Saturday, January 24, 2009

America, The Beautiful

Beauty pageants never were my "thing".



The thought of parading around on stage in a gown or bathing suit so someone can judge my appearance always seemed too shallow.



Yet, here I sit on the couch, watching the Miss America pageant.

I'm not really sure why. In fact, when The Man called tonight, he laughed at me.



I know that these are 52 well-rounded, intelligent women. I just wish there was a better way to showcase their depth.

I was still drawn to watching it tonight for some strange reason.



And, just like the Inauguration earlier this week, it's larger than life.



And purely American.



Ehh. What can I say? I've been feeling a little pride in our country this week.



Maybe it's because I've been digging into my new role as FRG Lead Volunteer for my husband's unit. I have a lot to learn about Family Readiness Groups (FRG), but I'm excited to jump in. I am excited to give a little of my time to our Soldiers - to help them know that their families are taken care of.

I won't ever be Miss America. The Presidency is probably out of my league. But someone has some confidence in letting me take care of some of America's VIPs.

Ehh, yeah, maybe a bit of American pride is pouring out of me...

Monday, January 19, 2009

Inauguration of the President

On the verge of the swearing in of our new President, I wonder what to expect during the next four years. I imagine the rest of the country and world are too.

I'm swept up in the details of the Inaugural. The bands. The speeches. The prayer.

The luncheon. The menu. The painting.





The floral arrangements.















The gifts. The dishes.






The parade. The balls.
I love tradition. However, I can't help but see a paradox.
On the verge of a Presidency filled with promises of change, the theme of this Inaugural just doesn't seem to fit.
I look forward to watching the Inauguration of the President tomorrow. I hope that America's past is not simply lost in the details. Yes, America is change.
I just don't want America to be lost in the change.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Before and After

I have managed to avoid my home organization projects for almost a week now. This afternoon, I decided to begin tackling the disaster.

It's pretty ugly right now.

Fortunately, things tend to get worse before they get better.

I have limited storage space, causing me to get creative. My mom and dad stopped over right about the time that the disaster was at its worst. Thankfully my parents had four daughters are used to messy rooms. What's even better is that I got an outside perspective on my "office space" from my mom. I'm hoping to carve out a little nook.

In my nook, I am going to set up a little creative area where I keep my issues of Before & After magazine (http://www.bamagazine.com/) and other inspiring items for easy access. B&A is one of my favorite ways to get out of a design rut and spark my creativity.

Now I just need a favorite way to get out of my unorganized rut and spark some storage creativity!

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Damn I look Good!

Still a bit bummed over the Unemployment Compensation, I thought starting the day with a good yoga workout would be helpful to yesterday's clinging attitude slip. I headed off to class bright and early...

After a sweat-inducing pain session, I did some cleaning and online job hunting. None of which brightened the day. I also checked on prices to visit The Man next week (my husband is in the South for the month enjoying 80 degree weather while he works on an Army assignment). No luck finding a cheap flight.

Bummer.

This evening, however, turned my attitude around.

I went to see The Midnight Swinger, my husband's favorite comedian and entertainer (www.themidnightswinger.com) . It's too bad The Man missed such a good show tonight.

Who am I kidding? It's always a good show when The Swinger is in town!

The Man thinks The Midnight Swinger is pretty much the coolest guy on the planet. I can't even begin to describe The Swinger...where to begin? His catch phrase is "Damn, I Look Good" - that pretty much sums him up.

Hilarious.

Not only did The Midnight Swinger provide excellent entertainment tonight, he'll also serve as some good ammo to use on The Man when he starts in to me on the toasty weather down south later this week.

Which reminds me...

We are preparing for the coldest temps of the winter. I may have to pull out the YouTube link of The Swinger to cheer up on the cold days later this week...join me for a good laugh!

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=the+midnight+swinger&search_type=&aq=f

Rocky road

Yesterday was a bit challenging on my positive attitude.

I woke up and began the bright, snowy day with my new work out session (plus some snow removal), and headed to my sister's house to work on a project for our mom. On my way, I picked up my niece from school. What fun!

These tiny little people come marching out the door. I saw my niece scanning the waiting moms and her eyes lit up as she saw me and ran to give me a big ol' hug. I really have the best niece and nephew a girl could ask for. And both are dang cute, too. Definitely the bright spot in my day!

On a not so positive note, I finally got through to a Claims Specialist to sign up for Unemployment Compensation. Not exactly the proudest moment of my life. Oh well, it's life, right?

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Day one without a job

Oddly enough, I woke up before my alarm clock this morning. So I stayed in bed deciding which exercise program to start this morning.

Did I mention I have gotten fat since starting this job?

I was thinking about going out for a brisk walk, but when I got up, we had snow. Shoveling my driveway may serve as my workout. It's probably less than an inch of snow, so it would be a slacker workout.

I decided to check the weather to see if any more snow is in the forecast and ended up messing with my blog.

Oops.

On to workout plan number two: Find a way to avoid leaving the house to workout.

My favorite in-home workout is www.yogatoday.com . Yoga Today has a full one-hour workout every day (and more if you're really ambitious!).

There is beautiful scenery that makes me forget about the snow. And I'm definitely sweaty when we're finished. What could be better?

Off to do some hip openers...

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Laid off?

Today I was laid off. Lost my job.

No official warning was sounded. No heads up from top management.

There were rumors.

Definitely rumors. I was called in and given a letter. And out the door I went.

Rather than let it get me down, which would be pretty easy to do, I've decided to use it as a launching point.

I had allowed my personal life to slide when I started this job. It's embarrassing to admit. I have a cluttered house, my kitchen has been neglected, and my professional growth stunted.

Join me on my journey to reclaim a life. My house will be clean. My husband will once again enjoy a healthy dinner (and occasional cookies). And my professional skills will be evaluated, honed and put to use again.