Choosing Joy #28

Today I spent some one-on-one time with my Mom. We worked on her getting her computer up and running properly and I showed her how to get on a wireless network, how to use her new printer/fax/copier that we bought yesterday. When I'm with her, I realize how much I'm like her in a lot of ways.

My joy was spending time with Mom

Until next time,

Kel

Choosing Joy #27

Wow. The last 11 days have been so filled with joy for me that today, I'm struggling to figure out what my joy is.

But, I had lunch with my long-time friend Debra today. When I moved to CA in 1989, Deb and I started working at the law firm on the same day. We immediately became friends, and she showed me the ropes in the "big city." I've watched her three children grow up into fine young adults (gah - I'm old!) and think of her often, always thankful that she took me under her wing when I was new in town.

Over the last few years, she's moved to North Carolina and 3 years ago, she and her husband Ray landed in New Orleans, just before Hurricane Katrina. Each time I've visited, we've missed each other. She and Ray are moving to Houston next week (Deb - you got a thing for hurricane cities?), so this was my best opportunity to see her one last time, without having to go intrude on her in Houston.

Today, I found my joy reconnecting with my friend Debra.

Until Next Time,

Kel

Choosing Joy #26

I missed the boat on having children and at 46, I'm not about to start now. But, I'm blessed that my sister Jamie asked me to be godmother to her first child, Christian. And, three years ago, I was blessed again when my cousin Ryan and his wife Ruth asked me to be godmother to their daughter Adrienne.

I love these two kids (and also my nephew Nick!) to death! I enjoy spoiling them every chance I get. I've always felt a special bond with Christian, even though we live so far away from each other. I'm developing a great relationship with Adrienne, who I get to see often as we only live a couple of hours from each other.

Today, my joy was seeing both of my godchildren at the same time!

Until next time,

Kel

Choosing Joy #25

I got more puppy love today! A family friend, Ellie, adopted a Yorkie pup recently and she invited me over for dinner tonight to introduce me to little Dickens. He is a cute little guy with an outgoing personality and lots and lots of energy. Don't forget, Aero's 13 now and has slowed down considerably, so watching Dickens bouncing around, chasing toys and expending all that energy made me tired! The only time he wasn't moving was when he pooped himself out and took a brief nap...

My joy today was the sweet puppy kisses that Dickens was more than happy to give!

Until next time,

Kel

Choosing Joy #24

It's the day after Christmas. It's kind of a let down after the fun and excitement of presents, good food and good company on Christmas day.

I had some fun today when I took my nephew, Nicholas, to Sonic for lunch. I've never been to a Sonic (there's none in the Bay Area) before, and he told me it's one of his favorite places. I had a gift card that my Secret Sister sent me last month, so we enjoyed ourselves sitting outside and scarfing burgers, tater tots and drinks.

Today my joy was spending time with Nicholas!

Until next time,

Kel

Choosing Joy #23

Merry Christmas!!!


This morning I woke up feeling weepy. I tried to fight the tears as much as I could, but at some point, my Mom asked me what was wrong, and I just burst into tears. I couldn't explain it. I pulled myself together as much as I could and went to my sister Jamie's house to celebrate Christmas day with everyone.



I got there and felt ok; my Godson, Christian, gave me a gift that he picked out himself - a chain with a circular pendant with pink and white stones, and a matching set of pink and white earrings. Well, when I opened it, the water works started. I completely lost it!

Somewhere in the tears, I found joy: the love I can give and receive from my godson, Christian.

Until next time,



Kel

Choosing Joy #22

It's Christmas Eve and I'm Marrero with my family. This is the first Christmas I've been here since 1999 - when we were all worried that Y2K was going to wipe us out!

My sister Jamie had us all over for the evening for a pajama party and white elephant gift exchange. We had such a great time, laughing, telling jokes and unwrapping our gag gifts.

Tonight, my joy is being with my family.

Until next time,

Kel

Choosing Joy #21

I'm missing the little dog these days. I've talked to Carol, my dog sitter extraordinaire, and Aero's getting along just fine without me. He's having fun with all the other dogs that are spending their Christmas vacations with her.

But, even while I'm gone, I can find some "doggy joy" when I see 3 of my other favorite little furry friends - Stella, my sister's Dachshund, and Katie and Shou Shou, my Mom and Dad's neighbor's little Shih Tzus. They're all adorable and they just crack me up.

Stella has a big personality for a little dog. I don't think she realizes she's as small as she is. And Katie and Shou Shou - well, they are just the sweetest little dogs I've ever met! It's very sweet of their Mom, Jane, to always stop by when I'm visiting so I can say hi to the girls!

Until Next Time,

Kel

Christmas Vacation: Monday's Adventure

I woke up crabby this morning. It's typical for a Monday morning, even though I didn't have to get dressed to go to work today. My Mom and Dad invited me to go furniture shopping with them and the interior designer who's helping them with their new house. I went along, figuring what the heck, it was better than sitting around the house watching tv.


The furniture store was huge - they actually have a set path that you follow as you go from staged room to staged room. I'm guessing that if you didn't have a salesperson with you, you could make a wrong turn and get lost and never be found again. We spent 2 hours there, and in that 2 hours, my Mom (and Gerald, the designer) with Dad's agreement and some input from me, picked out 2 bedroom sets, a dining room set, living room furniture, pieces for her 'reading room' and a server for a wall near the kitchen! I was quite impressed with my Mom's ability to go right to the piece that she visioned in her new house. She could make up her mind quickly and didn't ever doubt her choice. It'll be fun to see it all in the house when they move in.

Of course, shopping for big ticket items can leave you hungry, so we went to a local sandwich shop for roast beef po-boys. Yum-mmmy!!!! It was so sloppy that I think I had gravy dripping down to my elbows. The only good roast beef po-boy is a messy roast beef po-boy.

We came home and hung out for the evening; Jamie, Clif and the boys came over later and had dinner with us. It was a nice, relaxing evening.

Coming Up: The Piggly Wiggly

Until Next Time,

Kel

Choosing Joy #20

Today, joy was easy to choose and it lasted for most of the day.

I went furniture shopping with my Mom and Dad (more on this adventure in my "Christmas Vacation" post) and I got to watch the two of them have so much fun going from room to room, picking out the things that will make their new house a place of comfort and beauty for the rest of their lives. It's been a long time since I've seen them truly joyous and not worrying about what will happen next spring when the rains come...

That's my Dad checking out one of the chairs that my Mom picked out for her new reading room. The chair is her favorite purchase.

Until next time,

Kel

Choosing Joy #19

The lights. The electronic whizzes and whirs. Ding ding ding ding.

Wondering what the heck I'm talking about?

Well today, I spent the afternoon at Harrah's casino in New Orleans. I admit it. I love to gamble. I'm drawn to the video slots and triple play double-double bonus video poker machines. I could sit there for hours, lost in my own little world, just pushing buttons and listening to the sounds the machines make and getting excited when I hit a bonus round or get dealt a winning hand.

Yeah, my joy today was going to a casino, even though I didn't win.

Until Next Time,

Kel

Christmas Vacation: Whew! I Made It!

After the excitement of Thursday morning, I was glad when the plane touched down at New Orleans International. The only thing I wasn't too glad about was the heat: it was a balmy 79 degrees! Quite a shock to my system after the cold weather we'd had in CA for the last week.

The next hurdle of the day was to get the rental car. It wasn't too bad. The lady who drove the shuttle bus was hilarious! It was just the dose of southern hospitality I needed to get me in the mood for my visit home. She insisted on showing me the pictures of the snowmen her children had made when it snowed in N.O. last week...

My only problem was that the car was small and kinda stinky. If I hadn't been so hot and tired, I would have gone back to the terminal to demand a new car. But, I didn't want to trudge back onto the shuttle bus and drag all my stuff back to the counter to start the fight, so I took the car.

The drive home was uneventful, thank goodness. I nearly passed up my Dad standing on the driveway of the house they're renting because I was too busy looking down the street at the roofline of the new house!

It was so great to see my parents again! They visited me in September of 2007 when they spent 3 weeks at my house on their 7 week journey around the country in their RV. Our reunion was long overdue.

Until Next Time,

Kel

Choosing Joy #18

It's the Saturday before Christmas and because of my trip, I haven't bought any Christmas presents. I figured why buy them in CA and ship them to LA - just buy them when I'm in town, right?

Oy. I went out shopping with my sister Jamie today. It's crazy out there! At one mall, we circled the parking lot for 20 minutes! It reminded me of why I usually shop all year long.

But, the bright spot in the day was when Jamie took me to a scrapbook store! That was my joy for the day. It's always fun to explore scrapbook stores in other cities and meet fellow scrapping enthusiasts. Of course, there were things I just HAD to buy because a girl can never have too many scrapping supplies.... Right?

Until next time,

Kel

Choosing Joy #17

Today, I saw my parents' new post-Katrina home for the first time. It's been three long years in the making, but it's finally becoming a reality. They're just a few days from moving in - the contractor is doing all the finishing work now.

My joy today was seeing the happiness, excitement, anticipation and relief in my parents' faces as they showed me around the house that they'll live out the rest of their lives in.

It was quite a moment.

Until Next Time,

Kel

Christmas Vacation: I Didn't Know I Had to Do That

When I arrived at the airport, the line to go through security didn't seem so bad. I'm guessing there were about 20 people in line ahead of me. We all inched through the queue slowly and as we got closer, people started taking off their shoes and jackets and pulling laptops out of bags and preparing for the x-ray and scanning operations.

This is my first time traveling with my CPAP machine. So, when I got to the front of the line, I used four little gray bins: one for my shoes and jacket, one for my pink carry on bag, one for the laptop and one for the bag with the CPAP. The people behind me just looked at me like I was nuts.

Got through the scanner rather quickly, and as I waited for my four bins, a TSA agent came over with my blue CPAP bag in her hand saying "Miss, is this your bag?" I panicked as I said yes. "Well, you're supposed to take this machine out before the x-ray, so I'm going to have to take it over here and remove it from the bag and inspect it." No problem by me - I figured it would give me time to put on my shoes and get the laptop back in it's bag. It took her a few minutes to do her thing and when she returned with the bag, she reminded me that from now on I needed to take the machine out of the bag for security. I apologized to her for causing the delay, explaining that this was the first time I traveled with it and didn't know that I had to do that. Much to my surprise, she was very nice and said "no problem at all, have a great flight!"

I guess on the 31st I'm going to use 5 gray bins....

Next up: Flying just isn't what it used to be.

Until Next Time,

Kel

Christmas Vacation: And the Fun Begins...

I think I finally fell asleep last night around midnight. And the alarm went off at exactly 3:30 a.m. That gave me an hour and 20 minutes to shower, get ready, close up the suitcase, walk Aero and be prepared for the Super Shuttle to pick me up for my ride to the airport. Of course, I was ready at 4:30, so I had plenty of time to spend with Aero and console myself for leaving him for so long.

The shuttle arrived at exactly 4:53 a.m. Not bad; they're usually running in that 15 minute window they tell you about. There were already 3 other people on board when I got in; after me, the driver headed toward Foster City and another pickup.

This is when the fun began. He gets to a townhouse in a huge complex and blows the horn (the person was not outside waiting). A woman comes out on the top of the steps and starts screaming at the driver. He mutters something about not picking up her luggage as he stepped out of the van. As we watched the drama unfold, she carries a small child down the stairs and puts her down on the sidewalk, where the little girl starts screaming at the top of her lungs. The woman is yelling into her cell phone while the driver is dragging 2 very large suitcases down the stairs. As she gets into the van with the child (still yelling into the phone), the poor driver loads up her 2 suitcases, 3 carry-ons and car seat into the back of the van. Her conversation gets louder and louder: she's on the phone with the shuttle company complaining about how late the driver is and she needs extra time because she's traveling alone with the small child and why couldn't she be picked up when she wanted to and she's not paying for this trip.... It just went on and on. The lady in the seat next to me just looked at me and rolled her eyes. It was so hard not to smack that rude woman on the back of the head.

As we pull away from her place, she starts telling the drive which way to go and to not use his GPS system because it's all wrong. Now, don't forget, she's still on the phone yelling at the shuttle company. We get about a 1/2 mile from her house and she starts screaming "OMG! OMG! Where is it? Where's my pocketbook? Stop the van! Stop the van now!!" As the driver pulls over, my seatmate and I have another eye rolling session and we hear harrumphs from the men in the seat behind us. So, screaming woman gets out of the van with the driver and proceeds to start pulling out all of the luggage from the back of the van, screaming at him the whole time asking what did he do with her pocketbook. When she finally returns to the van, she tells the driver "Look, you have to turn around and take me home. I have to get my pocketbook. I can't go to the airport without my id or my money." Yes, more eye rolling from rows 2 and 3.

So, we turn around and go back to her house. She runs in and gets the pocketbook. We're back on the road at 5:25 a.m.

We're cruising up the highway in the fast lane and are about two minutes from the airport when I get a feeling of calm about me. We'll make it in pretty good time. The line for security won't be so bad. And then it happened. BAM!!!!! We all heard the noise, followed by the driver quickly crossing 4 lanes of traffic to get to the side of the road. I suddenly lost that sense of calm and quickly felt panic. The driver gets out and surveys the van. He gets back in and one of the men behind me says "it's flat, huh?" "Yes, it is flat" was the reply in very broken English. Yep, more eye rolling.

The driver got on the phone right away with the shuttle company to report the situation and request another van. Because we were so close to the airport, he assured us that it wouldn't take more than about 10 minutes for a new van to come and rescue us. Oh, miss screaming woman? Of couse she pitched a fit and fell right in it about how late she was going to be now that this happened. Yeah, carma's a bitch, lady.

So, she gets on her phone and calls the highway patrol: "I'm on a SuperShuttle van that's got a flat tire at such-and-such location and you need to send a patrolman to our location because they want us to get out of this van and walk along the highway with all this traffic in the dark to get into another van and I have a 2 year old child and it's just not safe to do that and I want a cop here to protect us." I'm thinking lady, you can stay your butt on this van as long as you want to but I'm certainly hopping onto the next shuttle when it arrives!

6:10 and the new van arrives, but no highway patrol. Guess who's the first one off the van and pushing her way into the new one? Um-hmm. Screaming woman. I found it rather comical.

We were on the road by 6:20, and pulling onto the airport property before 6:30. I breathed a sigh of relief when screaming woman said she was going to fly Continental (which was the first shuttle stop) and I'm flying American. I was afraid to be on the plane with her - afraid her bad carma would follow her onto the flight! When the gentlemen in the seat behind me got up to leave at their stop, they both laughed and said they hoped that that screaming woman would make it to her final destination ok! Even the lady sitting next to me had a good laugh.

I checked my bag at 6:40 and proceeded to the security line.

Next up: I Didn't Know I Had to Do That....

Until Next Time,

Kel

Choosing Joy #16

Today, choosing joy was easy: I'm choosing my whole day as my joy!!!

You see, today was my long-awaited trip home to be with my family for the holidays! There was nothing that could go wrong that I was going to let ruin my day. I wanted to be happy when I arrived at my parents' rental home today and saw them for the first time in 14 months.

I'll be blogging about my trip here, so tune in if you like to hear about families at the holidays. I'm sure it's going to be interesting.

Until Next Time,

Kel

Choosing Joy #15

It's not the night before Christmas, but it's the night before flight. Yep, tomorrow morning at 7:25, I'll be on a plane headed to New Orleans to spend Christmas with my family, hopefully in my parents' new house.

I'm just about packed; all I need to do is add my stuff that I'll use to get ready in the morning and I'm done. The house is fairly neat (because Carol, my dog sitter, will be stopping by to pick up Aero in the morning after I'm gone) and everything's quiet.

For about the last hour, I've been sitting on the couch with Aero curled up in my arms. I think he knows that I'm leaving and he's not coming with me. We're both kinda sad, but I've chosen to make this my joy - cuddling with that silly little dog who brings so much joy to my life.

I'm gonna miss him for the next two weeks....

Until Next Time,

Kel

My Last Day of Boot Camp....

This morning was my last chance to go to boot camp for this session. Oh, there's one more on Friday morning, but I'll be in New Orleans with my family by then, so I won't get to join Denise and the other girls for the last morning of torture.

While I'm kinda mad that I won't make it, I'm still proud of myself for signing up and going to this session of BC. While at first I thought it was easier, with each session, Denise pulled out all the stops and by this morning, I had to admit, it was hard again. But I did it.

I'm hoping that she'll offer a New Year's Boot Camp to work off all that great home cooking I'll be eating over the next two weeks!

Oh, and Santa, if you're watching, I've been good about keeping up with my exercise this year!!!

Until Next Time,

Kel

Choosing Joy #14

Tuesdays always seem to be long days for me. I don't know why, but they just seem to be longer than any other day of the week. Today is no exception.

With my trip home in just 2 days, my lunch hour was devoted to running errands: Target for some last minute travel supplies, the grocery store to get 2 meals for tonight and tomorow night's meals, the post office, etc., etc.

When I was in Target today, it was crazy busy. People buzzing about the store with baskets full of Christmas goodies. I was kind of aggravated, but turned a corner where a young mom was pushing a cart with her little girl, who I guess was about 4. The little girl was adorable with long blonde hair and big blue eyes that seemed to sparkle as she took in all of the Christmas decorations and lights and blow up characters and she had a smile as big as Texas. I stopped to look at something and I heard the little girl exclaim to her mom: "Oooooh, Christmas is coming!"

It was that moment that I chose my joy for today: the innocent voice of a child filled with excitement and happiness.

Until Next Time,

Kel

Choosing Joy #13

Tonight, I delivered my first Christmas present and after a long, task-filled day, I decided that it was my joy.

I love Christmas and I particularly love giving gifts to as many people as I can. Unfortunately, this year, with funds being tight, I've had to cut back on my gift giving, which has made me sad. But, the good news is that I had bought lots of craft-ables over the course of the year, so I was able to hand-make several gifts to give to some of my closest friends.

I delivered a mini-clipboard (see here for all of them) to my water aerobics instructor, Linda. I couldn't stay for class, but went down to the pool to catch her in between classes and give it to her and say thanks for being such a great instructor. She was quite surprised to see me in regular clothing and I think she was surprised that I was there to thank her.

Being able to give a gift to someone when they least expected it definitely put me in the mood for Christmas and helped me to choose my joy for today.

Until next time,

Kel

Choosing Joy #12

It's rainy and cold today and I've decided to not venture out unless I absolutely have to. I'm sure Aero will be happy if I stay inside with him all day.

I've got lots to do to keep me busy - laundry, chores, wrapping presents, working on a few more gifts, catching up on e-mails. But listening to the rain is way more fun! I think there may even be some hail mixed up in all the wet stuff.

Today, my joy is being warm and cozy while the weather outside is frightful.....

Until next time,

Kel

Choosing Joy #11

Today is my last Saturday at home before the big trip on Thursday. It's a day filled with errands, shopping and other boring duties.

One of my errands today was to drop off Aero at the groomer for his bi-monthly haircut. And boy, did he need it! His hair on his face looked like a matted lion's mane. When I picked him up, not only did he look great but he smelled great - no yucky dog oders coming from my little bundle of joy.

We stopped at PetSmart on the way home to get him a new sweater since the weather has turned quite chilly these days. While we were there, the folks from the local Humane Society had set up shop to take pictures of furbabies with "Santa Paws." I'm a sucker for helping out animals in need, so, after purchasing Aero's new sweater, we walked right over and plunked down the $10 fee to get his picture taken ($5 went to the Humane Society).

Today, my joy was giving a little charity in a time when finances are really tight and I haven't been able to give as much as I'd like to.

And besides, Aero just looked cute with Santa Paws!

Until Next Time,

Kel

Choosing Joy #10

As I've said before, I hate to exercise, but I do it with regularity these days 'cause I know I have to.

I changed my gym membership a couple of months ago from the YMCA to a small, women-only place called 'Every Woman Health Club.' I've been attending classes and workshops there for several years and I really like the owners, Anne and Stephanie. Of course, it's where I first met Denise, my trainer, and got my butt kicked by her in a hand-weights workshop.

So tonight, when I was preparing for my training session with Denise, I was getting set up on the treadmill to warm up and one of the women I see there all the time came over and said to me "You've really lost a lot of weight - you look great. Kee up the great work!" Well, I about fell off the treadmill! Truth be told, that danged scale hasn't budged in six months, even with all of my workouts. But, like she and I discussed, my body has changed and reshaped and, most important of all, I FEEL BETTER!! I don't even know her name, just know her from seeing her at the club, but she's my new best friend for noticing that my hard work is paying off in a small way.

Today, I chose to make my workout my joy. And that, my friends, was no small task!

Until next time,

Kel

Choosing Joy #9

Today has been particularly busy and trying at work. I hit the ground running this morning and didn't get to take my lunch hour until 1:45. Of course, because I got out late for lunch, I ended up getting out late at the end of the day.

But, when I needed a moment to refocus and re-energize, I headed outside to the courtyard of the office complex where there's a lovely pond with fountains, bridges and a gazebo.

I was quite surprised by the holiday decorations - especially those big red bows on the bridges! It was my moment to choose joy on an otherwise rotten day. Of course, I immediately thought of Sherry's 'red picture' challenge for this week...


Until next time,


Kel

Choosing Joy #8

Today, I 'found' joy as I was sifting through some old e-mails. I found one that contains a list entitled "You Know You're From New Orleans When..." It reminded me of the things I love about N.O. - it's rich history, southern charm and especially its quirkiness. Oh, and yes, each of these perfectly describes me or my family or someone I know. I thought I'd share the list with you today. Enjoy!

• The four seasons of your year are: Crawfish, Crab, Shrimp and King Cake
• When someone asks directions, you use Uptown, Downtown, Westbank & Lakeside (or down Da road, if you're from the Parish)
• You proudly claim that Monkey Hill is the highest point in the city (and have rolled down it)
• You call it a neutral ground instead of a median
• Your burial plot is 6 feet over, rather than 6 feet under
• You can pronounce Tchoupitoulas
• When someone says "Magazine", you think street not periodical
• You have no idea what a turn signal is or how to properly use it
• You take a "right hand turn" instead of a right turn
• You call all intersections "red lights"
• You know to wait a minute before going when the light turns green
• You can cross 2 lanes of heavy traffic and u turn through a Neutral Ground, while avoiding 2 joggers and a streetcar, then fit into oncoming traffic without even touching the brake
• You know the definition of "Dressed"
• You know a Poboy is not a guy with no money
• You judge a Poboy by the number of napkins used
• You refer to any strawberry soda as "red drink"
• You "MAKE" groceries
• You know that a grocery cart is actually called a buggy
• You know what K&B, Schwegmann's, Tastee Donuts and Mckenzie's was
• You like your rice and politics dirty
• You know that those big roaches can fly, and you're actually able to sleep at night
• You consider a Bloody Mary a light breakfast
• No matter where else you go in the world, you are always disappointed in the food
• You call tomato sauce "Red Gravy"
• You call your grandparents (and everyone else's grandparents) "Maw Maw & Paw Paw"
• Win or lose.... You have and will always be a Saints Fan
• You don't learn until high school that Mardi Gras is not a national holiday
• You have a parade ladder in your shed
• You bring empty grocery bags to parades
• Your first sentence was "Throw me sumthin mista!"
• You refer to different high schools as "Catholic" or "Public"
• When someone asks what school you went to, you know they meant high school, not college
• You can remove the cap to a Tabasco bottle with one hand
• You put Tony's on everything
• You call a convenience store "Time Saver"
• Rain, sleet or hail will never keep you from Jazz Fest
• You go to sleep Friday evening before going out Friday night
• You have spent many a Sundays at the Lakefront
• When you moved or went out of town, you are incredibly relieved to meet someone from N'awlins and you kiss them like you're family
• You have a monogrammed GO CUP
• Your attic or garage is filled with Mardi Gras beads (and you just can't throw them away)
• You believe that Purple, Green and Gold actually look good together
• You have to reset your clocks after every thunderstorm
• You cringe every time you hear an actor with a southern or Cajun accent in any New Orleans based movie or TV show. They try to talk like us but they can't!
• You waste more time navigating back streets than sitting in traffic
• You're walking in the Quarter with a plastic cup of beer It starts to rain and you cover your beer instead of your head
• You save newspaper. Not to recycle but for a tablecloth at your next Crawfish boil
• Someone stops and asks you for directions and you stop and help them with a smile
• You know where you got your shoes
• You consider garbage cans a legal step to protecting your parking spot on a public street
• You go out to dinner and spend the entire meal talking about the other good places you have eaten
• You exhibit your "Doubloon Reflex" by stomping runaway coins with your foot
• You're left behind at an out of town bar because you're searching for a GO CUP
• Your bank deposits are marked "FEMA"
• Your first question in any telephone call is "Where Y'at?"
• You reply to anything and everything about life here as, "only in N'awlins"
• You're not scared if someone "Ax you something"
• You know no one actually says N'awlins
• You've greeted someone with "How's your Mom an 'em?"
• You know airline is a highway and not one of the companies that flies in & out of N'awlins
• You know that the Highrise is a bridge, not a building
• You read this and laugh through the whole thing saying "Yeah u right!!"
  

Until Next Time,

Kel

Choosing Joy #7

Today, choosing joy was easy!

My joy: I booked a 8-day 7-night trip to Walt Disney World for me and my Aunt Loretta! Yippee!!!!!!

This will be our seventh trip to the World; I've actually been 3 other times with other people and she's been 5 other times with other people. Needless to say, we're no DW rookies. We've already got an agenda of our favorite things to do while we're there.

Oh, yeah, you'll find us visiting our Mouse-y friends starting April 26, 2009. That's not that far away, is it?

Until Next Time,

Kel

Choosing Joy #6

I love handmade crafts, and especially enjoy when I'm able to spend some time in my workshop (aka the garage!) and get my hands full of paint, glue, glitter and whatever else I may dabble in for the day.

Today (and yesterday, for that matter), my joy was to work on and finish altering some mini-clipboards as gifts for the girls in the office. I haven't had a lot of time to work on any sort of crafting projects - especially my scrapbooks - this year, so this was particularly fun for me.

Yes, I know - there needs to be a picture. I'll come back tomorrow after I've charged the batteries for my camera and post the pictures.

Until next time,

Kel

UPDATE: Pictures posted here.

Choose Joy #5

Baby, it's cold outside! And it feels even colder inside the house!

I found my joy early today, when I went out in the yard with Aero. It was a crisp, cold, clear morning and the sun was shining. I stood there in the grass enjoying the winter morning as I watched the little dog as he pretended to be a greyhound, racing back and forth through the yard.

Today, I chose to enJOY the beautiful morning!!

Until next time,

Kel

Choose Joy #4

I woke up in a funk today. I'm not really sure why, but I just felt blah. I even had a really good cry before going to the gym to meet Denise for my personal training session.

The whole day, I seemed to just go through the motions without a lot of thought about what I was doing or what was going on around me. And all day, I kept thinking of this challenge, thinking that I needed to choose joy instead of my all-out funkiness.

It finally happened. I decided to get Chinese food for dinner tonight, so I hopped in the car and drove over to my favorite take-out place. Still feeling the funkiness, I ordered my usual fare (broccoli & beef, green beans & chicken, fried rice and dai chin chicken) and headed back out to the car. As I turned on the car, I noticed a woman with an armload of grocery bags moving between her car and mine, and she turned around and went back around to the other side of her car where she opened the door and started putting the groceries in. I continued to busy myself with my seatbelt and the parking brake and turning on the heater and seat warmer (it was pretty chilly out there!) and just as I was ready to put it in reverse to back out, I saw the woman again, stopped at the front of our two cars. She was waiting for me to pull out so she could get in her car. So, I waited and motioned for her to go ahead and get in. She shook her head no, and motioned for me to go ahead. Poor thing was shivering! So I rolled down the window and told her "go on, get it! It's cold out there - I'll wait for you before I back out!" She rushed to her door and thanked me for being kind enough to wait, and she wished me a Merry Christmas! I wished her a Merry Christmas back, closed my window, and proceeded to back out of my parking space.

And there it was. Without even realizing it, I had chosen Joy by being nice to a stranger in a cold, dark parking lot. Wow.

Until Next Time,

Kel

Choose Joy #3

Today, I chose the joy of spending a fun-filled, wonderful evening with some truly wonderful friends.

On Friday night, or any other night for that matter, the last place I want to be is the mall. Especially during the holidays - it can be downright crazy there!

But tonight, I met my friends Marie, Garrin and Robert for a night of shopping and eating. The eating was probably the best part!

We met at the mall and visited Crate & Barrel, The Disney Store, Macy's Holiday Lane and Cost Plus World Market, window shopping and schmoozing as we went from store to store. When we were done, we went downtown to have diner at Gator's Neo Soul Cafe. We laughed. We chatted. We shopped. And we ate. Oh my word - did we eat! The food was incredible - we were all stuffed and each went home with a doggie bag. Too bad for Aero that dogs don't eat jambalaya....

So, in this hectic holiday season, I recommend that you spend one evening with a group of your good friends. It's a great way to choose joy.

Until Next Time,

Kel

Boot Camp: Week 1 is Over!

I can't decide if I'm happy or sad that I've completed the first week of holiday boot camp. It's a strange place for me to be...

On the one hand, I'm happy! I've made it through 3 45-minute sessions of some tough exercising at 6:00 in the morning. And that means I've only got 5 more to go (since I'll miss the last session because I'll be home visiting for the holidays). Yippee!

Then, on the other hand, I am kinda sad. Three sessions complete, means there's only 5 left. And then the panic sets in that after that 8th session, I'll be on a plane to New Orleans and I'm so not ready. Guess I'd better figure out what suitcase I'm bringing. :-)

With the next 2 days off, I'm looking forward to Monday morning's session. I hate to admit that I like boot camp, so, this really isn't an admission: I like boot camp.

Holy Moley!!!!!!! When did I start liking the "E" word? Who am I? What was in that bagel this morning? Is there a prescription I can take to cure it?


Until Next Time,

Kel

Choose Joy #2

Today, instead of choosing joy, I'm going to steal it. Okay, so maybe not steal it, but borrow it from somebody else. Does that work?

There's a young man, probably in his early 20's, that I see most mornings waiting at the public bus stop. Normally I wouldn't notice him as I drive by. But every morning that I see him, he seems to be choosing his joy - music.

He's always well dressed, has a backpack, usually wears dark sunglasses and a hat of some kind. And he's always got his headphones on. I don't know what kind of music he's listening to, but he dances and grooves right there at the bus stop in time to his music. He seems to be lost in his own little world waiting for his bus to arrive and whisk him off to his daily destination.

He obviously finds joy in the music he listens to, and every time I see him, I can't help but smile and feel my own joy as he brings a bright spot to my morning.

Maybe one day I should stop and thank him for that.

Maybe not. He'd probably just think I was nuts.

Until next time,

Kel

Choose Joy #1

Puppy Love.

To me, there is no greater joy in my day than when I come home from work or working out or the grocery store or wherever and open the front door to find my little buddy Aero happily waiting for me.

He's usually standing on the end of the couch, wagging his tail and bouncing around, acting like he hadn't seen me in days. It doesn't matter if I've been gone 5 minutes or 5 hours, he's happy just the same.

Dogs are great companions, no matter how big or how small they are. For me, this little guy has the biggest heart and I love having him in my life.

Until next time,

Kel

Boot Camp, Day 2

5:00 came around very quickly this morning. Good thing I had packed everything I needed last night! I was moving slowly, and so was Aero. I think I left the house about 5:40, which is late by my standards.

But I was still the first one in the parking lot of the gym, and I got there at 5:56!

I made it through day 2 without problems. Yay me! I don't know why I'm surprised that I'm not struggling as much as I did in the first 2 rounds of bc. Maybe it's because I'm used to exercise being a struggle and it's what I expect. I was surprised this morning when after class, Denise said to me "Hey, you're doing great - you're not even sweating!" Well, truth be told, I was sweating, but not nearly as much as I did way back in June when I went through my first morning of bc. Yeesh. That was a scary morning.

So, I'm taking this as a non-scale victory: I can work through 45 minutes of boot camp without feeling like I'm gonna die after 4.5 minutes.

Am I maybe getting fit without realizing it?

Until Next Time,

Kel

A New Challenge for December

Well, I'm happy to see that my friend Sherry is at it again this month, issuing a new challenge to all of her 'cyber' friends. This month, we are to "Choose Joy." Here are the details of the challenge:


Okay, so you've heard the saying: "Choose Joy". I love the saying, but I must admit, it is not as easy as this two word sentence makes it sound. For the month of November, I challenged you all to find something to be thankful for and blog about it. I know it was hard, but I also know that it was not impossible. I had good news, bad news, a friend pass away, reunions with old friends and even some birthdays and holidays. I took the bad with the good and found something each day that I could be grateful for. We are certainly blessed!

So, if you are up for another challenge - here we go!

1. This will officially start on December 3rd and will end on December 31.

2. The challenge of this blog will be similar to our Gratitude Blog idea. Look for JOY each day and blog about it. It might be something as big as attending a wedding or as small as how cozy your slippers feel...it's up to you. CHOOSE to find joy.each.day.

3. There are a few extra challenges for this one too...don't worry - don't stress....have fun! Those that complete the journaling AND the photos will be able to be have their name in the drawing for the prize TWICE.

Each week, you must post at least 3 photos based on the themes I have chosen.
Week 1 (Dec. 1 - 6) - LOVE
Week 2 (Dec. 7 - 13) - RED
Week 3 (Dec. 14 - 20) -GLITTER/SHINE
Week 4 (Dec. 21 - 27) - FAMILY
Week 5 (Dec. 28 - 31) - PEACE

Now, I know some of you are about to throw in the towel on this one because you either don't like or know how to post photos on your blog or you are worried about finding pictures suitable for the theme.

Well, you don't need to worry! I will help you! You can take pictures yourself (preferably), but if you have to - you can use stock photos that are available free on line! If you don't know how to post a photo, contact me and I will walk you through it!

As far as finding pictures for the themes...go with your own interpretation! You can have your regular photos of course, but please include at least 3 each week that follow that week's theme.

4. If you are going to participate in this challenge - please comment in this post so I will know. I will check on your blogs as often as I can. At the end of the month, you will need to come back here and follow the directions for being entered into the drawing for the GIFT AWAY.

5. If you have any questions - please let me know. I tried to type this up as clearly as I could, but I do have two toddlers running around me at the moment (my JOYS). =]


So, I posted on Sherry's blog that I'm in for this challnge. Look for my JOYOUS posting starting tomorrow!!

Until Next Time,

Kel

25 Christmas Questions

I got 'tagged' by my friend Cathy a couple of days ago, but just read her entry today. Guess I need to catch up on my reading, eh?


Read to the end to see if I've tagged you!


1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Both - depends on the gift

2. Real tree or Artificial? Real! I love the way it makes my house smell.

3. When do you put up the tree? Thanksgiving weekend. This year, I don't have a tree because I'll be spending the holidays with my family in New Orleans. I miss it already!

4. When do you take the tree down? Usually the first week of January.

5. Do you like eggnog? No.

6. Favorite gift received as a child?

7. Hardest person to buy for? My parents.

8. Easiest person to buy for? My sister.

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail as many as I can.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Makeup. I felt like he was trying to tell me I was unattractive or something...

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? A Charlie Brown Christmas - does that count as a movie?

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? December 26.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Absolutely!

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Cella's Milk Chocolate Covered Cherries. It's the only time of year I allow myself to have them.

16. Lights on the tree? Yep.

17. Favorite Christmas song? I don't really have a favorite - I love them all! But, if I had to choose just one, it would be "Santa and His Reindeer Used to Live Right Here" by Benny Gunch and the Bunch (a New Orleans favorite!).

18. Travel at Christmas or stay at home? This year I'm traveling! I'll be with my family for 2 weeks to celebrate the first Christmas in my parents' new home. Normally, I just stay here because flying is absolutely nuts at the holidays.

19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? Puh-lease. Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner & Blitzen. Don't forget Rudolph. And Olive. (You know - "Olive, the other reindeer..." hee-hee-hee)

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Both. Since I'm usually home by myself, I open one gift on Christmas Eve and then get up and open the rest in the morning while I'm on the phone with my family.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? When people say Happy Holidays. Dang it. I tell everybody Merry Christmas.

23. What theme or color are you using? I usually have lots of reindeer and snowmen around. The colors don't matter so much to me.

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Granny's oyster dressing. My Dad learned how to make it over the years and now that Granny's serving it in Heaven, we can still have it and think of her.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Safe travel to and from New Orleans.


Now, it's your turn: I'm tagging: Cali, Linda and Jamie!

Until next time,

Kel

Back to Boot Camp....

It's called "Holiday Boot Camp." Yeah, call it something cheery, but it's still boot camp.

This is my third time through bc with Denise. I feel like an old pro! It was still hard to get up and get out of the house by 5:40 a.m. and at 6:00 when the music came on in the gym, I had that 'what the hell am I doing here' feeling again.

There were seven of us this morning and 3 of us have been to bc before. Not bad for the Monday after Thanksgiving. And, as always, I'm the biggest one in the room.

But, even though I'm the biggest one again, today, I kept up the whole time. I didn't take the walk/runs around the block and chose to use the treadmill instead, but I kept up with everything else. And, as much as I hate to admit it, overall, it didn't seem too hard this morning. Yikes! Does that mean that my fitness level has improved since that first morning of bc back in June? Wow. Who'da thunk it.

Bring on day 2.

Until next time,

Kel

Gratitude Challenge #28

As Thanksgiving weekend winds down, today I'm thankful for the 4-day weekend!

As much as I love my job, the 4 days away from the office are just the break that I needed. I'm saving my vacation time for my visit with my family at Christmas, so I haven't taken any days off in a while, and won't be taking any until I hop on the plane on 12/18. So, this weekend was especially precious to me.

Until next time,

Kel

Gratitude Challenge #27

Today, I'm thankful for my Mother's fruitcake tin of buttons.

As a kid, one of the things I never really appreciated was my Mother's talent with a sewing machine. She could sew anything from a plain dress to fancy lingere. I remember spending time in the fabic stores with her, looking through the giant McCall's and Simplicity patten books, running my fingers across bolts and bolts of material and helping her pick out 'notions' to go with whatever it was that she was making.

But, I think my favorite thing about her sewing were her buttons. She had oodles of buttons which she kept in a tin from a holidy fruitcake. I can rememer sitting for hours, sifting through the buttons, sorting them by size or by color. There were so many different shapes, colors, sizes and patterns. It seemed like an endless supply. Of course, I had my favorites, but they were all fascinating and each one had a story to tell.

Last year, when my parents visited me, my Mom brought me the fruitcake tin of buttons. I had asked her if I could have them since she was no longer sewing. I wanted to use them in my crafting projects.

What I didn't realize when I got that tin was how attached I am to those danged buttons - I haven't used one yet!!

Until next time,

Kel

Gratitude Challenge #26

Today, I'm thankful for my iPod and the music that's on it.

I really love music. I go to sleep with music playing each night and wake up to it each morning. I have the radio on all day in my office as background noise. When I'm home, if I'm not riveted to some mindless tv show, I've either got a cd playing orthe radio on.

But my iPod keeps me company most often when I'm on the treadmill. Walking on the treadmill has to be the most boring of all workouts. I've worked up to 30 minutes now, but boy, can those 30 minutes seem like hours. Sure, the gym has a couple of tv's that you can watch and listen to while on the equipment, but I have a hard time concentrating on the screen without tripping over my own two feet. I'm not the most coordinated of people.

When I have my iPod with me, I get lost in the music while I'm walking and don't notice how long I'm on there. My collection of music includes Cajun, Jazz, Easy Listening, Christmas and the soundtrack from Walt Disney World. I just concentrate on the music and find myself lost somewhere other than on the treadmill - either walking through EPCOT or seeing the sights around New Orleans or any number of other places.

So what do you listen to on your iPod?

Until next time,

Kel

Gratitude Challenge #25

Wow. It's Thanksgiving day. This year seems to have slipped away so quickly and we're in the countdown to 2009.... I find it hard to believe.

This morning, as I sit here watching the Macy's parade, I can't think of just one thing that I'm thankful for: I'm overwhelmed with emotion as many things cross my mind that I'm grateful for:

• My family: Even though we're miles apart, we're still very close. I talk to my Dad (and sometimes my Mom - if she happens to answer the phone!) just about every day. I talk to my sister Jamie quite often and I travel with my favorite Aunt, Loretta, to fun destinations (like Disney World) many times.


• My health: I have a few health issues, but thankfully, I've found the tools to keep them in check and have found the strength I need to stay focused on keeping myself moving.


• My dog: Well, what can I say? I love that little dog, no matter how annoying.


• My job: I moan and groan about going to work every day. But, in today's economy, I'm ever so thankful to have a great job in an office that has great harmony and teamwork.


• My friends: I've surrounded myself with some really wonderful women (and men!) who support me, cry with me, cheer with me and smack me on the head to keep me grounded and focused.


• My country: I was just listening to James Taylor sing "America the Beautiful" from the Macy's parade. It reminded me how lucky and privileged we are to live in this great country and have the freedom that we sometimes take for granted. The next four years are going to be exciting ones for us here with our new President and leadership.

And finally, today I'm most thankful for my "family away from home" - the Galindo family. I've been in California for 19-1/2 years now, and for 18 of the last 19 Thanksgivings, my good friends Marie and Hank Galindo have opened their home and hearts and welcomed me (and many others!) to their family celebration. The only Thanksgiving I've missed with them: 2004 when I went to Disney World with my 'real' family. Not only have I spent all these Thanksgivings with them, but many Chrstamases, Easters, birthdays, anniversaries, trips to Reno and random days with them. They truly are my family away from home.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Until Next Time,

Kel