#?&! and Blog Journal Day 14

Ever have one of those days? Seriously, since 8:00 this morning, I've wanted to put this sign outside my office door:

 

Without going into too many gory details (just because some people from my office might read this), I feel like NOBODY wants to take responsibility for anything around here. My job is to basically make sure that projects for my department get done on time. I'm in charge of keeping up with schedules, making sure the right people approve jobs, and making sure deadlines are met. When people are behind on their tasks, it's my job to bug them (I'm like a hall monitor- I tattle on those who are late). Yeah, I'm not the most popular/favorite person in my department. I have no doubt when my name and extension pop up on people's phone, they just let me go to voice mail. They don't make eye contact with me in the hallway either. There are days I check to make sure the brake lines on my truck haven't been cut (okay, it's not THAT bad).

When I ask people about a job I get, "oh, that's not my responsibility" or "I'll get to it when I can" or "I can't do that" or "it's not my fault it's late". Then they turn around and want me to do things that aren't "my responsibility" and they want it done "right then". Of course I do my best to do it (because I'm an insanely nice person), but then I complain about it on my blog for all of the internet to read! :) I also get the people that start freaking out saying "this job is due Friday, I need you to hurry it along." Really? You've know about this job for two months and you "sat" on it. NOW you want to make me look like the bad person rushing people around? Umph!

So, Kevin Fowler's Video for Pound Sign (#) just came out on CMT (dot) com. I figured it suited how I was feeling today, so here it is! (yes, it's country music, bear with me, it's a funny song).

Kevin Fowler   More CMT Music   More CMT Music Videos

**deep breath**

Wow, sometimes venting just makes you feel better, don't you think? Thank you for letting me vent!

Okay, moving on to something that's not venting. I mentioned this last week but on September 27th, Chili's is donating 100% of their proceeds to St. Jude Children Research Hospital. You can go here and design your own pepper to show your support of St. Jude (and also make a donation). Here is the one I designed! :) I call it "Hope of Spring".

And what would my blog post be without mentioning the Rangers. My friend Vic suggested that the team  should pay me for each time I mention them. I LIKE that idea! Or at least get me free tickets! There is a cool video on MLB (dot) com about them. I can't embed it, but you can watch it here.

While I'm on the topic of the Rangers, I had to post this video. My friend Monica is probably laughing at me right now. Rangers pitcher C.J. Wilson does a lot for the Children's Medical Center in Dallas. He has held a few charity fundraisers for them. Children's Medical posted this video on Youtube. It's so sweet. The picture of him holding the little baby almost makes me look past the fact that he says "like" "ya know" and "whatever" 100 times during his interviews! But really, he's a pretty cool guy. Thanks C.J. for all you do for Children's! :)

Day 14: A non-fictional book

I really should put the Bible (especially after going on my little rant) so I'm going to. This is actually the cover of my current Bible (as you can imagine, I've had a number of Bibles over the years). : )

Have a great day!!

Back to Work and Blog Journal Day 7

Hope everyone had a great Labor Day! I really hope you were able to enjoy a three day weekend! What is it about having a Monday off work that makes Tuesday 10 times worse? I wasn't feeling all that great yesterday, so I took a Nyquil last night. I have been suffering from a "Nyquil hangover" all day. Plus it's rainy and dreary outside, which makes me want to go home and go back to bed! Blah!

Since I wasn't feeling good yesterday, I pretty much stayed in bed all day and watched Brendan Fraser movies. (When I first typed this I had put that I was in bed all day and was kept company by Brendan Fraser- and realized that sounded REALLY bad. Good thing I re-read before I hit "publish post"). :) I forgot how much I like his movies. He's my favorite "goofy" actor (you know, he really does do a lot of silly roles). Well, with the exception of a few movies here and there. Yesterday I watched School Ties, Airheads and Mrs. Winterbourne. School Ties is actually one of his more serious roles. I forgot Matt Damon, Chris O'Donnell and Ben Affleck were in it. They all looked so young- and so cute! ;) I had a teenage girl **sigh** moment! It had been YEARS since I saw that movie.

 

I then watched Airheads. Yeah, one of his more "sillier" roles. But it was still funny!! I'm usually not a big fan of Adam Sandler, but I like this movie.

I finished up the marathon with Mrs. Winterbourne. 

 

Ricki Lake's performance in that movie bothered me when it came out, and it still bothers me today. I don't know why. I messaged my best friend on Facebook about watching it. When we saw it in 1996 we thought the baby was so cute (which he was). I told her I realized that the baby is now like 14 years old. Gosh, I feel old!! :)

I hadn't really planned to have a Brendan marathon, but in an attempt to delete stuff from my DVR, I ended up watching three movies of his that I had recorded. I still have two more left (Inkheart and Journey to the Center of the Earth). Maybe I'll watch those this weekend!

 

Day 7: A photo that makes you happy

I spent the weekend at my parents house, so I was able to visit with my little great-nephews that live next door to them. I couldn't find one picture of them together, so I'm posting two. These little munchkins make me smile!! :)

"C" showing off his new shades!

"E" having fun in the sandbox!

Hallelujah! A cold front is headed our way!

Yesterday the Dallas area tied an all time record high of 107 degrees (some stations reported it was 109, but the "official temperature" was recorded at only 107. Yes, I said "at only". : ) According to local weathermen, a cold front is headed our way this evening. And when I say "cold front", I mean that tomorrow our high is supposed to be only 91. Yes, "only" 91. The lows are supposed to be in the low 70s. For the past few weeks, I've been leaving my apartment at 7 a.m. and the temperature is 85 degrees. 

 

Greg Fields, greatest meteorologist in the DFW area! My friend Bekah will agree! He's hilarious! Here is his 7 day forecast for this week.

Trust me friends, after almost a month of 100 plus temperatures, this is going to feel like fall to us!!

Well, it's been a while since I've talked about the Rangers. I know deep down y'all have missed it! I went to the game last night (shocker, I know). But this was the first Rangers game I've been to this month. The last time they played at home, I was in Atlanta. After the way they've been playing the past week on the road, it was obvious they needed some lovin' from the home crowd! It was a great game (despite it being 100 degrees at the start of the game at 7:00. Yes, I have an obsession with weather, I can't help it!) :) 

Our view last night

The Rangers pitching staff only gave up one hit (and that didn't happen until the 9th inning- so close to a no hitter). It was the first of four Rangers games I'm attending this week. I'm going tonight because I won tickets to sit in my company's suite at The Ballpark. Then I'm going again on Thursday for my friend's birthday (she had free tickets). And then I'm going on Saturday because Mercy Me (one of my favorite Christian bands), is giving a pre-game concert (I've had these tickets since the beginning of the season). I know, it's a crazy, busy week!! Thankfully I'm just 10 days away from a four day weekend (I'm taking the Friday before Labor Day off work so I can go visit my folks!) A little rest and relaxation! Nothing like going home to fix that!! :) While I'm talking about my folks, if you think about it, please remember my mom in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow morning. She is having shoulder surgery (I think it's from picking up all the chubby babies in my family!!)

Have a great day friends!
:)

My Wonderful Weekend!

I meant to post pictures yesterday of my weekend adventures, but alas, I never got around to it. I got home, cooked dinner, and got wrapped up in the original Superman movie (the one with Christopher Reeve). It has to have been almost 20 years since I've seen that movie. As much as I **heart** Dean Cain (who played Superman in the TV show Lois and Clark), I'll have to admit that Christopher Reeve was/is the best Superman.

Christopher Reeve (l) and Dean Cain (r)

Back to my weekend recap. I had a great weekend hanging out with my niece Alice. We haven't had a "girls weekend" in years, it was a lot of fun. We went to the Rangers game on Friday night and saw an awesome game. The Rangers beat the Angels 1-0. I think it was only the 9th time in Rangers history they had won 1-0 at The Ballpark (it was either the 5th or 9th time, I've read conflicting stats in different articles). C.J. Wilson pitched a great game- probably his best game all season in my opinion. I think he was trying to impress new Rangers pitcher Cliff Lee! : ) It was a sell-out crowd, it was almost like Opening Day. I didn't get our tickets until Friday, so the only thing available was the nose bleed section. But, like I usually do, we were able to sneak down closer in the 4th inning.

Saturday my niece twisted my arm and we went shopping at Kohl's (and when I say she twisted my arm, I mean she said, "hey, let's go to Kohl's, and I said, um, okay!" I **heart** Kohl's. After our shopping adventures we got ready for the Rascal Flatts concert. It was awesome! Five of my friends went with us (my friend Aaron was the lone guy- he didn't seem to mind too much).We had a blast! Chris Young, Kellie Pickler and John Rich opened for them. In between acts, we were "entertained" by three "less than sober" guys in front of us (they were there with their wives). Thankfully they weren't obnoxious drunks. Although at one point the wife of one of them scolded him for being too loud. It was kinda funny.

Anyways, like I said, Rascal Flatts was wonderful. This was the fifth time I've seen them in concert and they didn't disappoint. They sang a lot of their old songs, and a new one that is going to be on an upcoming album. LOVE THEM!!

Here are some pictures of my adventures this weekend!! Sorry there are so many! Hope you enjoy!!

:)

A view from our seats that we got at the box office.

Me and my niece Alice.

 

I love this Chick Fil-A sign at the Ballpark!

A view from the seats we moved to in the 4th. ;)

 

Ran into my friends Bill and Annette- it was wonderful to see them! They were in town and called to see if I happened to be at the Ballpark (they know I go to a lot of games). :)

Final score 1-0 Rangers!

 

The fireworks show after the game was set to music from musicals. I loved it!

 

Me and my group of friends at the Rascal Flatts concert (and some random lady in the first row who wouldn't move. I like how the kid behind us is smiling for the picture).

Taking lots of pictures before the concert started.

 

After almost two hours of opening acts, Rascal Flatts takes the stage!

Joe Don Rooney, lead guitarist. I **heart** him. ;)

For their encore, they sang their hit, "Summer Nights"

Until next time...

Accentuate the positive

Sometimes we (and I'm including myself in this) spend too much time looking at the negative things in life. Even if we don't mean to, I think it's just human nature. When life gets you down, it's easier to look at the bad rather than the good. To quote the song Ac-cent-tchu-ate The Positive,"You've got to accentuate the positive/Eliminate the negative/Latch on to the affirmative/Don't mess with Mister In-Between."

I saw this video online of the cutest little girl (named Jessica). She was feeling good about life and listed all the things that she liked about it. Too cute!!

I figured we could all learn from Jessica. As some of you know, the past few weeks haven't been the greatest  for me (feel free to read back over some of my old posts from last week). I've done this before, but I felt it was time once again to list the good things in my life. So, in no particular order....

1. For the first time in five years, I bought a new bathing suit. Is my body in the shape I want it to be? No. I perhaps have slacked off in my working out, I haven't been to the gym in a while (3 months to be exact). BUT, a friend reminded me of something important today. My friends aren't friends with me because of how I look. They like me because of who I am. I'm hoping to get to the beach this summer, and I'm sure I would look silly if I showed up wearing jeans and a T-shirt. Will I look like a Victoria's Secret model? HECK NO. Will I be posting pictures of me in a bathing suit on my blog? Don't count on it. BUT, I need to learn to be happy with the way I look. To heck with what other people think! For those who are curious, here is a picture of my bathing suit (courtesy of the Kohl's website, this is not a picture of me). : ) Whoever invented the "tankini" is a genius!!

2. I have the greatest friends EVER. I was told recently I have too many friends. I totally disagree. I don't think a person can ever have too many friends. I am a complete mess at times. And I can be a handful, yet people continue to want to be my friend and hang out with me (either they really like me, or my mother is bribing them with her homemade cookies and pies- she does seem to bake them a lot!!) I went to my folks' last weekend and my mother had made 15 dozen cookies and 55 mini pecan pies for a local bake sale. I never saw the bake sale, perhaps she was mailing them out to my friends? ;)

A view of my parents' table on Friday. Cookies and pies my mom made for the bake sale.

3. I have a wonderful family. I have some friends who go months (or years) without talking to members of their family. It makes me realize how lucky I am to have such a loving family who I get to talk to and see on a regular (or semi-regular) basis. I went "home" this past weekend for my niece Katie's high school graduation. My whole family didn't make it (if you have been reading my blog for a while, you know I have a huge family), but I enjoyed the time I got to spend with a portion of them. 

 

      My niece Katie- recent high school grad!    

My nephews Jacob and James- they were once shorter than me!

My great-nephew Christian, or as I like to call him, the next "Monet".

My great-nephew Espen. He looks all sweet and innocent but he was trying to grab my iPhone! ;)

4. It's only June and I've already been to 10 Rangers games. Granted, they might not be doing as well as I wish they were (again, for better or for worse, I'm a Rangers fan for life), but we are still above .500 (for now at least). And there is talk about Jarrod Saltalamacchia returning from Triple A sometime this month. We miss you Salty!

 Salty is on the left. I posted this picture for a certain friend who likes this card! ;) She should have bought it!

5. It's only 4 and a half more weeks until my next three day weekend (we get July 5th off work). That might seem like a long ways away, but hey, it's something to look forward to!

6. One of my friends gave me a gift card to Half Price Books for my birthday. This past weekend they were having a 20% sale for Memorial Day weekend. I got 7 movies and 4 books with that gift card, AND, I had $8 left over to spend another day. It's the little things in life that make me happy. : )

7. Albertson's has 1/2 gallon Blue Bell ice cream on sale for $2.98 this week. And this is another reason why my body isn't in "bathing suit" form. But you know what, I'd rather have my Blue Bell and be happy, than not have it and be really skinny! ;) For those of you who have never had Blue Bell ice cream, make it a point to check out their website and find the nearest location to you! :)

Tuesday Thankfulness

I get many emails a day and don't always get to some of them right away (especially the forwards). My sweet friend Jami (aka, my "little sister") sent me an email on Friday that I didn't see until today. It was JUST what I needed to turn my day around (let's just say I wasn't having the best morning). I personally think that God had me not see this email until today. Of course I am going to share it with y'all!

First of all, welcome everyone from Tuesday Tag-Along! Enjoy your visit!!

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God determines who walks into your life....it's up to you to decide who you let walk away, who you let stay, and who you refuse to let go.

Father, God, bless all my friends in whatever it is that you know they may need this day! And may their lives be full of your peace, prosperity and power as they seek to have a closer relationship with you. Amen.

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Speaking of emails that made me smile today, my wonderful friend Forrest sent me a "song" that he wrote about me (to the tune of Take Me Out To The Ballgame).

Take Ra-chel to the ball game,

Take her out with the crowd.

She is addicted and that's a fact.

She won't leave when a cute guy's at bat

Let her root, root, root for the Rangers,

Unless they're playing the Braves.

For there's one too many to count

Ways that she is great!

Happy Tuesday friends! Be blessed!!