It's Friday...Finally...

Good Friday to all of those that stop by. I am so glad this week is coming to an end. I left here around noon yesterday cause I was feeling really yucky. I can't tell if it was a summer cold or allergies, whatever it is/was it made me want to just crawl in the bed.

Something is starting to annoy me. I am working with someone and they are really about to make me slap the s*** out of them. They know EVERYTHING. But in actuality they don't. I am thinking I made a big mistake when I asked for their help. Now don't get me wrong, they probably do have some institutional knowledge on subjects but they always want to play hard ball and wind up sticking their foot in their mouth and I want to put mine up their behind. Okay...enough of that.

It's Friday and my plans for the weekend are to have some fun with my sister and my baby girl G. G...has been through the last year. In the midst of all her struggles she has managed to stay on track with what she wanted in life. She is having a house warming this weekend and she and her baby girl "Pocket Book" have invited me to spend the night to get the party started early. "Pocket Book" called me Sunday in the midst of my sleep stupor and asked me to come over on Friday, she said she was going to cook for me, Chicken Nuggets and Crispy French Fries with lots of ketchup. For the last I don't know how many years I have been the protector of my baby girl "G". She is so special, a hard worker and a all around classy girl. I am so proud of her and her accomplishments. Most people get to where she is in life and act stuck up. She is very humble and keeps it real.

Well, I am going to wrap this thing up. I am hoping that I will get back with this before the weekend is out.

Holla.

Good Morning Sunshine...

What a HOOOOOOTTTTT morning...the hotter it gets the more I want to stay home and not have to put all these clothes on.

I want to say that I may not have the body of Beyonce, but I certainly don't have the body of Aretha Franklin (no disrespect the sista can blow). But I am mindful of what I put on when it is hot. I am working on some of the areas that need to be tightened so what is comfortable for some is not comfortable for me. There are waaaaaayyyyy too many people letting the belly jiggle and think that it's sexy. That mess hurts after a while. Especially when you have a lot of it. I have shedded a bit of it in the last few months. I haven't gotten on the scale. My sign is what I put on. I am not looking for a number. I am looking for a feeling.

So with the sun shining bright this morning, I had to pick the coolest outfit that I could find without being under dressed for work. I grabbed some cute strappy sandals and made sure my feet were properly moisturized...okay, let me hit that subject for a second...if you must wear sandals, please, please, please make sure that your feet are NOT jacked up. For a long time I kept my feet inside of shoes until I got over my ticklish feet problem and had the lady go to work on my feet. Now I might not be able to plop down money every other week to get them worked on but I do make sure that I keep them looking special, especially since folks are always checking out my shoes. Here is a tip: When you get out of the shower, put some type of moisturizer (Vaseline, Shea butter, Crisco, whatever) on your feet, then put some socks on your feet for while you are getting dressed and even for your commute to work. By the time you put your good sandals on your feet are looking good and feeling wonderful. Okay...great...

Anyway, things seem to be looking up at work. My boss is making progress and stirring up the waters. Let's see what the weeks end brings.

Gotta skate..

THE TONGUE ...

A Simple thought to share...

THE TONGUE CAN BE YOUR WORST ENEMY!
Your words, your dreams, and your thoughts have power to create conditions in your life.

What you speak about, you can bring about.

If you keep saying you can't stand your job, you might lose your job.

If you keep saying you can't stand your body, your body can become sick.

If you keep saying you can't stand your car, your car could be stolen or just stop operating.

If you keep saying you're broke, guess what? You'll always be broke.

If you keep saying you can't trust a man or trust a woman, you will always find someone in your life to hurt and betray you.

If you keep saying you can't find a job, you will remain unemployed.

If you keep saying you can't find someone to love you or believe in you; your very thought will attract more experiences to confirm your beliefs.

If you keep talking about a divorce or break up in a relationship, then you might end up with it.

Turn your thoughts and conversations around to be more positive and power packed with faith, hope, love and action.

Don't be afraid to believe that you can have what you want and deserve.

Watch your Thoughts, they become words.

Watch your words, they become actions.

Watch your actions, they become habits.

Watch your Habits, they become character.

Watch your Character, for it becomes your Destiny.

The minute you settle for less than you deserve, you get even less than you settle for.

Thought I would share this with you.

In the search for me, I discovered truth.

In the search for truth, I discovered love.

In the search for love, I discovered GOD.

And in God, I have found everything.

Be Blessed.

Watch how your circumstances and situations begin to change when you change the way you speak.

One Week Later...

My apologies for the delay...Belgium was wonderful. I ate too much bread.

After leaving the Chateau, I checked into the Hilton, more to my American hotel standards except the TV thing. Trying to find something in English was a slight challenge. Note to self: Take some DVD's next time to watch on the laptop. I visited 3 other hotels while I was in the country. The Crowne Plaza was a dump. The Conrad was AWESOME, but was sooo far out of our price range, two words, TEAK FLOORS...when I walked in I knew I would be dreaming. The Renaissance Hotel was great, very high class. They had the best rated security in the country. While doing my tour the guy pointed out the European Union Headquarters campus which was in walking distance. I was expecting something different but it was very nice.

I return to work on the 25th and by around 12 noon I was done. I was ready to leave. I wasn't feeling this place and was glad that I got a "vacation". I sent my boss a two sentence email stating my corporate displeasure and followed it with a call that said I wouldn't be performing any work for the rest of the day. He understood and told me to take the rest of the day to collect my thoughts. Now I know you may be wondering what transpired, and believe me I am going to share. I will start as close to the beginning as possible without completely boring you.

I have worked myself into a frenzy for the majority of the time that I have been with this company. And have just about broke my back whenever someone asked me to do something. Because I have been taught to represent myself well, I make sure that my work speaks for itself. I do my best to do my best. For the umpteenth time since my employment here a pissy little email comes out announcing promotions. And once again, who's name is NOT on this email...the same group of folks get put on this freaking list and if anyone checked the workload that I carry I should have made the list at least 2 years ago. My boss sent a very detailed email to the principles of the company basically asking them WTF. He called me and stated that he would be making a formal request and would be pushing for a promotion. I am totally not annoyed with my boss. He is wonderful, and that is not a joke. He stands by me and supports me with everything that I do. It is the folks above him that show preferential treatment. It's annoying.

Anyway...My mantra for today...Today Is A New Day Forget About The Drama From Yesterday Frustration Don't Pay So Cast All The Negative Things Away See Everything Got Lighter After I Prayed And I Said God Just Go Ahead And Do Yo Thang Cause I'm Not The Same Woman I Was Yesterday, Hey Now Feel Real Good Today This Is The Day That The Lord Has Made Hey Now Put A Smile On My Face And Know That Everythings Gonna Be Okay Hey Now Gotta Sing My Song Keep It, Hey Now

Bon Jour

I am able to do the darn thing...I had to buy a Wi-Fi Access card. It has taken me about 30 mintues to get the darn thing to work.

I arrived safely in Belgium. The darn google thing is in another language so I have to remember what the links mean so I can do this right.

My flight was okay. I got a window seat. There was some JERK in front of me that put his seat back immediately so my tray table was really close. I wanted to slap him on his bald head. The guy that was in the middle seat had some type of handicap and needed an aisle seat but the guy on the aisle had a handicap too...it was his belly. He wasn't going to work on the middle seat. Middle seat guy found a seat next to his wife on the otherside of the plane and it game aisle seat guy and I some space.

I pulled out my iPod and started to tune out everyone. I dozed off but I knew I was smelling food. I had almost missed the cart and would have been hungry. I have been eating a little meat this week. I had chicken on the plane. But you know airplane portions are the correct size to eat so I wasn't completely stuffed.

I am in my room working on my report. Nickelodeon in French is strange. SpongeBob and Jimmy Neutron are a trip. Good thing I seen these episodes.

I am waiting for some from IT to contact me about making my flash drive work. They have so many administrative rights on this stupid laptop that it is pissing me off.

I will load pictures when I can get them in the right place.

Toodles.

Trying to play catch up...

Whew...I just checked and see that I missed several days. My bad...I I have been extremely busy.

It is Sunday morning and I am at Willow Valley resort in Lancaster, PA. We are on our annual Father's Day trip. Disney is next year.

Friday on our way here we ran into a slight snag...we got to close to the Harbor Tunnel and were stuck in traffic. We seen a Police Helicopter buzzing around but thought it may have been an accident. So my sister and brother in law were just talking and waiting out the traffic. I was in the driver seat and brother was in the front. We decided we better call mom and dad and tell them to take McHenry tunnel. What happens next tripped us out. Brother looked over to the right and seen this guy coming out of the drain pipe. We were shocked, he started walking up toward the road and was looking really scared. I checked to make sure my doors were locked, and made sure not to make direct eye contact. This fella started testing door handles of those looking forward and not paying attention to him walking up to his car. He was covered with mud and sewage. He got to the car directly in front of us and got in the front seat with the driver. He looked and him and from the movement the driver was telling him it would be best that he got out of the car. This escapee clearly didn't have a weapon otherwise he could have been dangerous. So he got out and started looking for another victim, still avoiding eye contact he tried a van, a car with a woman alone and then he got in the car right next to us. I immediately grabbed my cell phone. It was clear this was the reason traffic was held up. Sister was on the look out for where his next move would be. He sat in the car next to us for about 2 minutes trying to convince the driver to let him stay. This was getting weird. 911 answered and I gave them our mile marker location and described the guy and the car he was currently in. Sister starts screaming in the back I thought he was heading for out car. Apparently the car he got in was some type of police or special agent he flashed a badge and a gun and the guy jumped out and was back on the side running. Everyone in our immediate area were on their cell phones trying to report what was going on. The helicopter and several cars caught up with him and eventually put him in the truck. I was relieved.

Note to everyone...LOCK YOUR DOORS. This could have been a really bad situation.

Anyway, the rest of the weekend has run pretty smoothly. We did dinner Friday night at the hotel buffet, all meals are included here. I was competing with my nephew so I didn't get a chance to really eat. Saturday I did have a good breakfast with my dad. There was a men's conference at this resort and my dad was asking if I seen anything I was interested in, he was going to be my set up man. UGH...he makes me sound desperate. Saturday afternoon we took the kids to Dutch Wonderland...that was my first time, I think, maybe I went when I was little but I really don't remember. We rode a few rides and I ate a huge funnel cake. My stomach was hurting really bad. Sister poured a cup of ice down my back and I was slightly annoyed, I was glad it was hot otherwise I probably would have returned the "favor".

We were scheduled to have game night Saturday night but Big Sister and I fell asleep and "Sibs with Kids" had family time at the pool. Mom and Dad were knocked out as well.

I have been up since 5 this morning, I had to take my weekend clothes out of my suitcase and get ready for my trip to Belgium. I showered and took a walk. Popped my earphones in my ears and found some good Sunday inspirational music to listen to. I sat and watched the ducks do their thing and walked around the pond. I watched the kitchen staff scurry around to set up for the brunch. I leave here at 11 to get on the train.

I have my laptop and if I can get on line I will be updating you about my trip.

If I don't get to it, have a wonderful week and I will catch you when I get back.

Missed a beat...

Yesterday I was seriously scrambled to confirm my reservations at hotels and get my schedule together for those that need to know where I will be.

I was asked some ignorant a** questions by staff like:

• why are you flying coach? HELLO, THE GOVERNMENT IS PAYING
• why not fly first class? HELLO, AGAIN THE GOVERNMENT IS PAYING
• why is the per diem so much? HAVE YOU EVER CHECKED THE EXCHANGE RATE OF THE EURO
• are you scared to go by yourself? HAVE YOU EVER READ MY RESUME, I HAVE DONE THIS BEFORE
• where is Belgium? WHAT GRADE DID YOU GET IN GEOGRAPHY, GOOGLE IT FOR CRYING OUT LOUD

Don't get me wrong, I am grateful for the opportunity to travel but it just doesn't come at a very convenient time for me.

Anyway, there was a bit of a buzz around the office yesterday and folks were getting so out of had. It is going to make some ladies take a good look at themselves in the morning before they walk out of the house. If you know what you are wearing is going to "raise" the attention of every male and some females that you walk past, you might want to change it unless you are going to the club. The workplace has become slack on dress codes and some people take business casual to the extreme. I know some days I may be a little off point but I try not to do it too often. I may not have the body of a aerobics instructor but I can turn a head or two. You don't have to be rail thin to make men pay attention.

That's enough for now. I have to go tie up some loose ends around this place.

Later.

Fast Track this week...PLEASE...

The weekend was painful...I had to get a root canal on Saturday. The 3rd in 3 months. UGH...my teeth are shot on one side. I grind my teeth and forget to put my guard in at night.

I decided that I was going to lay off meet for a few weeks. I am going to take the veggie alternative when I can. It is a little difficult when you leave with meat eaters. That will be changing for me soon.

I don't remember if I told you about a class project that we have. We have to track all our expenses for 30 days. So, Saturday I went to the grocery store to stock up for lunch and dinner for the week. As I rounded the corner, I seen one of my classmates, she had a cart full of stuff. It was so funny because we immediately start justifying our purchases to each other. She was telling me her husband doesn't eat leftovers so she always has to buy a lot of stuff. I brought just enough stuff for this week. I know I need to eat smaller portions and more frequently. I loaded my lunch bag with fruit, salad and some vegetarian turkey salad (it's an acquired taste made with soy).

My teeth are really getting on my nerves, I am having a really hard time chewing on my left side. I could slap both my dentist and endodontist (sp). They have made a killing off of me. What do we have health insurance for if I have to pay out of pocket for everything. UGH!!!

Anyway, I have to finish scheduling appointments for next weeks trip to Belgium and need to see what bills need to be paid.

Talk to you guys later.

Trying to Chill on this Oppresively Hot Day!!!

UGH!!! When I get up in the morning I do not like to hear my air kicking on. It was going to be one of those days. I had to rethink what I was wearing today. I wanted to wear a tank and some shorts but my body is not there and the office ain't ready for that gear. It was one of those days that you want to just lay in the bed with the ceiling fan on high, with a cool drink in one hand and the remote in the other.

My nephew is here with me today. My sister works on the other side of the suite and she had a meeting so I am baby sitting. He has been entertaining the ladies around her with his mega watt gums showing. He finally took his nosy behind to sleep. I had to close the door so they would stop coming in here. Folks have been in my office that NEVER come in here to speak to me but want to touch my baby boy. Uh, No..I need you to step out.

I have firmed up my reservations for my trip to Belgium. I am going to have a good time. I have been talking to the Sales Managers at the hotels and they are going to make sure they suck up to me really good. I may splurge and get a massage at the Chateau one day. Not sure if I am going to get to blog while I am gone but I am going to try.

No major plans for the weekend. Just doing laundry and trying to get my stuff together to get out of here. I don't need to take much. I promised myself I wasn't going to over pack.

Have a good weekend...stay cool. Summer is coming with a vengeance.

Soulmates or Playmates?

A good friend sent me this today...it really made me think about this whole relationship thing. I am not currently in a relationship but as I begin to prepare myself for "something new" I need to take all of this into consideration...thanks friend...I hope that you find it somewhat interesting.

Soulmates or Playmates?

In our quest for happiness we must be sure that we don't settle for a Playmate when God has a Soul mate waiting for us. Sometimes this is a hard distinction to make. Playmates are tricky. They are so much fun to be with that even the smartest of us will be fooled into thinking this has to be our Soul mate. Worse yet too many of us attempt to make a Soul mate out of a Playmate.

The danger of this is that later, after years of playing we will meet our Soul mate, but it may be too late. We may have already made a Life mate of our Playmate and created life-long bonds (emotional, children, etc.). Or we may have been hurt from playing so hard that we are in no shape ourselves to be anyone's anything. How can we distinguish between the One, and just another one? First, we must be open with ourselves about who we really are and what our soul yearns for. Only you and God know what is truly in your heart and mind.

Only you know what will make you truly happy and whole. In order to find your Soul mate you have to know you, first. You must be willing to listen to that inner voice. And is that voice telling you that the nerdy person you enjoy talking and sharing your thoughts with, could be him? What about that friend who is always willing to go the extra mile for you when no one else will.

Oh no! He's too short or too tall, balding or too hairy,and on and on? Just too ordinary looking for me!

Then there's that girl who makes you feel so special when you're around her, but she doesn't match that ideal you have conjured in your head. She's too tall, not slender enough, not light or dark enough, not shapely enough, not attractive enough, and on and on. She just couldn't be for me! So what if he or she doesn't look like Shemar Moore or Vivica Fox. Is he or she going to treat you like the jewel that you are?

Not only that, his or her soul and yours will commune in ways you never imagined possible! In order to heed that voice, we have to put on the back burner our own superficial thinking. Could it be that your inner desire is for a truly genuine person with a good heart? If you enjoy playing, stay on the playground. There are plenty of Playmates out there to occupy your time.

But don't spend too much time playing or you may play your life away. Eventually the playing loses it appeal and your soul begins to crave a deeper, more meaningful connection. Your soul begins to crave your Soul mate.

WOW...that was good...

New Adventure

Last night I began taking classes for the Maryland Homebuyers program. I want to become a homeowner. I was feeling a little leery when I first got there because I wasn't sure if it was a scam. My thoughts changed as the presentation went on. I have 3 more days that I need to go so I should be feeling really good by the 14th, the last day of class.

I am in the process of making my travel arrangements for my trip over the big pond. I am trying to find some really nice hotels to visit to help our client make the decision. Here are my choices so far: The Hilton, The Conrad, Chateau de Limelette. My first choice is The Conrad, second the Chateau and Hilton last. We will see how it pans out. Let me know what you think.

My boss was still out today, he really is sick. He is going to the doctor, if he doesn't have a note when he comes in here tomorrow I am going to official write him up.

This trip is a lot closer than I thought. I can't blog anymore right now I gotta make some arrangements. Unfortunately everyone is gone overseas so I have to send emails now and follow up in the morning.

TTFN.

Wow....I have been busy....

Today is Tuesday...I think....My boss was out yesterday. He is developing a pattern, I think I am going to write him up. He goes on vacation for a week and then he gets "sick" so he needs an additional day or two off. He calls me coughing and sniffling saying he caught a cold. Likely story. He partied to much and needs some days to recoup. :)

I just got off of a conference call, I am going to Brussels, Belgium in a few days for a week. I have mixed emotions. I am leaving on Father's Day. Every year I have gone somewhere in the middle of our Father's Day trips. One trip I caught only dinner the first night with all my family, I was up at the crack of dawn to fly to San Francisco for a meeting. The next year I was flying in from Atlanta to meet my family for our trip. Last year I had no interruptions but I was in Disney for a week, I got sick on the plane and actually passed out for about 5 minutes. That was scary. So I am trying to get them to fly me from where I am so that I don't miss the time with my dad. I live with my dad but he looks forward to spending the time away with his children and grandchildren.

I was very close to catching an assault charge this morning. I had to go in the bathroom and pray and ask for forgiveness for the evil thoughts that I was thinking. I actually yelled at someone that came in my office and put them out. I locked my door and wouldn't even look up when people kept stopping to look in the window to see if I was okay. I had to ask the companies policy for bailing employees out of jail for assault charges if the person deserved it. I was told that if it is in reason and that I had justifiable cause they would help me out. I felt good about that and will be storing that information in my memory bank.

Gotta skate. I have another conference call in a few minutes. I need to call my boss and prep him.

No Different today...

By the way, I did get up and go to church this morning. And as usual, I had a wonderful time. I am encouraged to go through this week. I started reading a new book Dream Walker.

I have some goals to accomplish before the end of the year. I am about to "Walk It Out" my dreams will be a reality before my next birthday.

OUCH!!!! But in a good way....

It has taken me this long to get myself together...I did the "Race for the Cure" yesterday morning...And I am sooooo proud of myself.

I was up EARLY to get to my rides house. She is a stickler for being on time :). I got there and I was PUMPED.

Let me start by saying I had to really psyche myself up major. I went Friday and purchased and iPod...only about 4o years late. My mother had one and I didn't. I knew I was behind the times. Anyway, I loaded it up with some of my favorite stuff and was ready to conquer those 3 miles.

After getting to near our designated location me and Quiet Riot got snagged by a TV report to ask us about our participation. We chatted and then went live. She caught us off guard by asking about the amount of money we raised...we were looking STUPID but recovered nicely. After our 2 minutes of fame we tried to locate the rest of our team. NO LUCK!!! They were lost among the millions of people that were out there. Question: What is the use of having a cell phone if you are not going to answer it? We did locate a few smart people that had their phones on. Around 8:15 we took off walking. TM, Quiet Riot, and Queenie are in much better shape than I am. They actually go to the gym. I do my thing. We I was determined not to let them leave me or call me a slacker. I turned on my iPod and got myself together. It was easy starting out. Just like trying to find the perfect pair of shoes in the mall. I was on a mission. I was going around people. Putting on my mental turn signal and going around folks. We were calling out signals. To the Left, To the Right, Sidewalk...Excuse me, Sorry, were the words that kept coming out of my mouth. Step, Step, Quick Step, Step, Quick Step, Side Step, Take a Sip, Keep breathing, You can do it. And then it happened...I hit the wall...I thought for a moment...get to the nearest subway and tell the crew you will meet them at the end. And then I looked at the Pink Shirts passing me...Women that had survived and were walking. I looked at their determination, children, husbands, fathers, brothers, sisters, cousins, uncles...everyone on a mission....I sucked up some water and kept it moving...I felt Quiet Riot or Queenie pushing me in my back. I honestly started to turn around and slap them but I knew that would be in appropriate. We passed the 2 mile mark. It was pretty much down hill then. I picked up my pace, put on a good song (Not Peabo Bryson, thank you Quiet Riot) and got to moving...the ladies turned around to see where I was and I was turning around looking at them looking for me. In my mind I was cracking up. But my legs were telling me to stop. Almost to the finish and I see TM and Quiet Riot start running. We have about 1/2 mile to go. So I start a quick jog. We finished and took some photos and I literally wanted to scream out for my completion. I was thankful to God for giving me the determination to do that thing.

We are going to train to run next year. Gotta find a trainer, not a Nazi but an encourager.

Real Quick...Former Carpooler...

Let me say something real quick...my former carpooler and I did not fall out. Just in case anyone knows both of us. We had a schedule conflict. She is in school (YEAH, I am so happy for her) and she goes to the gym. She really helped me out when I was having some transportation issues. We were a benefit to each other, she had the wheels and I had the parking pass.

We still talk. We had some GREAT conversations and venting sessions. Sometimes we would have to see who had the juiciest news to share on the way home. We plotted and schemed and really encouraged each other during our morning commutes.

Now let her tell it, I drive like a grandma. And I would say that she drives like Danika Patrick (the NASCAR girl). But we never had an accident and got to where we needed to go.

Love you girl...just in case you are reading this. ;)

It's HOOOOOTTTTT!!!!

Good morning...it's hot outside. And folks are taking Nelly seriously they are taking off ALL DA CLOTHES!!! I am begging them to put them back on.

I am trying my best to stay cool today. I am listening to Steve Harvey Freedom Friday...they are playing Michael Jackson, I feel like getting up and dancing. I got one move, two steps, side to side with an occasional dip. It is never played out. Old School dancing.

I went and did a little shopping last night. Glad to say that I am feeling more comfortable in my clothes. I am not "dieting", I am monitoring what I eat and it helps. I haven't eaten red meat or pork in about 7 years but I love bread and potatoes and occasionally have been known to go crazy on some junk food. My former carpooler used to bake and she always had something good. I would get to be the sampler and I wasn't turning anything down.

Oh NO!!! Brickhouse is on...man if I keep "monitoring" folks won't be able to stand me. I will never sit down. Give me a second gotta snap my fingers and sing along. 36-24-36 oh what a winning hand...I'm a brick house...I am stacked ain't holding nothing back...get it girl....

Okay I am back. I started keeping a food journal a few years ago to see what was triggering my weight gain and the sweets had it as well as the evil soda monster...I was a PEPSI drinker major. I had them in the car, in my bed room, in my desk drawer. And not the cans, I was drinking the big bottles...ice cold with the moisture beads running down the side....Ah...memories. Back to the journal. If you have never done it, it will help you find out what your major strengths and weaknesses are. I also noticed that I hadn't been drinking nearly enough water...the Pepsi was making me think I had enough fluid. Now I can't get enough of water and natural juices...watch that sugar intake though.

Tomorrow is Race For the Cure...I am looking forward to being amongst so many strong women, survivors and those that are in the battle. Those that are doing it in memory of a loved one. It is an honor to do this.

I am sure that tomorrow I will be trying to get my legs to function and may not be able to blog about the race but I will get to it Sunday. So if you read me...catch me on Sunday.

Smoochies...