•• Pretty Distraction ••

Happy Mother’s day all you mother’s out there. Past, present, future. Whether you are an adoptive mother, someone who is in the role of being a mom even though you aren’t, or you are a mother in anyway… today is your day. I hope that you have it full of love and laughter. Take time to enjoy it. You’ve earned it!

Today, my son would have been 15 years old. It’s been a reflective day for me, thinking about how different my life would be right now. I go through phases of.. am I still a mom, can I still celebrate those joys? I know, once a mom… always a mom, but there are times that I think it’s silly of me to celebrate. I only had 16 days with my son. I wouldn’t give up anything in the world to have missed those days though. I carried him, felt him, loved him for 9 months and 16 days. And, even if I knew the outcome would be the same, I wouldn’t change it for a second. The most beautiful and special boy in the world was a part of my life, and will always live on in my heart.

I look around and see children, teens, adults, fighting with their parents and family members, and I hate it. Do they not realize the precious gift that they have right there in front of them? Put aside all those silly differences, all the unimportant disagreements… cherish the time you have. It can all be gone in a blink of an eye, and  you don’t want to sit there and think.. ‘if only I would have said this or that, did this or that.” Make the best of the here and now.

~steps off my soapbox~

Anyway, have a very Happy Mother’s Day!!

xoxo, ~pretty

I got home from Texas on Sunday evening. It was a great mini-vacation, and I had much needed laughter and relaxation and of course shopping. Monday night Oklahoma got hit with some sleet, ice, and snow. So, of course… things practically shut down. Schools were closed on Tuesday and the roads were bad. I didn’t get much snow around me, only a light layer.. most of what I got was sleet and ice. So, needless to say… I stayed home. It was nice. I watched some TV shows that I had DVR’d. I really don’t know how I survived before without this invention? I mean, seriously. Who doesn’t like to zoom past the bad commercials? Or maybe rewind and catch that song or word again? It’s Heaven, with a capital H.  This morning the roads were still a little slick, so I went in late, only about an hour and half late.. so not too bad. Of course, my workload will suffer, because I left work Monday 2 hours early due to the storm coming in. Now, don’t get me wrong. I love the winter. I love the snow and the gray skies, I’m weird like that. I just don’t like having to get out and drive in it. As long as I can stay home, I’m good!

I have to play catch up with school work. I have 2 assignments from last week, and then 4 from this week to get completed. Each lecture is about 45 minutes long, and each homework assignment takes about an hour or so to do. Ugh!!

Well, I’m another year older. Whee.

Yesterday was my birthday. It was a nice day. Had a nice brunch, did some shopping, spent some time around family, and then a nice dinner.

Today, I’ve been lazy… laying around watching movies (The Women), watching trashy reality TV (The Real Housewives of Atlanta), and chatted some.

I know, I can hardly contain the excitement, too.

This has been a good weekend. The wather was wonderful. The storms that we’ve had lately seemed to have just disappeared… at least for the weekend.

My weekend started out wonderfully. I had a decent day at work (something that doesn’t happen that often), relaxed Friday night. On Saturday morning I got up early, took my shower and got ready. I attended a Garden Party with a few of my friends. There were four of us girls, and we met up at one of the girls, M’s, house. It was beautiful. We had colorful dishes and napkins, she baked a magnificent quiche, some delicious mushroom caps that were stuffed with a cheese and baked, she mixed a delightful champagne punch, that just oozed SUMMER. One of the girls brought some delicious scones that were cinnamon and raisin, and the other girl brought a Lemon Triffle. We ate outside on her patio, and enjoyed the sun and food. After a brief encounter with the *mister* that was aligning her patio, and then the frog that tried to ATTACK ME!, okay.. the frog didn’t REALLY try to attack me… but, it did eye me!, we decided to drag our chairs out under one of her huge shade trees. Once under the tree, the weather was perfect. There was just a slight breeze every now and then, to cool us off, and the sun still kept us warm. M’s garden is just beautiful. The colors were so vivid and varied, the bird baths that were all over, the whole atmosphere gave me sucha  peace. I’m not an ‘outside’ person at all. Nature and I, ususally don’t get along. However, being there, with the delicious food, the beautiful surroundings, and of course… the laughter with friends, made for a wonderful day. I love gathering with friends, when you can go from talking about books, music, movies and then go to talking about sex, to relationships, to everything… THOSE are the friends that you treasure and you keep close. They are rare finds, and I’m so blessed to have found so many wonderful, inspirational, women to have in my life.

I visited with my mom and dad before the Garden Party, and then again after it. My mom is my best friend. Without a doubt. Later Saturday night, my aunt and uncle came into town for the night.. My uncle is going to roof my great-aunt (my grandma’s twin)’s house in a couple of weeks and they were down to measure the roof for her. I went back over to my grandparents and visited with everyone some more.

Mothers Day began with a nice breakfast with my grandma and my aunt. My mom wasn’t feeling too well, so she didn’t join us.   Then we had a fun-filled (and exhausting) trip to Wal-Mart. We shopped some, and then headed home so they could get on the road. Then, a trip to the Mall and to the Apple Store, for my very FIRST — OFFICIAL iPod. I’m so excited I can hardly stand it. I have had many mp3 players, but this is my FIRST iPod. It’s cute, it’s silver, and it’s a 2G iPod Nano. I could have gotten a larger one, but this one is just fine…. well, at least for now.   The day ended with some Bath & Body Works, some Tupperware, and a delicious dinner.

Now, I’m exhausted and my body aches from all the running around. (I think that I’m getting old, surely this is a sign). It’s time to get things ready for bed.

I hope that you all had a wonderful weekend… regardless if you celebrated Mothers Day or not, it should be enjoyed.

Just a few random thoughts…

True poets don’t write their thoughts with a pen…
They realize the ink that flows from within their heart.

If you really love someone, Then distance matters only to the mind… not to the heart.

A woman should have….
One old love she can imagine going back to…
And one who reminds her how far she has come…
And how far she has yet to go.

Sometimes relationships are like broken glass…It would be more painful to put it back together than just to let it be.

No, these are not my words… just words that have touched me at one point or another. I love quotes, lyrics, and words. So much expression can be said in the simplest of words.

Today was an okay day. Nothing special. Went and did some running around to a few stores.. the mall, circuit city, etc. I’m dreading work. I fought a migraine all day yesterday, it was horrible. I ended up taking two doses of my medicine, which eventually knocked me out, so I feel like I lost part of my weekend. — and now, I’m relaxing while Desperate Housewives is DVRing, and I’m listening to some Joss Stone.

Remember, tomorrow is the Blog Silence Day. So, I won’t be posting tomorrow for sure.

Hope everyone else had a good weekend. Maybe I’ll have something worthy of content soon… I have GOT to get over this FUNK! (And, I will!)

2/182

That’s right. “T” Day. For those that don’t know, that’s Tax Day.

So, I had been putting off filing my taxes since early February. I know, I know. But see, it’s a matter of being annoyed. I find it very frusterating that I always…. always, end up owing State Tax. It makes no sense what.so.ever.! — I pay state tax ALL year long, sales tax, etc. Also, they deduct State Tax from my paycheck. So, it is not logical to ME that I have to pay….. MORE at the end of the year. What benefit am I getting? None that I can see. I have no children in school — our roads have been ‘construction zones’ since I was born — Nothing is getting any cheaper. The other reason I had been putting it off, is that I like to file electronically. And using some place like TurboTax usually can be costly (Around $49.95 for Federal and $29.95 for State). Occasionally they have a sale.. but, I always seem to miss those. So, I put off searching for something cheaper.. or hey.. even free. Tonight, I finally remembered a site that I heard on the TV and the radio… it’s called TaxAct. I was able to figure and file both my Federal & State returns for only $15.95!! I was so happy. Of course — that owing state thing sucked my joy right out of my lil heart.

I’m thinking it may be time to pack up things and MOVE! I know other states do not have state taxes.

Sheesh. I can’t believe that the weekend is already over. Tomorrow morning the work week is starting again. I’m still unsure of when I’ll be at the new facility. Only information that I’m given is that I *should* know in plenty of time to say goodbye to my friends where I’m currently at. I hate that idea, honestly. I enjoy (well, as much as you can really enjoy work) the place that I’m at. The people are great (98% of them anyway); the office is nice, the location (sure, I’m only moving a block away, that’s not the point). However, the atomosphere will be different. *shrugs* I guess I’ll get used to it. I have no choice.

Friday night wasn’t too bad. I talked to a friend who had somewhat disappeared from my life for awhile. It was nice to talk to him. He’s one of those friends that I will always be freinds with. Regardless of what’s going on in either of lives, there will always be some connection there. Memories, etc. We didn’t talk for long, but it was nice to know he’s still around, and that he still remembers me. For so long, I’ve thought he forgot who I was.

Yesterday was decent to. I went to visit my parents and grandparents for awhile, and it was nice. I always enjoy the time that I get to spend with them. And, I don’t get to visit them that often, even though they live like 5 minutes from my house. I’m working on changing that. — Last night, I ended up with a migraine. Ugh. I’m so tired of the migraines. I take medicine for them, and it helps… ususally. You would think that I’d be used to them, because I’ve had them most of my life. That’s just a pain that you don’t get used to though. So, I took my medicine (ended up taking two doses) and then fell asleep. Looks like next weekend, I’ll have to have my gallon couple of glasses of wine.

So, it looks like the facility change at work is inevitiable. Sure, there are a couple of good points, but there are *so* many bad ones as well. Not only did they increase my facilities that I visit, now they are moving me out of my comfort zone. I’ve become content where I’m at. The people, the processes, the workload, everything. And now, they are moving me — more stress, heavier workload, and working with someone that I used to work with a long time ago, that didn’t always go so well. Ugh. It’s very frusterating to me. I want to be in MY place and working on my OWN. But, of course — I wasn’t given any choice in those matters. So yeah. Not happy about that at all.

School is going okay. Parts of it is pretty boring, but it’s not too difficult yet so that’s always good.

I had a wonderful weekend. I went to my Aunt & Uncles in Texas. I absolutely love it down there. I’m not sure what it is about being down there, but it just feels a little less stressful for me. Life seems easier for me when I’m down there. Sure, it might be because it’s just visiting and it’s not me living down there. But I can’t help but become intrigued by the ease of it all. Maybe it’s all because I feel that I’m in a rut, and I don’t like it.

I mean really, is it so hard to want to be able to write for a living, or photography, just something creative. To no longer work *for* someone else, and to work at doing something that *I* want? Is it so hard to dream about winning the lottery so that I can do just that. So that I can also take trips to fantastic places, and see interesting things, and to. not. worry. about things like money and jobs and being stuck.

I sometimes feel that I’m living in the wrong place. I could invision myself in someplace fantastic like… Las Vegas, or New York. Though I’ve never been to New York, so my idea of what it’s like there is like two ends of a spectrum. See, there’s the “Sex and the City” type of New York.. THAT’s where I’d like to be. Writing a sex column, living in a nice brownstone, etc. Then of course, there is that other end of the spectrum.. the one that is the rough area, and I’d have to worry about peeking out my window. Yeah, that one? I don’t want to live there. -laughs-  However, I have been to Las Vegas, and I love it. No, really… I LOVE it. I like the excitement, the lights, the action, the atmosphere, and who wouldn’t like to be able to say they are from some place exciting like VEGAS BABY! Oh, but no. That’s not my reality. See, I’m trapped (yes, trapped lol) in a middle of nowhere. Oh sure, we are a ‘city’ and there are a few things here to do. But, in my dreams I’m living in Vegas or NYC. I also have an odd fascination with Ivy League Schools. Mainly Harvard and Yale. Ahhh, to go back and do it all over again.

Now, back to reality… I’m in Oklahoma. And, you know.. we are “OK”. In all seriousness, there are some things that are nice about Oklahoma. The cost of living is fairly low, people are extremely friendly and love to talk, we have casinos (on Indian Land), we can NOW get TATTOOs! (that’s right, welcome to the real world now baby!), we have the lottery (there’s still hope of me winning my millions), and our Bricktown is now becoming a ‘mini’ San Antonio or West End.

Until that day that I’m living in a Dream City, I’ll be here… coming to you from Oklahoma, as if I’m living in the places that I dream of. And I’ll keep being that “City Girl” that’s from a not-so-big city for now.

This stuff is just great! Kaboom is for cleaning. And well, I went on another cleaning spree. I’m not sure where all this is coming from… but I’m digging in and deep cleaning things. I went to take a shower this morning, and decided that before I did that… I needed to deep clean the entire bathroom. That’s right, yours truly was down on the floor and scrubbing. Bathrooms are never any fun to clean. I cleaned the floor, the toilet, the shower, the sink, and even started going through one of the cabinets. Then, I had to stop –take a shower and get ready, because I had to go by stuff for the Superbowl Celebration! (Which btw, part of the Superbowl was “ok” — then it just went downhill as far as excitement is concerned for me. And the commercials, there were only a couple that made me laugh… ahh I miss the good old days of the Budweiser Frogs & Lizards..)

After cleaning and doing all the shopping… I made a quick run to my parents and visited for a bit, plus dropped off some Pepsi to my Dad for helping me out with the whole Cable/DVR/DVD/VCR senario. And well, my parents are just always helping me out in one way or another… they are always there for me when I need them. I’ve very lucky to have them and be so close to them!

Anyway, now I’m exhausted. And I just remembered that I have homework that is due tomorrow! ~ugh~ I better get on it!