What doesn't kill you (hopefully) makes you stronger.

"Nothing in life is easy, and if it is, it's probably not worth it." -Frank Clark  

True dat Frank Clark, true dat...

Thought (rant) of the day: I am a firm believer in the fact that God doesn't give you anything that you cannot handle. As tough as things become, it's so easy to just walk away, throw your hands in the air and give up. But, over the years, especially in recent times, I've come to realize that it's not always the best thing to do. Some things are actually worth holding on to, and even more so, they can be worth fighting for. I've always thought that with some things, if you have to fight or try that hard for something that should come pretty natural, it just wasn't in the cards. Now, as I am getting older and I am faced with situations that in the past I would want to walk away from, I realize that anything worth while takes work. Hard work. In the end, if it is successful, you can look back and say, I busted my ass for that, and in the end, it was all worth it.y

On another note, me and my little family are totally geared up for spring! We hit the batting cages last weekend and it felt so good to hear the crack of the bat again. Sadie even had a try at it. I don't know if she has the full fledged love for it like me and my husband do (yet) but, I have to remind myself that she is only three.can

Batter up!

This was totally on her own, we'll call it the "Babe Ruth."

All star

Lastly, I did my first Avon show yesterday. We didn't have that great of a turn out, but it was a good time. I enjoyed getting everything all set up and having people come by and check out what there was to offer. I am still pretty new at this whole thing, but I am kind of enjoying it so far.

Yay, me!

Until we meet again.

find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhere.

(Almost) 50 Shades of Gray

It's a trustworthy observation

That nothing can compare,

In the process of aging

With finding the first gray hair.

As I was getting ready for work the other morning, I was starled by what I saw in the mirrior (outside of the obvious reasons that is)...it's okay you can laugh at that ;)

I saw two solid streaks of gray hair, TWO! Not just little tiny strands, but thick, noticable sections of silver bliss. I had to fight off every urge to yank every last strand of those little devils right out of my head, but I was a little concerned of what the aftermath of that impulsive decision might have been. I haven't highlighted my hair in roughly 5 months. It's the longest I have gone without dying it probably since I was 16. There is a method to my maddness though; I am going for that "ombre" look. Eventually wanting to get back to my one solid, natural color (whatever that might be). However, if I am going to have a headfull of gray, I'm not quite sure I really want to go all natural. Jeepers crimany, I'm only 19 this should not be happening yet! ;)

In other news, Sadie is getting really good at recognizing letters. She has been practicing spelling words a lot.  I am certainly not the type of mother that has her three year old child 1st grade ready by the time they enter preschool. I strongly believe that kids should be kids. They will have the rest of their life to learn everything that they will need to learn, and there is no reason to cram mathematics and reading down their little throats when they are not even in school yet. But, she has shown genuine interest in learning how to spell, and figuring out which letters make up certain words, so we practice when the opportunity presents itself. She has socks, cup and Sadie down pat.

This afternoon we spent some time at the Como Conservatory in Saint Paul. Beautiful as always. It felt so good to go in there on this chilly March day and enjoy the sweet smell of all the amazing flowers.

Until we meet again.

Late night jam session

I find myself spending all of my free time at Caribou Coffee...outside of the free internet, it enables my coffee addiction and makes me happy! While at Caribou, I find myself over-hearing really interesting conversations from surrounding tables. Just in this past week alone I have heard some pretty good stories:

 I have heard about how a girl fresh out of college is struggling with her relationships with the opposite sex. Imagine that, a 22 year old girl who cannot get a 22 year old (boy) man to commit to her. Honestly, if people could only fast forward time to see themselves in the future. They would realize that the things that they stress/obsess over are not that important. If I could go back to my 22 year old self, I would change almost everything, but at the time, I thought I had everything that I could ever want.

Another couple was trying to plan their finances for the next month. They were openly discussing how many thousands they were going to have to set a side to pay for this, that and the other thing, and how many thousands they were going to use to pay off a loan for their daughter. Planning their spring break trip on top of it all. Makes me wonder what they do for a living and how I missed the boat on whatever occupation it is.

Another good one was a barista talking about how he intentionally wanted to close up the coffee shop on a Sunday night so he didn't have to be home with his wife and three children.

And then the BEST OF ALL was the rap super star my daughter and I had the pleasure of sharing a space with the other day. He sat there with head phones in his ears, a pencil in his hand, one single piece of notebook paper on the table and the lyrical flow spewing out of his mouth. Every once in awhile he would glance over to where we were sitting (I think to see if we were super impressed by his skillz), and then quickly look away. Finally, after about 30 minutes of this, he started asking me questions. Not just like "how is the weather?" questions, but factual questions that not every average human being really should know right off the top of their head. So, I had my lap top with me and started to look up the information he was requesting... I think I deserve some credit on his next CD when he "blows up on the scene."

Outside of my awesome coffee house experiences, I have had one of the best weekends of the year so far. Yesterday, my sister and I took my daughter to see the Great and Powerful Oz. GREAT MOVIE! Some parts were a little too much for Sadie, but she handled it just fine. She is a thirteen year old trapped in a three year old's body. The movie was done around 9:30pm so we decided to go grab a bite. We went out to Fridays, and it was packed with a typical Saturday night crowd that did not consist of too many other three years olds at that hour. Aside from the glares of the judgmental on-lookers of why I had a little girl out so late, we had a great time. She ordered the spaghetti, questioned the waiter about his choices to get tattoos and body piercings, and made it known that the table of 21 year old boys toasting to finally being able to sit in the bar after 9pm were hotties. After her meal, she thought it to be nothing but appropriate to hop off of her chair and "jam" to the loud music that was blasting. We were all entertained, and I think she made the waiter's night. He was a good sport.

No utensils needed for this chic.

Jammin' at Friday's

Until we meet again.

Caught in a drug deal and feeling 21 again!

I am not so much a fan of living in the city. Granted, I grew up living in the city, but it's so different now. You can not walk around in the evening without looking over your shoulder every few seconds, and you sure as hell cannot let your kids play out in the yard without constant supervision...well some parents don't seem to have a problem with that, but I would never feel comfortable.

The reason for my recent thought is because I basically, unintentionally, intervened on a drug deal the other night...

I was parking my car and out of no where I saw this person walk up to my driver's side door. I thought they may have needed help or something, so I cracked the window and asked, "can I help you?" I barely got the words out of my mouth, and all of a sudden this person was shoving a bag through the open part of my window! I couldn't necessarily see what was in the bag, but I heard pills rattling around. This person looked at my face and just then realized that I wasn't who they were expecting. This situation could have been bad for several reasons...but something I thought of after the fact is what if these people were being watched by the po-po's?! And then, what if the po-po's thought I was really there to get a stash? Seriously, I would have been so mad, and it would have taken a lot of explaining. Talk about the wrong place at the wrong time.

On an unrelated note, last night we went out for my youngest cousin's 21st birthday. Kind of made me feel a little old because I pretty much remember the day she was hatched, but none the less, it was a fun night. Sure wasn't feeling very 21 waking up this morning, but nothing a little Tylenol couldn't fix! We went downtown to the Shout House. Hands down, the best part of the night was seeing her get up on stage in front of hundreds of people and dance to "Baby Got Back!"

Fitzy jammin' on stage

The birthday girl and me

Me with the hubby <3

Happy birthday Fitzy!

Little photo bombing going on. Classic. :)

Until we meet again.