Demolition!

I think I like demolition. How did I come to find this out? By helping my dad completely disassemble the guest bathroom in his home.

My parents have been away on vacation for over a week and I was in charge of checking the house and retrieving the mail. Oh, and feeding the darn fish! Since I had just been at the house on Friday to retrieve some information for my dad, I did not feel the need to visit the house on Saturday. However, upon waking up Sunday morning I couldn’t remember if I had fed the fish on Friday. So I planned my day to start with a visit to the parents’ house to feed the fish and then to go run my errands.

Upon entering the house I could hear a strange “hissing” noise. I wasn’t sure what it was so I worked my way to the back of the house. When I went to step into the guest bathroom to turn on the light I walked right into a puddle of water! Upon turning on the light in the bathroom I could see steam coming out from under one of the sinks in the double vanity. When I opened up the cabinet, I could then see where the water and steam coming out from the valve.

Of course when I called my dad he didn’t answer his cell phone. So I called my grandparents home. My grandfather informed me that they were all at church so I asked him for help. He told me to find the main water valve in the house and shut it off. So getting off the phone with him I went to search for this valve. Luckily I found it pretty quickly as I went straight to where I knew where the meters were.

After being able to turn off the water I went back in to assess the damage. There was water all in the bathroom, invading the living room and beginning to seep into the back hallway. Fortunately my parents’ house is mostly tile or linoleum flooring. Of course the cabinet where the water was coming from was the one that housed all the towels so I went out to the shed to get some towels to put down and then left to go back to my place for more towels.

By the time I reached the apartment my dad had already called and I told him I had it under control. I was able to reach my co-worker Lisa to borrow her wet vac. My friend Joy came with me over to the house and for several hours we vacuumed the water up and proceeded to begin tearing out the flooring in the bathroom.

I spent Monday washing all my mom’s towels because they had gotten wet and stinky! Then when my parents finally made it home around 5 pm, my dad and I proceeded to take everything out of the bathroom. We removed everything down to the studs. It was hard work but it was kind of fun. But that was probably because we were able to destroy things!

But I learned that I am not ready for the worry and financial responsibility of owning a house. This is something that can happen at any time. And while it was ok to handle for someone else, I am sure it would have been an entirely different experience if it was my own home.

Dancing with....Joey?

Dancing with the Stars came to town. My sister had gone to see it a few days before in her city and had said it was a lot of fun. So I called up my trusty friends Joy and Celestine to see if they wanted to go. After a "Hell No!" from Joy, I called Celestine. Celestine gave a squeal and said "Of course! That's my favorite show!"

So on Friday evening I was online trying to get us tickets to Dancing with the Stars! I was quite successful. They weren't floor seats but they were pretty good.

We started Saturday evening off with dinner at a local italian restaurant and leaving with 45 minutes left to show time we thought we had plenty of time to get downtown. Boy were we wrong. Who knew that so many people would be going that it would back up the interstate?

We finally arrived after missing just the opening act. Not too bad. We had a really good time seeing the professional dancers and then of course the performances of the stars: Joey Fatone, Joey Lawrence, Joey McIntyre, and Drew Lachey. The best part was when all 4 of them did a tribute to the rat pack. Who knew Joey Lawrence had an awesome voice!?

Joey McIntyre was promoting a new CD. A collection of oldies. Its quite good. So Celestine and I both bought a CD and had them autographed after the show by Joey. Ahhh! I felt like I was back in college when we used to go to concerts and then go out afterwards and meet the singers! It was nice to be nostalgic for just a few minutes! LOL!

Reality Television

Remember the days when all that was on TV were re-runs of the shows that were on during the fall and spring? Gone are those days. Now these shows are replaced with reality television.

Shows about cougars and kittens. Women in their 40s (cougars) going after a younger man and women in their 20s (kittens) going after an older man. Former celebrities trying to make a come back by appearing in shows about weight loss or trying to find love or just about their every day lives.

As I was watching one of these shows one evening, two commercials for upcoming shows for the summer were shown. These commercials made me stop and think about the state that things are in that someone would actually consider watching these shows or that these shows would even be of interest to anyone.

The first show is called “Rock Love”. Most people have heard of the show “Flavor of Love”? Well, it’s a take off of that. But the man in this show is going to be Brett Michael, lead singer of Poison. Has Poison even put out an album lately? Is Brett Michael trying to prove that he still appeals to the young woman?

The second show is called (and I may not have this quite right) “Scott Baio, 41 and still single.” If you can’t tell from the title, the show is going to center around Scott Baio (best known as Chachi from Happy Days) who is obviously in his 40s and still single and never married. From the commercial you deduce that Scott hires a life coach and they are going to discover why it is that he has never been married.

Seriously, what executive thought that these concepts are good ones? That is just crazy to me. And these shows are going to be on music channels. What happened to showing music videos? Now if you want to see the video for a song, you have to turn to the internet.

If I wanted to watch reality, I would tune in to my own life. But I am trying to escape the reality and that is why I watch fiction on television!

Bonus!

Bonus Time! I love this time of year, when we get our bonuses! I am putting ½ away for a future trip and I am paying off one bill and the rest will be for me to do whatever I want!

1) Hi lites for my hair! Desperate need of that! Had my hair colored this weekend and Saturday I am going in to have it hi lited. I can’t wait!
2) Pedicure! I am going to indulge in a pedicure. I have been giving myself pedicures. While it gets the job done it just isn’t as enjoyable when someone else does it!
3) Some new clothes! Not a lot. Just a few things. Maybe some shoes too! Most definitely some new stuff for my upcoming convention. I want to look cute when I meet my friend!
4) New CDs. Bon Jovi and Kelly Clarkson.

Just a few things that I don’t ever do for myself because I am always trying to be self-conscious with my money. But I am actually going to splurge just a little bit. I took care of business and now I am going to take care of myself plus tuck some away for a little while later. Hopefully for a trip to Virginia or maybe home to Nebraska. I’m not sure! But I am actually going to have some fun!

Hodge Podge

So another one is leaving. This time, the newest girl. That’s right. Once again another member of the team has decided that she just can’t take the “heat”. Ok, so she was never really part of the team. She was different. She just didn’t care. She didn’t have any pride in her work I guess you could say. Although I have to say, it did drive the boss crazy. He didn’t know how to react to someone who just let everything roll of her back.

I wonder who the next person will be. It’s been discussed and agreed that this time, more consideration needs to be taken when choosing someone to fill this position. We shouldn’t just take someone to fill the position. That’s the theory anyway. Originally we were going to have till August to fill the position. But now it seems we only have 3 weeks before she leaves. She upped her leave date by a month.



Father’s Day was Sunday. Not a very eventful day for me as my father was out of town for the 4th year in a row. Oh, we did presents and made breakfast for him last weekend but it wasn’t quite the same. I was lucky to be able to reach him by cell phone though. I spent the day taking a walk by the lakes, lying out by the pool, cleaning, and doing laundry. A very quiet Sunday.



Oh, exciting news. I now have baby birds. A dove who has taken up residence in one of my hanging plants now has some baby birds. They are so incredibly tiny and have white down all over them. Luckily I have not had any problems with still using my balcony. Although now the mother bird gets all puffed up when I come out on the balcony she has not resorted to pecking my eyes out. Now I wonder how long it will be before the birds are old enough to fly away so I can water my plant once again!

Catching Up

So exciting! My new furniture finally came in! I now have my nice new bed, nightstand and dresser with mirror. Now there were a few glitches like the mirrow is not connected to the dresser yet because the screws weren't with it and that on the first day the mattress was on the floor because the slats didn't arrive also. But now, the bed is up and ready to be used and the dresser will be next! I'm just happy to have some new bedroom furniture. I had had the old furniture since I was 15! I also got some new stuff for my bathroom and have included the picture of my new shower curtain. It's so pretty!

This past Saturday the girls and I took a little road trip to Vacherie where we visited Oak Alley plantation. We did the tour of the house. Walked around on the grounds and visited the gift shop! It was one of the hottest days so far this summer but we didn't complain once that we were all sweating buckets! We then went down to the Quarter for a late lunch at Remoulade's and then proceeded back home. It was over all a very good day!

Will he or won't he?

One of my faults is that I trust my friends absolutely. If they say something I believe that they are going to follow through on what they say they are going to do. So, when that person fails to do what they say, I am crushed. I’ve learned over time to not to get my hopes up when someone says they are going to do something but it’s hard to do that at times.

Right now my hopes are very high that a friend of mine, who I have not seen since last August, will be coming for a visit in June. More specifically that he will be joining me at the hotel where I will be staying for my convention. I have a lot of free time with this convention so it will be a nice opportunity to visit, catch up, and relax. Now, he says that he will come but will he? He’s a really nice guy with really good intentions. His follow through just isn’t that great. For example (I am sure I am going to get a “whipping” if he reads this! LOL!) when he says he is going to call me soon, that usually means within the next 2 months. And if he says he will call tomorrow, that means next week. Now that I understand this it doesn’t irritate me or get me angry anymore. Well, back to the point of this narrative, he says that he will see me at my convention and that he can’t wait. HOWEVER, life happens. I understand that. And he hasn’t been home since August. There are his kids and family he needs to see too.

I am right now planning that he will be there. I have my appointment made to get my hair cut and colored before the convention. I am going to go to the tanning bed so that I am not so white. Well, the tanning bed is not entirely just to impress him. I received a bad sunburn at my birthday weekend and instead of tan lines, I have tan splotches. I need to even out! I am going to get some cute new outfits to wear. Ok, like any woman has to have a reason to go shopping! It just makes it easier to justify spending the money!

There are 23 days until my convention. A little over three weeks. I think that I will be on pins and needles those entire 23 days. Not because of my convention. The convention doesn’t worry me. It will be whether or not he will come and if he does come, how will things be different? We originally didn’t start out as friends. We were friendly but it was not the relationship it has evolved to today. He has become a very dear friend and while I don’t count on him being there for me, at least physically in my presence, I know that I can always drop him an email or a letter and he will read it and respond with kind, encouraging words of advice and absolutely no judgment. Plus he is always good for a laugh. But I haven’t physically seen him since August, August 8, 2006 to be more specific (I just found some pictures of him and my dog from that day and that was the date on the picture). That’s a very long time. How have I changed? How has he changed? We’ve been basically pen pals since that time.

I probably shouldn’t worry about anything. With the luck that I traditionally have had, basically being no luck, he won’t be able to make it. I’d like to schedule a trip to visit him but he has to check to see if they will be out to sea at that time. Unfortunately due to the priorities I have, I can only travel this summer. Once Fall starts, I will not be going anywhere due to football season. LSU football is a top priority plus it’s a time to visit with friends who come back home from out of town to see the games. Not that he isn’t important to, but you can’t get LSU games on tv there!

Home At LAST!

He has finally come home. Well, as close to home as he is going to get. He is back in Virginia. I feel such a great relief that he is back and on land and he is well.

I got the call last night. We were able to speak for about 40 minutes. A real conversation without having to be guarded and careful of what we say. It was nice to start to catch up. We made plans to visit each other this summer. He will join me at Beau Rivage when I am there for my convention and I will go to see him in Virginia over Labor Day weekend. I’m quite excited!

He starts leave on the 15th. However, he needs to find a place to live as the house he was renting before he gave up. He is now living on the boat. Poor thing! No one was there to greet him when they arrived and now he is still living on the boat. He also has to get a new cell phone number. He has a lot to do. Hopefully though, he will be able to come visit me when I am at Beau Rivage. If not, I understand. He has kids he needs to see. That is more important than just a friend. Plus his mom and dad. And a visit with the ex! Rumor has it she still has the hots for him and wants to meet with him when he is back in town.

I’m just happy that he is back. Nervous too. We’ve been pen pals for almost a year now and I wonder whether the friendship will last. It moved beyond the one night stand so long ago but I can’t quite figure out why or what caused that or when it happened. Or why he would want to be friends with someone as crazy as I? But to lose him would be upsetting as I tell him anything and everything.

I can’t wait to see what this summer holds!

Out with the old, in with the new.....

Out with the old and in with the new. How appropriate. Recently I have been “cleaning house.” Literally and figuratively. I have cleaned out items in my home to make room for new items and well, just in general, room (more space). I have also cleaned out my personal life. I have removed my self from situations which were dragging me down. I can tell a difference. Especially in my work life. Ok, I admit, I still don’t like my job but I don’t have that horrible sinking feeling when I go to work.

Last week was a short work week but a good one. All employees were given a bonus. An unexpected bonus. It was because the company had had a good year. That was just absolutely fantastic. Ok, I admit I have spent it already by the time this weekend was over but that’s what it was for! I was both good and bad. I purchased a new bathroom set which I am waiting to come in this week! I also paid off a credit card! One more monkey off of my back!

I spent this weekend cleaning. I know, I seem to be doing that all the time but this time I was removing everything from my bedroom furniture. On Sunday my father came over and we hauled my dresser, armoire, and bed out to the dumpster. I am getting ready for my new bedroom set to be delivered. It should be here by Thursday! So for right now, I am living out of suitcases and have a mattress on the floor! How very college like!

I have so many things that I want to do this summer. I just don’t know how or when I will be able to do it. I need to plan a trip to Austin, Houston, and Virginia. Not to mention some trips to the beach too! I don’t think that any trips will take place till after June.

It is the first full week of June. For me, that means that Ron will be coming home. I can’t wait to get the phone call or email saying that he is finally home. Ok, well, as close to home as he can get since he is stationed in Virginia. I can’t wait to see him at the end of this month. That is if they let him take his leave then. I can’t wait. Not just for the presents but to just see him and be able to have a conversation with him! Well, a conversation that lasts longer than 20 minutes! Or a few sentences on an email!

Speaking of conversations, my friend Jason called me yesterday to wish me a belated happy birthday. Shocked me. I hadn’t spoken to him since about Christmas. We are “holiday” friends. We speak only at major holidays and birthdays! LOL! He is in Miami and has been there for the past 5 years or so. He was talking about coming back for some football games this year. He wants me to meet his girlfriend. It must be serious. I’ve never met any of the other girlfriends he has had. This should be interesting. But if he does come back for some games, it will be like in the old days when we were all together for games, Jeff, Stacy, Jason, and I. Of course now there are the kids and girlfriend to be added.

Now begins a new week and I am interested to see what it brings!

My Birthday

I had an absolutely wonderful birthday weekend.

On Friday, my mom and I went wandering through the French Quarter in New Orleans. We stopped and had lunch at Cafe Remoulade on Bourbon Street to enjoy some local cuisine. My mother indulged me by purchasing me some pralines (since I didn't have birthday cake) and also bought me a new bathing suit for my trip that weekend.

Friday evening I enjoyed dinner with Joy, Celestine and Melissa. We had great food, great margaritas and conversation that kept us laughing the whole dinner through. Oh yes, I did get some nice presents. Melissa paid for all my margaritas; Joy gave me a pretty print about friendship, cash (she didn't make it to the bookstore for a gift card), and paid for my dinner; and Celestine gave me the Christina Aguilera CD.

On Saturday morning, Joy, Celestine and I ventured off to the beach. After a few setbacks which included trying to find an air pump that actually worked and a very long breakfast at Burger King (they took forever!), we were on the road. It was such a great day! It was cloudless, sunny, a cool breeze blowing. We spent the entire day at the beach. It was so relaxing. When we first got there the water was a little chilly but warmed up by the afternoon.

That evening we went back to the cottage and we all showered and got dressed. We went to a local restaurant for some good seafood! We then came back to the cottage, got comfy, and drank wine and played UNO! I know, call us crazy!

Sunday morning, Celestine and I both awoke to pain! We had gotten sun burned! No beach that day! So instead Celestine and I started off the day with some blackberry picking while Joy got ready to pack up. We were both able to get a huge bag of blackberries which I am now baking into a pie! The rest of our day was spent shopping at the outlet mall in Gulfport!

I couldn't have asked for a better birthday weekend! I even got an email from my friend Ron who is currently on a submarine wishing me a happy birthday! I am so incredibly relaxed, happy, and sun burned! LOL! But it was all worth it!

Current Favorite Song

I hope the ring you gave to her
Turns her finger green
I hope when you’re in bed with her
you think of me
I would never wish bad things
But I don’t wish you well
Could you tell
By the flames that burned your words
I never read your letter
Cause I knew what you’d say
Give me that Sunday school answer
Try to make it all okay

Does it hurt
To know ill never be there
bet it sucks
to see my face everywhere
It was you
Who chose to end it like you did
I was the last to know
you knew
exactly what you would do
Don’t say
You simply lost your way
She may believe you
But I never will
Never again
Never again
Never again
Never again

If she really knows the truth
She deserves you
A trophy wife
Oh how cute
Ignorance is bliss
But when your day comes
And he’s through with you
And he’ll be through with you
You’ll die together but alone
You wrote me in a letter
You couldn’t say it right to my face
Give me that Sunday school answer
Repent your self away

Does it hurt
To know ill never be there
bet it sucks to see my face everywhere
It was you
Who chose to end it like you did
I was the last to know
you knew
exactly what you would do
Don’t say
You simply lost your way
they may believe you
But I never will
Never again
Never again
Never again
Never again
Never again will I hear you
Never again will I miss you
Never again will I fall to you
never
Never again will I hear you
Never again will I miss you
Never again will I fall to you
never
Never again will I kiss you
Never again will I want to
Never again will I love you
Never!
Does it hurt
To know ill never be there
Bet it sucks to see my face everywhere
It was you
Who chose to end it like you did
I was the last to know
you knew
exactly what you would do
Don’t say
You simply lost your way
They may believe you
But I never will
I Never Will
I never will
Never again
Never again
Never again
Never again

Mad Dash

Today was a mad dash for the finish line. Except none of us was ever really in the race! Today we got the email from the boss about bonus evaluations being done today or tomorrow. In order to get our bonuses we have to follow some guidelines. Basically meet with the boss periodically and maintain filing. Well, none of us do filing. We keep it done to a minimum but other than that we don't really follow policy. So today, after lunch, we all started to work on our filing. I think it is a hopeless cause in our office! We barely scratched the surface on the filing today and have maybe half a day tomorrow to work on it too! I'm not optimistic that I will earn that 2% of my bonus through filing.

Today was also my birthday lunch. It was just as I wanted it. Just my office mate and I. Every one is so busy and I didn't want a fuss so I asked her not to have any one else attend. We went and had mexican and she was so sweet and paid! I have the greatest teammate ever! Just this week alone she has brought me lunch (jambalaya on Tuesday) and some boiled shrimp for my dinner! Then to top it off she pays for lunch today. Great! This birthday week has definitely been going well! I can't wait for the main event this weekend!

Busy Weekend

What a very busy weekend! But I wouldn’t do anything different, well, except one thing (see third paragraph)!

The weekend started Friday night with dinner at my friend’s home. She grilled steaks and made scalloped potatoes. We enjoyed our dinner with a few bottles of wine. One of those bottles was very unique in that it was in the shape of a very tall black cat. It was different and we were told it also comes in a pink cat for breast cancer awareness. Another one of my friends from work also called for me to come join her and her family for crawfish and beer but I was already committed to the first engagement so I missed out on that. :(

Saturday started off with breakfast with the girls and shopping. Of course when I have spare money to spend I can’t find a thing to buy! I then proceeded to spend the afternoon and into the evening babysitting. It was easy and it was difficult. I baby sat for a 3 year old boy who was an absolute angel and then his puppy. His puppy was a big dog who stood nearly as tall as me when he stood on his hind legs. This poor puppy was being kenneled because it had had an accident a few weeks ago where it had fallen out the back of the truck as it was moving. It had broken its back right leg and its jaw. It had pins holding those two places together. I had to feed the dog and then walk the dog. Normally, not a problem. But I was so afraid to hurt the dog and well, he was just excited to have someone new around and wanted to get out of the kennel. One: he peed on my leg (which really isn’t so terrible but quite GROSS!) and two: he started to jump around. I was petrified he would hurt himself again. I did manage to let him out for a small walk to do his business. But it was well worth it after the money I made!

Sunday morning started off very early with me vacuuming the car and then proceeding to the parents to wash my car. It’s all nice and clean now! When I got home I had an email from my friend in the navy! He was so sweet! He told me not to sweat anything going on in my life (that’s his favorite term “sweat”) and that everything will be fine! Then he told me he appreciated me taking time to email him daily and that he “adored” my friendship. I’ve never heard a man use that word but it made me laugh and it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. But then he ruined it by making fun of the fact that my college mascot died. He got a stern lecture about that! He did mention that he was coming to visit soon though and he can’t wait to see me! I feel the same way too! I then spent part of the afternoon on my balcony messing with my plants and cleaning the leaves and old flowers off of the balcony. Of course Sunday means laundry and I had laundry to do all day. I got most of it done! I did spend some time shopping and was able to purchase some new shirts with some birthday money that has already come in! Duke enjoyed my time spent out on my balcony. He is such a blonde and loves the sun! He lies right in it until he gets so overheated that he eventually begs to be brought inside.

It was just the type of weekend I like. Busy but productive! I do have some stuff I will have to do this week each day after work so I can be ready for my birthday trip, but it will be well worth it! I can’t wait!

Good Bye Mike

Today was a sad day for LSU fans and alumni. We were greeted with news of our beloved mascot, Mike, passing away in the middle of the night. It is as if we have lost a beloved family member! He was the LSU mascot for 17 years. I remember when they first introduced him as a kitten at the LSU basketball game. Fond memories of the trainer walking him around on his leash. He was so cute! But he grew up to be this mighty strong animal who represented LSU well. Unfortunately he passed away the morning of graduation at LSU. All those who were looking forward to him will miss out on the tradition of visiting Mike's cage. Well, the cage is still there but there is no longer a Mike. He was a great mascot and we shall miss him!

My Birthday Week

Tomorrow starts the week that leads up to my birthday! There are plenty of activities planned and I am very excited! It all starts tomorrow with a dinner at my friend's house. There we will dine on food, that I didn't have to cook, and plan out the activities for the following weekend!

On my birthday I am going to New Orleans. While my original guest has backed out on me, I have had many people step forward and it makes me so happy to know that I am loved! So after a day of sight seeing in New Orleans, I will go to dinner with my friends! I was thinking mexican but now I am thinking something else. I'm sure that will all be hashed out tomorrow night!

The weekend of my birthday my friends and I will be going to the beach! Since I have been asked to baby sit this weekend, my trip next weekend will be all paid for! I will not have to worry about any costs! A few days laying in the sun, sand, and water sounds absolutely HEAVENLY!

I can't wait to see the presents I get. I know, that sounds so incredibly childish but now that I am older and my friends are older, I tend to actually get gifts that I need instead of want. I appreciate those gifts so much more!

It has been a rough year. Full of discovery! And full of growth. I have learned so many lessons and I find that I am actually applying them! Even today I applied a lesson I learned from someone who is no longer in my life. And it felt good to do so! And well, now that I reflect upon it, I am applying a lesson that my friend Ron has tried repeatedly to teach me. He'll be so proud. He is always telling me not to sweat the small stuff. He is so very right! And it brings a smile to my face! And I am sure it will bring one to his face when I email him to let him know!

I am happy to say that I was able to let go drama that was in my life and I don't regret it. I have learned who is important in my life and who is just excess baggage. Heck, I still have one more week of things to learn before my birthday! Hopefully they won't be as hard as the last 6 months have been! But I look forward to everyone of them!

Cinco de Mayo

Ok, I know I am ony a week late posting these pictures but I've been lazy! Cinco de Mayo was a fun afternoon! The girls and I joined Joy's mom and her friends at a local mexican restaurant for drinks, food, and live music. The best part was definitely the drinks. We enjoyed refreshing pomengranate margaritas. I know, pomengranate? Yep, it was really good. Mostly you tasted the tequila but once you got over that you could enjoy the taste of the fruit in the drink!

Celestine was kind enough to volunteer to be our designated driver for the day! After we ventured to a 2nd mexican restaurant for some nachos we went for a ride in the convertible! It was an incredibly nice evening! Thus, the last picture in this post. It's a picture I took from the back seat of the convertible. I thought it was pretty. Ok, probably the alcohol thought it was pretty but I thought I would share it with all!

It was just enjoyable to get out of the house and mingle with people!

My garden

I just wanted to share some pictures of my flowers on my balcony. I am quite proud of my hibiscus bush. I have another flower that looks similar to the hibiscus but I don't know what it is and it is more of an ivy. I am also very proud of my fern. I have kept it alive for 5 months now! That is like a record! I don't necessarily have a "green" thumb. It's more like a black thumb! Over water, under water, too much sun, etc. etc. etc. I've done it all to kill a plant! But I am very proud of the fact that I've been able to keep my many flowers alive. Although I have to admit that I have two pots that I need to purchase new plants for because they aren't looking very well! Not my fault though! We had a really bad rain storm last Friday and it trampled them! They sort of drowned!

Chin up!

Keeping hope alive after having one's dreams dashed away again is so very hard. I have my good moments and I have my really bad moments. The bad moments are getting fair and in between but the lasting effects are being felt. Not so trusting. Not so dreamy. Not so hopeful.

I've been spending a lot of time alone. That's my choice. I've been taking time to think and just be. I spend a lot of time on my balcony. I can get fresh air, see the "fruits of my labor" and my dog likes to be out there too!

Here are some pics of my pretty flowers! I've actually been able to keep some of these alive for more than a month now!

Weekend Plans

Weekend plans. I actually have those this weekend. Not just waiting around to see what is going to happen! No more waiting around to see if I am going to meet “him”. I actually have honest to goodness plans. Ok, mostly just plans for Saturday but that is enough as I need Sunday to recoup.

Saturday morning I am going to get up and head down town for the Farmer’s Market with Celestine. From there I am heading to lunch with my friends Joy and Sarah and Sarah’s baby Eden. After that we are off to one of the nearby parish’s bicentennial celebration to see Cowboy Mouth and Tracy Lawrence. Saturday is going to be packed! Hopefully Sunday I will be able to go out on my balcony and sit and relax. Maybe put out a few more plants out there.

Friday afternoon and evening will be for errands. Not very fun, but definitely needed! That is if my car actually starts. It has decided to give me some fits. Not cool when I just paid it off!

Dinner parties and friends

Yesterday evening Bean came over to see my apartment and all that I had accomplished with it. We also had a nice meal and some good conversation. I miss that. I miss entertaining my friends. When it is one on one like that it is quite easy to do. I think it is when there are more than one that I start to freak out. Well, not freak out, just start thinking of all the clean up associated with having a dinner party. And I can just invite Bean over and not worry that I am hurting anyone else’s feelings because she has no one joined at her hip.

I owed Bean at least a dinner. She has been there while I moan and groan over the “Jim” situation. She has allowed me to express my feelings about the situation and she has not once made light of the feelings. Nor has she just blatantly told me that I am crazy (yes, we all know this is true!). She has just been a good friend.

This morning when I received no phone call again, I thought back to what she said and what Ron has been saying. To just let it go. Let him go. It isn’t meant to be obviously. If he shuts down now, why would I want to be with someone like that (I hope that if I keep repeating this I will actually believe it!)? So, as much as my fingers itched to dial, they didn’t. I kept them to myself. I didn’t even send an email.

But back to the dinner and good conversation. It was quite a pleasant way to spend the evening discussing decorating and organization. It’s good to pull someone else in and hear their opinions. I think we need to do this more. But one drawback is that Bean is allergic to my cat so she can’t be at my place for very long. We’ll figure something out. Maybe soon I will have some patio furniture and I can entertain her on my balcony?