hard to pinpoint one. The house is starting to come together. I bought a mattress off Craigslist last week for the guest room. I need to tackle that room this week and then I will feel pretty much complete in the home. This week at work is kind of the calm before the storm. I have to train 457 customer service reps next week who is with the other company that we are merging with. Did I mention to yall that we are literally merging with our greatest NEMESIS!!! For all 19 years I’ve been with the company, they have been our neck to neck competitor. Its hard to wrap my head around merging with the enemy. LOL!! Oh well, the plus side is that we had several people go work for them when they left us so I will see them again. I guess I had something to say after all on my random thought. Haha!

Have a great day today would you please! 

Wednesday's Hodgepodge

1. I've read several posts and status updates recently describing end of year school field trips. Do you remember taking school field trips as a kid? Where did you go and do you recall a favorite? For any parents responding today, have you ever chaperoned a school field trip, and if so where? I remember going to the Dallas zoo when I was in elementary, and to a very cool Spanish Missions when I was in junior high and attended catholic school in Coronado, Ca., in high school we went on trip to Austin and visited the Capital and LBJ library.

 2. What's something you're tired of seeing online? I can tell you that I am so tired of tons of my facebook connections do nothing but sell stuff- MaryKay, Pampered Ched, Scentsy, Plexus, you name it! They never post about themselves or family, etc. Just buy my crap over and over. HAHA- can you tell it annoys me?

 3. June is the month for roses. Which of the following expressions would you say has most recently applied to your life-'everything's coming up roses', 'there's no rose without a thorn', 'came out smelling like a rose', or 'wearing rose-colored glasses'? I will go with No rose without a thorn. The move is a rose to have a house, backyard, and closer to work, but as mentioned the last few weeks, lots of thorns popped up. 

 4. When grilling outdoors do you prefer gas or charcoal? Who does the grilling at your house? What's the last thing you ate that was cooked on a grill? I like charcoal but we have gas grill and my hubby does the grilling. 

 5. Are you afraid of the dark? Nope. I was always in the lead with my friends hiding behind me when we played Hide and seek outside. 

 6. Share a favorite song with a number in it's title. – Hmm, there were lots from the 80’s and I am total 80’s girl!! Here are a few that I liked: Edge of Seventeen ( Stevie Nicks –my fave), Its not in the title but everyone knows 867-5309 (Jenny), 1999 by Prince, I cant drive 55 (Sammy Hagar), Summer of 69 ( Bryan Adams). 

 7. "Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves."(C.G. Jung). Do you agree? Why or why not? I do agree. I’ve always believed that the very things you like about a person can be the things that drives you crazy about them. My example is that Hubby always loved my brutal honesty and non-sugarcoating and now that we’re married, he said he’s not a fan of it so much. Hmm. 

 8. Insert your own random thought here. I really am not ready to give up blogging but I have lacked either time, topics, or energy to truly blog lately. Next week, Joyce will be on a break so there wont be a Hodgepodge. I’m challenging myself to blog at least twice next week. In other news- PRAISE GOD for insurance because I have my second diamond from jewelry store. They sent my ring off and matched it as close as possible to my lost diamond. No extra fees at all. It’s the same but different. No 2 diamonds are the same so I cant expect for it to be exact. The prongs are different this time and it looks as if it doesn’t sit up as high. Oh well, I’m beyond grateful and its still beautiful for sure! 

Thank you so much for sticking with me during my slow moments. 

Jax is loving his back yard. He has a stick  in his mouth. Any one else's dog likes to eat sticks and pull bark off trees? 

This week's Hodgepodge

1. What news story are you following right now? I cant help but watch the news on the shooting in California. Its so sad and unnecessary. We have to pay more attention to mental health people!

 2. What's the last thing you wanted but didn't get? I wanted a Starbucks this morning but decided I’d rather have it on Friday. I can only afford it once a week.

 3. May 28th is National Hamburger Day...when did you last have a hamburger? Other than your own kitchen or BBQ grill, where is your favorite place to go for a hamburger? And for all you non-meat eaters out there...when you're invited to a cookout what is the one side dish you hope is on the menu? I had a few burgers last weekend . When I was in Florida last week, I had dinner at a friends house and she made the most amazing burgers on the grill. The patties were stuffed with either bacon or blue cheese. Yumm! We have a small chain around Dallas called Snuffer’s and they have great burgers. They also have the best cheese fries in town too. I love burgers and honestly we have too many places that have delicious burgers; Fuddruckers, Twisted Root, Club Schmitz, In and Out….

  4. How have your priorities changed over time? I feel the most drastic was getting married. My priorities now have to include my husband and my puppy and I’m ok with that. Being single and self-sufficient most of my life, my priorities would have been more around only me. Age and experience have changed my priorities as well. Several years ago I got laid off for a few months before I was offered an opportunity to transfer to another department. I didn’t handle that well at all and completely freaked out at thought of being unemployed. Going thru this huge merger now, I find myself much calmer and confident than I used to be. My faith is stronger and I feel that whatever happens is in God’s plan and to just do the best I can do every day. 

 5. What's a favorite memory with your grandparents? My grandparents on my mothers side pretty much split the responsibility with my parents on raising me. I have too many memories to count and for that very reason I am so blessed. My grandma (Nanny) is 87 and is amazing. I lost my grandfather 17 years ago and I miss him so much. I had the strongest connection with Poppy and he’s the one that got me on the Harley when I was just a toddler. He took me everywhere with him and I was his sidekick. When I was young, my grandfather would plan our family vacations around his Ruidoso, New Mexico motorcycle rally. My aunts, uncles, cousins, etc would all go get cabins and have the best time. We went exploring, fishing, picked berries, watched Indian dance shows, ate fry bread, rode ski lifts, so much more. I have very fond memories of those trips.

 6. On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being fantastic!), how good are you at multitasking? Share an example. I rate myself an 8. I can write blog posts from my phone while listening to conference calls, I can write bills and send birthday cards while holding my puppy and watching TV. I put my home phone on speaker so I can get caught up with my friends and family while also unpacking.

  7. How would you summarize your highs and lows for the month of May? I lost my wedding diamond on May 1 and that was all time low- I moved and had lots of stuff broke and that too was in the lows. I had birthday party at Club Schmitz that at very last minute got switched to Strokers and that stressed me out and some of my guests so that’s low while at same time, I had great turnout and ended up having a blast with those who did show up ( high), I got to travel to Jacksonville where I seriously have some of the most wonderful friends AND got upgraded to beach view hotel room ( high , high, high). Overall more highs than lows so I cant complain. 

  8. Insert your own random thought here. I got a lot of unpacking done this past Monday but I still have so much left to do. I am at the point now that I’m at peace with the fact I cant get it all done immediately and to just take it day by day. I cant believe May is over already. I have mentioned Club Schmitz on numerous occasions and I am so sad that after 68 years of business, they are closing their doors at the end of this month ( this weekend). My dad’s first cousins Bob and Larry owned the bar and are ready to retire. Its on a prime place of real estate in Dallas and are selling the land and getting out while its good. I am happy for them but sad for selfish reasons. I always celebrate my birthday there and we popped in quite a bit for a burger and onion rings. I bought a few t-shirts last weekend when we were in and I got the very last ones. Sad to see a Dallas icon be bulldozed and a place I literally grew up at. Its been on the news and in the papers all month and people have come from all over to go one last time. Its crazy!

Hodgepodge- better late than never . Right?

I am soooo agggravated! Just realized that this post was still in draft from last week. Poo! I've been so busy, I just noticed . Oh well.... This is from last week and will post tomorrow for this current week. Geesh....

1. Under what circumstances do you do your best thinking? I do my best thinking in the car when I’m driving to work, home, etc. I also do a lot of thinking in the shower ( when I’m not singing whatever song in my head for the moment).

  2. Are you a risk taker? What's one big risk you've taken? I believe I am a pretty big risk taker. I lump it with same category as adventurous and I’m that for sure. I’ve bungee-jumped numerous times off very high places. I’m not afraid of heights so I get dangerously close to the edges simply to look down and see everything – not trying to scare anyone. I risked a “safe” job when I interviewed for my position I have now 10 years ago. My training team was barely a year old when I applied and it was sketchy for a few years on whether our team would continue or be let go. I am so glad that I took the risk with potentially being unemployed soon after. Luckily, we are still going strong ( knock on wood) and I love every minute of my job. With the merger taking place in July, I’m a little nervous again. 

  3. Some of the most common phobias according to the National Institute for Mental Health are-fear of spiders (arachnaphobia), snakes (ophidiophobia), heights (acrophobia), fear of spaces from which escape is difficult (agoraphobia), fear of thunder and lightening (astrophobia), fear of dogs (cynophobia), injections (trypanophobia), social situations, flying (pteromerhanophobia) and fear of germs and dirt (mysophobia). True phobias affect only about 10% of adults, but of those listed which would you rate as your greatest fear? I hate snakes!! I see them often around my Dad’s ranch and they were in our pond growing up behind the house in high school, so I’m used to them- but I HATE them. I love lightening and thunder storms and we all know my love for dogs

Here's a cute one of Jax laughing 

. 4. Are you settled or do you feel the need to move somewhere new? HAHA! I am not settled and barely unpacked from my move 2 weeks ago. Unfortunately we moved into a rental home so there will DEFINITELY be another move when we buy our own house. Our plan is to buy a house and live there until we retire, then we want to move to Hill Country and retire there for good. It’s a plan at least!

 5. What is something you find annoying when dining in a restaurant? Kids are run wild. My mom was so strict with my brother and I that people used to compliment her when eating out on how good we were. I expect the same I guess. I understand that kids are going to cry- take them outside or in the bathroom. Don’t ruin everyones else’s experience. 

  6. Daffodil yellow, sunset orange, spring green, or sky blue...your favorite color this time of year? Um, sunset orange ALL year long thanks! 

  7. If you were going to take a holiday all by yourself, where would you go? I would most likely go to Galveston that is our closest beach 5 hours away. I would take a lawn chair and just read books all day. I travel a lot and referring to number 1 question, I’m adventurous. I’ve driven to Niagara Falls by myself, Banff, Whistler, all over LA, Boston, many more all by myself. 8. Insert your own random thought here. I’m working in Jacksonville, Florida this week and have had no time to blog. I still haven’t posted about my birthday last weekend. I’m crazy busy and wouldn’t change a thing but I do wish we had more hours in the day. I’m posting to this linkup a day late and on my lunch hour. I have such dear friends here in Jax that it feels like home here too. Speaking of orange sun- here are a few sunrises I’ve caught from my hotel .

Hodgepodge...

1. Share something you appreciate (or something you appreciated as you were growing up) about your mother. I appreciate my mother’s listening ear. I’ve always been able to share with her my feelings and personal thoughts without ever fearing she would judge me. Mom has always been very supportive of all my decisions good or bad. My mom was 18 when I was born so I’ve always loved that she was younger and more cool and hip than my friends moms growing up. She taught me great appreciation of old rock-n-roll and 68 camaro’s. 

 2. A quote most commonly ascribed to Plato reads "Necessity is the mother of invention." When did this last play out in your own experience? I think I’m pretty handy and can probably come up with a few times I’ve engineered something quick to get me through but I had to be creative just this morning. My puppy stays in a kennel when Todd and I are at work and for whatever reason the gate has shifted and is hard to get the metal rod that locks it in the holes and if I can get it in , its hard to remove. Today, Todd left house before me so I have a screw driver that fit perfectly that’s holding the kennel closed. I’m pretty dang proud and wished I would have done that earlier! 

  3. Share one of the earliest memories you have from childhood. I have a very good memory. My mom is amazed of some things I remember from early age. My great-grandfather died when I was very young (3 or 4) but I clearly remember him holding me in his lap. I have so many fond memories of childhood from riding with my Poppy at age 4 on the Harley and my cousins and I playing outside in the pastures at my great-grandmas house in the country. My mom used to take me to the park every week if I got a good status report and we would also get ice cream from Baskin Robbins. 

  4. When did you last 'hit the mother lode'? What was it? Last weekend I lost my kitchen garbage can which also had my smaller bathroom trash can down in and it blew out of my truck when moving. I stopped at garage sale and bought 2 garbage cans and a vintage table lamp all for 6 dollars!! I also scored mother lode when I married my husband. Not to be sappy but seriously he’s incredible. He works so hard and was amazing during the move. I am a lucky woman! 

 5. What is/was your favorite dish mom made? Do you make that dish for your family/friends now that you're all grown up? Mom makes THE MOST AMAZING spaghetti sauce. She was taught a lot of genuine Italian recipes from an old neighbor we had over 30 years ago that was from Italy. I cant touch her spaghetti and don’t even try. One thing else I always loved was this smothered chicken breasts and rice with some special sauce that I’ve also never attempted. When she comes to visit I always ask for it.

 6. Mother May I? was at one time a popular children's game. It required no equipment or parts to play. What was your favorite childhood game where you could just turn up and play-no gear needed? I loved Simon Says, Hide and Seek, Freeze Tag, all of them. We grew up playing outside until it was bedtime. We made up games all the time. 

 7. Which TV mom (past or present) is your favorite, and why? My favorite mom from past I would say was Mom from Partridge family. How cool was it that her family was in a band and they traveled in cool painted school bus. My present mom would be on Bates Motel. She’s such a great actress and creepy.

 8. Insert your own random thought here: My move did not go well. I cried every day and we still have moving to do this week and deep cleaning our apartment. Many things broke but the very worst loss of all was that I lost my Diamond solitaire out of my ring. I didn’t wear it since last Wednesday and only wore my band. I had Dr appt on Monday and put on my rings and didn’t realize until I was driving that the diamond was missing. It was insured but its just not the same. I’ll tell you more about the move later when I can type without crying.

Hodgepodge this Wednesday

1.April showers bring May flowers or so the saying goes. Are you blooming where you're planted as we begin the month of May? I don’t garden but I am moving this weekend to a house with a huge yard. I could try my hand at it soon. 

 2. On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being no big deal, and 10 being full scale panic, rank your fear of spiders. Hmm, probably a 5. I spent many years growing up in the country so you just get used to them.

 3. May is National Salad Month (who knew???)...besides lettuce, what are two must-have ingredients in your favorite salad? Cheese and croutons 

 4. I mentioned on my blog last week that my Daughter1 will be moving to Washington State after she is married. Of the following sites in the Northwest, which would you most like to see in person-Crater Lake (Oregon), Seattle (Washington), Vancouver (British Columbia), San Juan Islands (Washington), Mt. Rainer (Washington) Oregon Coast (Oregon), Mt. St. Helens (Washington), or Olympic National Park (Washington) San Juan Islands and Mt St. Helens are the only two places listed I haven’t seen. I love the Pacific Northwest! I went on a girls trip through Oregon a few years ago and it was amazing! We started in Northern California and drove through the forests of Oregon and then up along the coast and went wine tasting too. I flew out of Portland back home. 

 5. This coming weekend marks the 140th running of the Kentucky Derby...when did you last race (literally or figuratively) to cross a finish line? I don’t run so it wouldn’t be literally. LOL. In order to have an answer, I would say my race for time against moving out deadline. We packed solid this past weekend and still have so much more to do. We did go recently to the horse races ( if you read last week’s post) and had a blast!! 

 6. What is something little you love? I love love love my sweet little Chihuahua mix puppy Jax! I LOVE going home and playing with him.

Jax loves work from home days. 

 I also love sweet tea. That’s a little something right? 

 7. Would you say you are more of a visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learner? Elaborate. I really am a little of all. Visual more than anything though. I’ve learned a lot as a corporate trainer on knowing my audience and making sure they connect to what I’m teaching. I always have handouts and slides. I can relate next to being a kinesthetic learner because doing it is the best way to remember and learn something. Audio works as well but you have to pay attention to tones, etc on the subject. I may need to hear it twice before I feel like I ‘know’ it.

 8. Insert your own random thought here. Tomorrow is last workday in office this week and then its Go time for the move. We sign the lease tomorrow, clean the house and move our clothes Thursday, and Friday the movers show up. We actually have until May 10 to be out of the apartment which is great so we can get everything out and cleaned. Wish us luck. So far our marriage is still intact. Hahaha!   I’m exhausted from packing and excited to see Jax’s reaction when we put him in his own back yard.

My Hodgepodge

1. April 22nd is Earth Day. Are you inspired by nature? In what way?
I am very inspired by nature. I love just looking out the window and looking at the trees the lovely flowers that are blooming, rocks along the lakes, so many things. My mom lives in Montana and is surrounded by a natural forest that is breathtaking. I love going to the beach and being surrounded by driftwood, sea moss, shells.
2. Down to earth, four corners of the earth, move heaven and earth, not have an earthly chance, or salt of the earth...which earthly idiom have you most recently encountered? Explain.
I think i'm pretty much Down to Earth. I grew up in the city, raised in the country and have wonderful old-fashioned family and friends that keep each other grounded. My grandma always said " don't forget where ya came from"! Meaning don't get too fancy and think you're above anybody.
I would move heaven and earth for my husband and closest friends and family.
3. Share one piece of advice you might give a newly engaged couple.
well, I am a newly engaged bride and we received a lot of advice leading up to the day and on the day. I would say the best advice is to truly make each other our priority and not to go to bed angry.
4. When did you last engage someone to perform a job, task, service, home repair, or improvement? On a scale of 1-10 (ten being the best) how would you rate their work and/or your satisfaction with the job or service provided?
I had my uncle take my dresser to repair because it was falling apart and he built me a brand new one from scratch. Its so beautiful and special. I blogged about it so I know there is a picture somewhere. He gets a 10+.
Last year when I moved in with Todd, the movers ruined my leather couch and scraped it and tore the backside of it. I cried and would rate them a minus 1.
5. When did you last find yourself engaged in small talk? Are you awkward or an expert or somewhere in between?
I am a corporate trainer for US and Canada for my company. I have people call me everyday that I've never met and so i'm pretty good with small talk. I guess i'd say i'm an expert since I get paid to stand up in front of people and talk /train them.
6. What was the last historic place you visited?
I was in La Grange, Texas just a few weeks ago for Antique week. You might be familiar with the famous "Chicken Ranch".
7. The world would be a better place if we just_listened closer and smiled more.

8. Insert your own random thought here.
Almost 2 weeks ago my sister-in-laws brother lost his home and a dog to a fire. He, his wife, 2 teenage kids and other dog are currently living in a hotel room . I'm amazed how people are so generous and giving when they don't know the people affected. I've had friends raise cash, gift cards, furniture, household items, you name it, for me to pass on to my friends.  They will be OK and have great attitude that its just stuff.  There are good people everywhere, everyday.
Be a blessing to someone. Say HI to a stranger, put your phone down and look people in the eye, smile.