Say a Little Prayer

i flew up to the bay area today with two of my best friends. right before take off, one of the girls crossed herself twice and said a prayer for our safety (or so i assume). i smiled to myself because no one but my family and mike knows that minus the cross i’ve been doing the exact same thing my entire life.

every time i flew with my parents, my mom would hold our hands as the plane taxied the runway and we’d say a silent prayer to ourselves. today, mike has filled in for me and since we both prefer aisle seats, we often times find ourselves holding hands across the aisle.

it’s nice to be reminded that great minds think alike. i’m not surprised to see that someone so close to me has a similar ritual. still, in that moment i loved her even more than i already did going into the day.

Guest Room

i love everything about our house but one of my favorite parts is our guest room. we actually have a full bedroom with a real bed for overnight guests. even better, we have a full bathroom for them to use.

gone are the days or futons, air mattresses and a single pedestal sink for four people. now it’s just a matter of inviting people to spend the night or weekend with us more often!

Pillow Talk

after a pretty “heavy” day at work all i wanted to do was fall into bed and sleep until tomorrow. unfortunately, i had a lot to accomplish during my precious evening hours and sleep just had to wait. and i will say, being as busy as i’ve been is a good thing because it makes that moment when i fall into bed all the more decadent.

sometimes, those 10 minutes in bed before sleep takes us are my favorite moments in the day. during busy work weeks, they seem to be the one chance we have to slow down, quiet our brains and enjoy a brief moment of family time.

On Pins and Needles

i went to the hospital tonight to visit a friend and found myself in the elevator with a giddy and excited family. i could instantly tell someone they love just had a baby because they were discussing the new arrival’s name, emma isabella. one woman decided she was calling her izzy and another chose emma bella.

as i walked out with a smile on my face, i thought about the strange experience of being in a hospital. emotions are so extreme. if you look around, you notice that everyone’s facial expressions are either incredibly joyful or very, very sad. it’s truly a place where life and death are happening at every moment, often times right next door to each other. i suppose we all know in the back of our heads that we’re likely to have both experiences at one point or another. maybe that’s what makes the celebrations all the more wonderful?

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

one of my favorite parts of my job is that i get to learn a tremendous amount about people. whether i’m interacting with families and hearing their stories or more likely, listening to current and potential sponsors discuss their passion for caring for older adults, i’m always amazed by how many good people exist in the world. unfortunately, our media focuses only on the ugly and cruel but i firmly believe, more good is being done everyday than evil and for that, i’m grateful.

Baptism

we baptized my godson, grayson, this morning!

he did such a great job and only got scared when the organist was playing. in fact, he did better than the adults in our group did. i’m embarrassed to admit there were a handful of notes passed amongst us and whispers throughout our aisle. i guess it’s been a while since we’ve all been to church so were were a little out of practice.

Finally, a Recall Notice

after waiting patiently and trying not to worry that my prius may unexpectedly accelerate beyond my control at any time, i finally received my recall notice this week. i figure that while i was there i might as well get my scheduled oil change and have them quote me on new tires as well. considering my 80 mile round trip commute each day, i thought surely i was due and so i was mentally preparing for the expense.

imagine my surprise when the mechanic checked all four tires and then said, "wow...you must rotate your tires a lot because you still have at least 10,000 miles to go in these puppies." okay, maybe he didn't say "puppies" but you get the idea.

i silently patted myself on the back because i have been a very good girl, taking care of all my scheduled maintenance on time, and it's nice to see it's paid off!

Bye Bye Daddy

since i had to work late at an event nearby, i spent the night at my mom and dad's last night. just before leaving for work this morning, i ran out to the car to get my travel coffee mug and as i was walking back in, i saw my dad running down the stairs in a state of panic. apparently, he heard the door open and thought i was going to leave without saying goodbye.

as my mom constantly reminds me, "it sure is tough to be so loved!"

62 Years of Wedded Bliss

i met a man tonight who lost his wife to alzheimer's disease two years ago. after gentle prodding, he was more than eager to tell me all about her and their life together and would you believe, they were married 62 years!

makes me feel like a rookie which i suppose i am when it comes to matrimony.

his eyes lit up as he told me about how they met, where they traveled, how many kids they had and eventually, all about their final days together. when i asked him to tell me one thing she did that used to make him crazy, he laughed so hard he actually slapped his knee and bent over a bit. i mean we're talking about full on guttural laughter.

he said that nobody ever asked him that before and as sure as he is that there was something, for the life of him nothing comes to mind today. as he put it, "i suppose that's a sign of a good marriage, huh? when you can't even remember anything but the good stuff. either that or she gave me the alzheimer's."

well put, sir!

PT

i have been living with a strange pain and swelling in my neck/shoulder area for going on four years now. no joke. it's always kind of their throbbing and annoying and i finally decided "enough is enough," i need some relief!

so at the recommendation of my doctor, i had my first physical therapy appointment tonight. i was a little nervous that i'd leave in more pain than i had when i arrived but ray took great care of me. he informed me that my posture kind of sucks and that if i don't improve it now, i'll end up a little old lady with a hunchback someday.

pretty site, i know.

being a good student, i immediately started practicing his techniques and incorporating changes to my lifestyle like sitting straight up at my desk and in my car. i can't lie...it kinda hurts to be upright all the time but i just know little old me will be happy i suffered through the pain someday.

Home Owners

no sooner did we have our heater repaired than our garage door broke. well, when i left this morning it worked fine and when i returned it wouldn’t open more than a foot. i’m assuming that means it’s broken?

just as i was cursing the fact that i didn’t have a landlord to call and complain to i remembered that even the most wonderful things in life – like owning your own home – come with their share of headaches. and not so long ago, we didn’t even have a garage door to break so i suppose this minor inconvenience is just that…minor.

I Want My MTV

during some casual facebook stalking, i came across a music video today. there was nothing special about this particular video other that the fact that it reminded me how much i miss mtv.

not the crap on mtv today like 16 and pregnant and date my mom but the mtv from my youth. singled out, my so called life and yo mtv raps. and the music videos…i mean those were the days.

after my nostalgia passed, i realized that one of the great things about getting older is looking back and feeling so confident that “things really were way better back then.” i mean, i kind of feel sorry for today’s you tube watching, twitter typing youth.

they don’t know what they’re missing.

A Day of Rest

after a long week and a full day traveling to and from tijuana, we needed a day of rest. we got lucky too because it was the most glorious, long lasting sunday imaginable.

and we soaked up every minute of it.

Cynthia

another great day at the orphanage. there were so many highlights from our most recent visit that i can’t name just one. from hopping out of bed at 5:30 am (and trust me, unless it’s an el faro day, i don’t ever “hop” out of bed) to hearing that one of the teenage boys wants to be a ceo when he grows up, it was perfection.

my most favorite moment though, was bonding with one of the girls whom i’ve struggled to get along with over the years (pictured in yellow). i don’t know why today was different but from the minute i arrived until the minute i left, she was by my side. in fact, i saw more of her all day than i did my own husband.

watching cythia grow from a tortured and immature child into a beautiful, helpful and sweet young woman has really been a joy. sure, she’s still tortured and has a horrible habit of calling herself fat and ugly. we’re still working out those kinks. but for the first time, she’s allowing a friend (me) to love and recognize everything good about her. sort of.

as far as i’m concerned, it was a win.

Lap Action

have you ever noticed that there’s nothing more comforting than resting your head on a loved one’s lap?

after hearing some bad news from a friend today i thought that nothing in the world short of a cure for cancer could make me feel better. falling asleep curled up next to mike on the couch didn’t fix things but it did allow me to rest my mind for a moment and for that, i’m so grateful.

Spring Break

ah…spring break is clearly over. even without school age children in the house, i can always tell because my commute is worse than ever. the upside of this situation…i really did appreciate the lighter traffic last week.

at least there’s that.

The Office

i’m typically a “work in silence” kind of  girl but every once in a while i like to take a little pandora retreat. those are moments that i’m so grateful to have four walls and door that surround my workspace. it’s funny how easy it is to take an office for granted once you have one. it was only a few years ago that i worked in a cubicle and dreaded my lack of privacy each day and here i am with a decent size office and a wall full of windows.

i’ll have to tag this post for the next time i want to complain about working in an office park in irvine. it’s all about perspective i suppose.

Opening Day

baseball season is officially upon us. my favorite time of year!

even though it technically began last week, i don’t really count any games until the dodgers home opener. and, even though i didn’t have the pleasure of joining my parents at the game (damn work), i was there in spirit.

time to add am 790 back into my preset radio stations!

Highlight

i went to the doctor’s today for my annual check up where i found myself killing time in the waiting room. after i checked my email, caught up on my words with friends games and perused facebook for a bit my attention transferred to the magazine rack across the room.

and what did i find there?

highlight magazine.

remember those kid’s magazines from your orthodontist’s office? they were so great and i had the best flashback when i came across the story of gufus and gallant. my mom and i used to read those together and they were always my favorite part of the magazine.

Steak Sauce

mike cooked me dinner tonight – steak, broccoli and rice pilaf. it was delish as always but the real kicker was lola’s surprise snack. she too got to partake with one of her steak shaped treats reserved for special occasions. he even went so far as to add a teaspoon of our steak drippings to the mix.

and before i get lectured on the dangers of giving a dog table scraps i will state clearly that this does not happen all the time. in fact, i think we’ve only done it once before.

and seeing her in seventh heaven is such a treat. it’s almost as great as the realization that my husband is going to make the most incredible dad. some day.

Let’s Get Serious

at dinner tonight i found myself feeling very “serious.” let’s just say that nights like this are not mike’s favorites. seeing me wax philosophical about everything from the value of family to the waste generated by warehouse stores do not make for a fun saturday night.

still, he was a really good sport and to my credit, i tried hard to snap out of serious mode and channel my inner goofball. we landed somewhere in the middle and left feeling very satisfied.

And the Beat Goes On

after my friend ashlyn died four years ago, the world got a little dimmer. still, every once in a while i see a spectacular sunrise, the kind that lights up the entire sky in an orange glow and i think of her.

today was one of those days.

ashlyn was the kind of girl who traveled through life with an internal soundtrack running through her head at all times. whether she was cruising the strand on her bike, perusing thrift stores for hidden gems like unique juice glasses or dancing her pants off at chili cook-offs, ash had a great time no matter where she was or what she was doing.

and it was infectuous.

i miss her presence in my life but i look forward to seeing her winking at me through the next awesome sunrise that catches my attention.

What a Whore

my day started off on the wrong foot to say the least. first of all, someone slipped our dog crack before bedtime because she was restless all night. so much so that mike finally got up and went to the guest room at about 4am. as for me, i woke up with a headache and an overall sense of irritability.

then on my way to work i passed a dead kitty in the road. i, along with a couple of other drivers, stopped to see if there was anything we could do but sadly, its time had come and i had the pleasure of the horrible image burned on my mind all morning.

throw in back to back meetings that felt “challenging” to say the least and a horrible story about an infant getting mauled by a pit bull and i was ready to crawl right back into bed.

but then it happened.

i walked into my office and there it was sitting on my chair. the most glorious thing in the world. that something that can turn any girl’s day around.

a shoe box.

i ordered a new pair of shoes online about a week ago and completely forgot about them and low and behold, they arrived at the most perfect time. shoes have a way of coming into your life right when you need them. and me, i’m a total shoe whore!

sure they didn’t erase all of the earlier incidents but they did help improve my mood for the rest of the afternoon.

thank you, new shoes.

Papa Don’t Preach

as i pulled into the parking lot at work today, the familiar beat to madonna’s “papa don’t preach” flowed through my speakers. my mind instantly flashed back to the 4th grade version of myself – singing into a hairbrush and dancing around my bedroom.

as i sat in my parked car singing along i got to thinking about the incredible gift of memories. you’d think after working with families suffering from alzheimer’s and dementia for nearly three years, this would be a regular consideration for me. sadly, until something becomes personal it’s easy to keep it at an arm’s length.

the epiphany did me good though. i went through my day with more than my typical empathetic air about me. i actually tried to relate to the families we serve and was it an enlightening experience.

Sunshine of the Day

i checked in on the blog that inspired this one today.after a year and half, my friend no longer writes daily but she still updates it regularly.

reading through her latest happenings reminded me of one of the reasons i was initially inspired by her blog. since we don’t get to talk or see each other as often as i’d like, her online journal serves as my opportunity to stay caught up with her life.

and what a life it is.

mine really is quite dull by comparison. i’d make the excuse that had i been writing this when i was still single i probably would’ve had many more interesting entries. then again, she’s just a girl on the go and that has nothing to do with being coupled or single. since i’ve known her, she’s always been brainstorming some new way to bring beauty and fun into this world.

inspiring, i told ya!

The Gift of Prayer

after a friend shared an excerpt from a sermon with me last week, i’ve been making a conscious effort to switch my mindset from worry to prayer. so, every time i feel the urge to worry about something i have no control over (which i’ll be the first to admit, is very often) i decide to pray instead. i pray for everyone i love, i pray for a better sense of gratitude and i pray for people i’ve never met.

what i’ve discovered is that a great deal of my worry time takes place during my commute, leaving me feeling stressed and anxious when i arrive at my destination. so  imagine how great it was to show up to work on a monday morning with a sense of peace flowing through my heart instead!

glorious.

Here Comes Peter Cottontail

mike and i hosted our first holiday today and it was perfect! brunch was delicious, the blood mary’s were spicy and the company couldn’t be beat. i was initially a little disappointed to learn that my niece and nephew wouldn’t be joining us but it all worked out just fine!

in response to our kidless holiday, we had an adults only easter egg hunt. in lieu of candy filled plastic eggs, i stuffed them with lotto tickets and  in & out and starbucks gift cards. unfortunately, before i could even grab the camera to snap a few shots, the hunt was over. mike ended up with two, my dad with four and the rest went to my mom and sis.

mike said it perfectly when he noted that “those balsamo women sure are competitive!”

Well Mannered Dirty Martini

i’m a lucky girl, our date nights are pretty frequent. still, my favorites are always the evenings that start out like any other and evolve into the perfect date.

we were doing a little inventory of our gift cards this afternoon – yes, we do have a whole stash of gift cards piling up – and came across quite a few to the cheesecake factory. so, we decided to grab one and head over to the bar for a couple of cocktails and appetizers.

at some point, the conversation turned serious (no need for details here). all that matters is that we left feeling really good about our future.

LBC

i ventured to an unchartered part of town tonight – long beach. i’ve been there before but not often enough to feel that i really know all the hidden gems it has to offer. tonight, i sipped wine and ate delicious pasta with some girlfriends in a cute little neighborhood sandwiched between downtown and belmont shores.

as much as i regret that more of my friends don’t live in my neighborhood it really is fun to go visit them in theirs. i get to discover a new section of this crazy town that is los angeles and they get to play hostess for the night.

everybody wins!

Coincidental Encounter

i ran into an unexpected face in the halls of my office this morning and literally jumped up in the air with joy. she’s a sponsor, hence a client, but has also become a very good friend. i had no idea she’d be attending the training we were hosting and got such a kick out of seeing her bright smile welcome me first thing in the morning.

i have no idea if she knows that she has that kind of effect on me but suppose i should probably tell her…that’s a really nice compliment, right?