Weekend Wrap Up

Friday: Work. Massage at Maricel's. Dinner and drinks with Kyla and Maricel at The Rock. Round of drinks, tunes, and laughs with Maricel, Kyla, Ace and friend at our Cheers. Sleep after 2:30 AM.


Saturday: Up at 6:30 AM to work. Haircut, color, wax with Kyla and T. Shopping w T. I picked up a pair of jeans, four pairs of earrings, a black sweater dress, a houndstooth hat, a wrist wallet, a water bottle, a lounging outfit, and of course...groceries. She got a cardigan, long sleeve hoodie shirt, and a pair of ballet flats. Sleep after 3:30 AM.


Sunday: Slept in until noon. Spent the day somewhat relaxing. Took my time reading the Sunday paper. Did five loads of laundry. Balanced checkbook. Took a nap. Cooked dinner. Cooked food for the next two to three days. Didn't step foot out of the casa. Didn't answer the phone or send a single text. Watched some tv (Brett, you done good. Jess was the right choice.). Relished in the alone and inside time.

'Bout to head to bed after putting away a load of laundry but before I do...for your viewing pleasure once again...


Don't you just love the double chin, bun, and fresh faced look I am sporting? It is oh so flattering isn't it?

Jasmine decided hanging out on my shoulder and looking at the lap top was the next best thing to sitting on it while I tried to get some work done.

She is called love kitty for a reason.

Here is my best impression of a walrus.

In passing, not too long ago, I mentioned I felt like my nose hairs were getting crazy and I'd been clipping 'em. Kyla told me we could wax them the next time I was in. Don't knock it 'till you try it.

You will be shocked with how much come out of the little nostril area. It doesn't hurt. Seriously. I wouldn't lie about this. I warn you of this; if you go into a rank ass bathroom post the wax, you will smell more than you ever thought possible or want to.

Now that you have had a good laugh at my expense, make it a good one.

Peace and Love Peeps.

For Your Viewing Pleasure

Last night Kyla told me Cosmo says still pictures on your blog is out.

I say, being out is the new in.

I will be a rebel.

I will continue to post the stills.

It is what we have known to come and love.

The above pictures are from last night. Maricel, Kyla, and I had dinner at The Rock. Then we met Ace and and a friend at our local Cheers.

And in case you really didn't believe my fridge is empty, the proof is in the picture.

Peace and Love Peeps. Off to get my hair done and shop with T.

Weekend in Review

After a nice long day of work, I will be treated to
and dinner with Maricel and her hubby.

Tomorrow morning I have some work to finish. Post this it is off to have my hair cut and colored. Afterward, dinner with T and Kyla.

Sunday will be a day of rest. Sleeping in. Football. Overdue cleaning and laundry.

Oh and somewhere in there I need to get to the grocery store. I am totally out of food. This is not an understatement y'all.

What do you have going on this fine fall weekend?

Damn Cat

Welcome home mama. You think you can work but I have other ideas.

Peace and Love Peeps. T and I are off to get some chicken fried steak. Yum-O. Don't hate.

Play on Words - EDITED

EDITED at noon Wednesday: T and I had listen to the lyrics together and here are the results.

It is not porn star. It is not bus stop like T thinks. Nor is it fun stops like Pete thinks. It is not even love power. Peeps it is

Keep on with the force, don’t stop

Don’t stop ’til you get enough

Keep on with the force, don’t stop

Don’t stop ’til you get enough

Keep on with the force, don’t stop

Don’t stop ’til you get enough

Here is my challenge to you. Listen to the song. Let me know what you hear. Do it. Do it now.

By now y'all know I rock out to the tunes. Today as I was making my way from Roseburg to Eugene (Oregon) I put in what I like to call my Al, Barry, Marvin, Michael, and friends cd.


I love me some Al Green, Barry White, Marvin Gaye, old school Michael Jackson, and the Jackson 5. Oh yes I do.


So there I am jamming and the song Don't Stop Till You Get Enough plays. I could have sworn I heard porn star in the lyrics. As soon as I arrived to my destination, I asked four of the guys in the office if

1. They have heard the song


2. If they had heard the song, did they remember the lyrics


3. What they thought it was saying

No one had an idea so I played a snippet of the tune I have downloaded on my phone for them. They heard porn star too.

I had to check the lyrics to see if this could be true.

How I got "porn star" from "love power" I truly do not know.

And just for more giggles, I present you with

Peace and Love Peeps. I gotta' go through security and board a plane back to the emerald city.

Aaaargh

The title seems fitting for today.

Why is that you might be asking. Well, I found out today my boss is leaving the company. His last day is next Friday.

It is a loss through and through peeps. He is brilliant. He is patient. He cares. He is fair. He is family. And he is leaving.

I am sad. I am pissed off. I have to respect his decision to not tell me directly. He wanted to keep it a secret until later this week but nooooo, the cat was let out of the bag on a conference call. The news spread like wild fire.

I will get over it but for now, Aaaargh!

On another note, a quick colon cleanse/poopie update.

Stop reading now if you don't want to know.

Holy hell. Today is day 6 and I can't believe some of the stuff I am expelling. No seaweed like stuff yet but there is plenty of other waste to keep me enthralled and peering into the bowl after a movement.

I chose not to do the program today or tomorrow as both today and tomorrow are very early morning wake ups and being on the road. Not taking the pills or drinking the fiber with juice this morning stopped the process in any way. I will spare you the details. Suffice to say, it was eye opening.

If this is happening on day 6, what is in store for the rest of the cleanse?

I leave you on that note. My cell phone alarm, the bedside clock, and the hotel wake up call will be coming in at 0330. Yes, you did read that correctly. 3:30 AM. I love 4:30 AM departure times for a 5:00 AM meeting. Really I do.

Peace and Love Peeps.

Southern Cooking in the Northwest

Last night Ace and I checked out a local eatery and took in a movie.

We are both from the South. I am from Texas and he is from Louisiana. Needless to say, we have some pretty high standards when the restaurant is called the Southern Kitchen and comes highly recommended.

From the outside, it doesn't look like much.

The inside reminded us of being in a family member's kitchen.

The food? Even though you can't consider it heart healthy, it is nothing short of AMAZING!

Everything is cooked from scratch. You can tell.

First up, as is the norm with good ole' down home cooking, cornbread.

I have not experienced corn bread in the form of a flap jack before. I added butter and honey and got down to business.

Next up? Fried okra dontcha' know.

Ace doesn't like okra but he ate the breading from one piece. Silly me. I thought everyone liked okra.

Because neither one of us could decide between chicken or fish, we shared two meals. I would have gotten the chicken fried steak but my inner voice said leave this for a trip with T. We have a thing with chicken fried steak.

This is Ace's choice of cajun catfish with cornbread dressing, greens, rice and gravy. He inhaled. Made our waitress very happy to see a clean plate. Just like home y'all.

I ordered chicken with mashed taters and gravy with cornbread dressing and red beans.

Oh and I would be remiss to not point out the strawberry lemonade we both ordered. It was extremely sweet. Ace took a drink first and said you could tell it was black folk's lemonade and I would be able to tell once I took a drink. He wasn't kidding.

The chicken and the catfish were perfection. Lightly fried. Crisp. Oh, and the cornbread dressing....I have no words to do it justice.

We were stuffed beyond a turkey on Thanksgiving day but we had to do dessert.

Ace selected sweet potato pie. He added whip cream later.

Me? The peach cobbler of course! Had some for breakfast today too.

Another thing I learned from this outing is Ace doesn't like cooked fruit. And peaches cooked? Keep those away from him. He did take some of the crust I shared with him though.

We high tailed it to the movie theater and took in

.

It was funny. Raunchy funny. There were times when you want to look away from the screen for fear of what you might actually see. Allow me to say I will never look at a grapefruit the same way.

On the menu today? I was supposed to go boating with Hasse and Maricel today and then head over to Sunday dinner with T, Snookums and the rest of the family but I have too much to do before I get on a jet plane early in the morning tomorrow.

Cue up Willy. I am on the road again. Last minute trips result in a Sunday afternoon of pulling numbers and putting a presentation together.

Good times people. Good times.

Hope things are good in your world.

Peace and Love Peeps.

Too Much Trauma for One Table

Too much trauma for one table.

Words not usually spoken by your waiter. Words you don't want to hear from your waiter.

Words we (Snookums, T, Ace, and I) heard at Red Robin last night from Nate, the C.D.T., which stands for certified designated trainer.

In his words, we got the best to wait on us. Um, I would say being a C.D.T. does not mean the best service. Not on this visit at least. Maybe we looked like we were having enough fun he could wait on other tables or something with said superb service.

What we got, in actuality, was a lot of laughs, not such great service from the kitchen according to Nate, and a visit from a very nervous manager named Steve who decided to almost motor boat me when we had to call him back to the table to get our garlic fries for free.

First, some pictures for you.

The view from my car as I made the trek over to Bremerton and Silverdale. My windshield is not dirty; what you are seeing is rain drops.

Ace goofing. There are pictures are of T and Snookums but out of respect for their privacy there will be no posting for your viewing enjoyment.

After much ribbing, I did indeed get the full size Santa Fe burger. I usually order a salad or a petite size burger. They would let me have none of that last night.

And yes, I ate it with a fork and knife. Everyone else was pretty much done with their fries and burgers by the time I got around to cutting into my hunk of dead cow. Does that look like it was cooked medium to you?

I like to eat my fries first so they don't get cold. I cut almost everything with a fork and a knife. Know it. Love it. Deal with it. That is how I roll.

What is a trip to Red Robin without a birthday song and sundae? Snookums decided to "surprise" me with this diddy and a song.

Nate tried to front and say he knew it wasn't anyone's birthday. I had to correct him.

Ok. Technically my birthday was on the 6th. This was the first time back in Red Robin since then. Not too much of a stretch of the truth right?

Thankfully the three tables of Navy or Marine younguns had left by this time. Right next to us were three tables of peeps who decided every time the birthday song was sung they had to clap and join in. Very loudly. At least they were having a good time right? But when you have to yell your order to the waiter standing right next to you, good times be damned.
My cell phone didn't die the other week. Before we go forward, allow me to call myself out. The battery wasn't all the way attached. I know. In some regards I am electronically challenged. Hush it.

It is true Big Red is an older model. It still has an antenna and can stand up all by itself. Can yours do that?

It is not super skinny. It is not a crackberry. Does this make it any less of a good phone? I think not.

Like I said before, service is good. I can text. Take pictures. Surf the net. Use the walkie talkie feature with other readylink users.

It works. You know the old saying, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Well y'all...it ain't broke. No matter the amount of peer pressure and poking fun I receive, until this one stops working, I am not spending money to get a new one.

With that being said, do not get any ideas about killing it for me a'right? Now if you want to hook me up with a free one, we can talk.

You might be wondering where the free garlic fries and potential motor boating comes in.

I wanted some con queso. It was ordered but never arrived. Nate said the kitchen was out. He got riled up because no one made him aware of the situation. No worries. Just bring us the burgers and the extra charge garlic fries and we will call it good.

The burgers and fries arrive but guess what? No garlic fries. Nate said he was going back to the kitchen and was going to "kick some ass". The food runner got all excited by that comment.

Nate sent over Steve. He fidgeted. He blinked...a lot. He wouldn't make eye contact. He bent at the waist and said he would give us our garlic fries for free.

When the bill came, the extra charge was still on there. All .49 cents of it. At this point we felt we couldn't let it go. Especially since Ace didn't get garlic on his fries.

Steve came back to the table and in his quest to make the situation right, just about motor boated me. Allow me to say, I think he would have enjoyed it much more than I would have.

We left a nice tip when all was said and done. That should make up for the comment Ace left on the top of the bill that totally negated my have a nice night Nate sentiment.

Ace says things like this only happen when he is with me. T is fond of saying only with Mo.

Consider yourself warned if we share a meal or do something together. It can, and most likely will, turn into an adventure. You can count on a lot of laughs for sure.

Trauma? Not so much. Smiles, memories, and good times? Absolutely.

Peace and Love Peeps.


PS - Football update...The Ohio State and Northwestern game bored me. I am glad I switched over to the OSU and Texas Tech game. Now this is some college ball at its best!

Hook 'Em Horns!!! Beat the effing tar out of Rice. No repeats from last week please. Thank you.

Interruption of Service

I interrupt your normally scheduled program to bring you .

One of my pet peeves is when people say "I seen" when they should be saying "I saw".

It gets under my skin. I grit my teeth. I bite my tongue. Annoyance at its best to say the least.

Case in point: A man being interviewed on CNN in Central Florida about the storm he and his wife lived through last night. He is clearly an American. Dare I say a bubba. He says twice during his interview, "I seen the roof".

Bubba, it is "I saw" the roof.

Get it? Got it? Good.

Off my soapbox for now.

Yummy!

Maybe it is not the norm to use the word yummy in reference to fall but this is the first word coming to mind this morning.

Yummy! Yummy! Yummy!

I won't bore you with more reasons why I love fall so much.

Been there. Done that.

What I will do however, is do a happy dance for the following this fine, gray, cool, wet PacNW, fall day

1. Fall clothes making an appearance in the daily wardrobe


2. Warm tea at night, in the morning, and throughout the day


3. Return of the kitties on the bed at night to snuggle


4. Burning candles and the place staying cool enough to enjoy their glow

A warning for the local peeps. It is that time of the year when I keep the casa cool. You remember right? Y'all will be complaining about how cold it is in here and I will be looking at you with the crazy eye and handing you a blanket to cuddle up in.

Afternoon Delight

Get your minds out of the gutter peeps!

Seriously.

My afternoon delight consists of seeing with Maricel later today.


I have been trying to coordinate for weeks now to go with her and J. We are just going to make it happen. Her and I.

I can't wait. I've heard nothing but great things about this flick.


I hope I don't get to laughing so hard I start to let out little farts or snort.


Go do something fun for you. Just you too. You deserve it!


Peace and Love Peeps.

You Have Mail

I couldn't figure out where the fire was today. By this I mean Ace was blowing up my phone with text messages today to see if I was home yet.

Now I know why. These were waiting for me in the mail.

I love surprises like this.

I love when your friends are so excited about sending you bits of sunshine they almost can't contain their excitement and give it away.

I love when someone sends you a bit of love and that bit of love is all about what is important, near and dear to who you are.

You hit the mark buddy. I am so very thankful you took the time to get me the books, mail them, and to make sure I got them today, especially considering I do usually only check my mail once a week.

I love you. Looking forward to seeing you Saturday.

Day 1

Look away. Stop reading now if you are not fond of natural alternatives and poo.

T likes to say I am obsessed with poo. It is true I talk about it often. I let my peeps know when I need to go. I tell them how love kitty is doing in the poo department. We celebrate bowel movements in Mo's world.

My thoughts on poo? Simple. It is a common bond connecting all humans. Rich...poor...black...white...male...female...gay...straight...young...old - we make POO.

Some of us go more than others. Some of us look at what is left behind. Regardless, we all do it.

For the record, because I have a feeling you might want to know, I poo about three to four times a day. I usually don't look at what is left behind because I am a courtesy flusher so by the time I am done doing my business, it has already been flushed away.

According to medical experts, our poo can tell a lot about what is going on with our bodies, our health. If you subscribe to natural cures, alternative health options, homeopathic remedies, etc., you know a colon cleanse and natural detox can be a good thing.

After talking with Maricel, who has cleansed before, and spending a few hours researching which program/product was voted safest and the best, I settled on this program. Today is day 1.

I thought I would let ya' in on this in case I start talking about my poo.

Could be interesting based on the testimonials and pictures folks have posted about their experiences.

No Directions for the Wrong Way

Horns and Buckeyes won!

I about had a heart attack watching the last part of the Texas game. Really guys? UCF and you squeaked by.

Snuggled on the couch with Pete's girls post game and bbq. It was sooo nice to see them. It wasn't awkward at all for any of us and I am so very thankful for this.

I didn't get to see any pro ball today as we were at the zoo. Apparently the Cowboys won and Seahawks didn't.

Zoo = Good times.

We made T and Snookums wait. Sorry guys! Thanks for being patient!

We now know how to get there. Who knew you won't get signs pointing you toward the zoo if you are going the wrong way? Directions might be a good idea for our next field trip; making a mental note.

Ace stayed in so it was T, Snookums, Maricel, J, and me. Oh and my invisible boyfriend. He was the best date. He might be making future appearances. Y'all wanna' help name him? Or should we just let a name come to us?

The weather was blah but hey, it meant less crowds and not having to fight with lots of people to see the animals.

I would love to tell you we got lots of good pictures but yea, not so much.



Don't hate on a gray Pacific Northwest day.



It is beautiful in its own way.



Watching the walruses play was my favorite I think. Oh and watching one of them take a poo right in front of a little boy's face at the glass was priceless.



The otters were adorable too. J and I were convinced they were playing catch me if you can, hide and seek, etc. Each time I was lined up and ready to take a shot, they would hide, go under water, roll but as soon as I put the camera down, they would pop up again. Little stinkers.



Ruldoph doesn't live here. I had no idea horns could grow straight up like that. I wonder if all the other reindeers poke fun and won't let him play in their reindeer games.



This is Maricel's secret admirer. He luuuurves her. He, or maybe it was a she, was chilling and checking her out in the worst way. They have a special connection.



I forget what these are called. Pretty cool funky looking animals huh?



What is a trip to the zoo without an elephant sighting?



That is one big hairy beast. I kept wondering what it smelled like up close.



These bad boys were just hanging out like this. Maybe it was about to be feeding time? Watching a movie? Praising the fish god?

I do like to visit the zoo but on the flip side I get sad about animals being caged in. Not being able to live their lives in a natural habitat.

Of course living in a controlled environment equates to virtually no predator threat and a steady food supply. It still does sadden me to watch them go around and around in circles, pace, swim a lap in a little area compared to the wild.

I'm not too sad to keep visiting zoos or wildlife parks. I guess that makes me a contradiction.

On that note, I'm signing off. I have to be up nice and early for a day trip down south. Hope y'all have a good day.

Peace and Love Peeps.

Weekend Plans

First up, I owe y'all an apology. I lied. I said I would be back on here later today to catch up. That is just not going to happen.

I am too lazy to get the pictures off of my home pc. Yes I know it would take less than ten minutes, heck probably less than five, to do.

I took a nice long nap late this afternoon and into the evening. I am still tired. Are you surprised? Me either.

So keep on hanging on. I am going to make time at some point this weekend to do so. It might not be until Sunday night though.

Tomorrow is football baby.

Y'all know how I love my football.

I'm heading over to, hold onto your seats, Pete's to watch the Ohio State vs University of Washington game and BBQ.

Before you think it is just me and him, allow me to clarify. It is a slew of peeps. These plans were made a while back, approximately three months ago. Yep, another set of plans made before we broke up and ones we are keeping intact.

For the record, I am pulling for the Ohio State Buckeyes even though I live in Husky country.

Hopefully I will get to see some of my team too. They play at the same time. Darn it! Hook 'Em! Take down Central Florida.

Sunday a group of us are going to the zoo.

Photo courtesy of this flickr user

Right now it is T, Snookums, Maricel, her hubby, Ace and me for sure that I know of.

Yep, a bunch of grown folks going on a field trip to the local zoo. I can't wait! I have not been a to the zoo in over six years and I get to spend the day with some of my favorite people.

Those of you not able to join us, you will be missed.

This is the one outing I am sure I will really long for a digital slr camera. My point and shoot will do the job nicely but there are going to be some shots much better captured with one of those bad boys.

So whatcha' got going on? I hope you have some fun planned into your weekend too.

For now I am heading back to bed.

Peace and Love Peeps.

Weirdness in the Night

I slept like a last night when I finally got home, which was sometime after 11:00 PM.

I won't bore you with the details. Lets just say it included a road trip/drive up north, a meeting in which I did a presentation and training session, a discipline conversation, dinner with some co-workers, and a stop in to the happy hour crew on the way home.

At some point in the wee hours of the morning, I had a dream about
+ + Halloween cards and sequins.

Um, yea. What is that all about?

Another dream included a street parade and Pete was in there somewhere too.

I believe I need a solid 8-9 hours of sleep. Maybe then the weirdness will cease.

Hope you have a good day. I'll be back later tonight and promise to catch y'all up and catch myself up on your blogs/life too.

Peace and Love Peeps.

Home!

And it feels so FANTASTIC.

Well, except for my swollen feet. How the heck that happened to the degree they did is beyond my comprehension.

I drank a ton of water and as we (boss man and I) always do, watched our sodium intake.

The worst part? It hurts. My skin is stretched to the max. Cankles be damned!

Maricel and T, As I type this my feet are elevated. How long will it take for relief? I hope I wake up to some sense of normalcy.

I am back on the road tomorrow. At least this is a day trip but do I really have to be in the car and driving north at 6:00 AM?

Really?

I just might fall the eff out come Friday y'all.

That's probably going to me except my headset is more Janet Jackson style and there is no ring on any of my fingers. Oh, and my hair is darker.

I'm not complaining...simply saying.

Before I go, I'd like to send a little shout out to the peeps at Delta for tracking me down in the baggage claim area to give me back the book I was reading.

I was in such a hurry to get off the plane that in my haste to make a mad dash to the bathroom, I accidentally left it behind in the seat pocket. I didn't realize this until I was doing my business. Good thing I had my boarding pass in with the bookmark huh?

Peace and Love Peeps. Bed time for Mo...

Little Bit of Nothing

When y'all find this software, will you make sure I get a copy?

See, the only thing wrong with my wireless connection was at some point in time I turned off the signal. The switch was moved to the off position. That is all peeps. Off.

Yea, I am a smart one huh? At least I let boss man, in his words, feel like a genius today.

I would love to update you on the things I need and want to but people, I am TIRED. Two days in a row I have been up at 3:30 AM to make an early flight.

Here's how the last few days have gone. I got stuck behind a gnarly accident Monday morning. I got to the airport with only 30 minutes to spare. No boarding pass issued so I spent about ten minutes on the phone with our company's travel agency to explore options only to find out there really were none unless I wanted to spend three hours in another airport and get in after 7:00 PM. Considering I was scheduled to depart at 6:28 AM, this did not sound appealing.

I rebooked to fly out at 6:10 AM this morning. Today I made to the airport with plenty of time to spare. But, and you knew there would be a but right? The plane sat on the tarmac for almost an entire hour. Without air. It was stiffling hot. I was sweating. My hair went flat. The guy behind me started to smell. And when it was all said and done I ran my arse through the Salt Lake airport trying to make my connection only to find out I missed it.

The good news is I was able to get on the next flight to Boise and my checked bag arrived with me.

For the record, I don't like connections. I try to avoid them at all costs. I am a direct flight kind of girl but this trip was booked last minute so I had to go with what I could get.

Oh, and I about had to check the dude next to me being rebooked by the Delta agent. Um buddy it is not her fault we were delayed. She gave you three different options to choose from. Any seat is a good seat. Pick one and quit being a jerk.

Another bit of advice I'd like to share with those who don't fly/travel too much. There will be another flight if you miss the one you are scheduled to be on. Do not take it out on the poor airline personnel. It is not their fault. They are there to assist you with your needs, not to take your s*** when things go awry. Cut them some slack. And for the love that is all and good and right in the world, take a breath and chill. It's not worth getting upset about. Really. It can be unsettling and a pain in the you know what but take it in stride because you are alive and working yourself into a tizzy won't change the situation.

With that being said, I finally arrived in Boise one hour and half later than originally planned. We promptly headed to the local bbq joint, the Goodwood. This joint reminds me of Texas with a capital R. What is a southern girl to order for lunch? The bbq brisket sandwich of course with a side salad and a big ole glass of ice tea. Yum-O!

From there I spent the day auditing. Fun times I tell you. More of that to come tomorrow too.

We checked into the hotel, freshened up, and headed to dinner here. Another reminder of home. Boss man and I split an order of chicken fajitas.

After dinner, we came back to the hotel and I walked on the treadmill for 30 minutes, jumped in the shower, downloaded some reports, checked my email, and now I am spending a minute or two updating ya' on what has been going on with me. Everything is good. Things have not gone as planned but all in all, life is good.

I am a little bummed though. Since I missed my flight Monday I won't be taking in a Mariner's game Wednesday night as planned. In the grand scheme of things, this is probably a good thing. I have to be up at the crack of dawn Thursday too to take a day trip up north.

Hope things are good where you are. I have not really had a chance to check in on everyone's blogs. I am looking to catch up on this Friday night. Miss you. Love you. Mean it.

For now I am shutting down operations and crawling into bed. 5:00 AM will be here before I know it.

Peace and Love Peeps.

Let Us Not Forget

Photo courtesy from here.

I believe it is very easy for us to get caught up in our day to day and not remember this tragic and historical day. Can you believe it has been 6 years?

Do you remember where you were when you heard the news?

I do. I had just returned from a business trip (no surprise there). I was snug as a bug in my bed snoozing away. My flight arrived really late the night before so I was sleeping in.

Then it happened. I was woken up by the banging on my front door with simultaneous phones ringing off the hook. At my front door? A marine in full combat gear alerting me to the fact the base was locked down and we were on the highest threat con alert possible.

After rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I asked, "Why?" His reply? "Ma'am, turn on the tv." Then he left as quickly as he arrived.

I made my way to the tv. As I am sure most of us felt, my stomach dropped and the tears started to flow. It was especially surreal because my husband at the time was deployed. We found out later they were entering the Indian Ocean when the attack occurred.

I finally answered the phone and talked with my mom and one of my brothers. I remember having to get off the phone because I couldn't form a coherent thought. I was consumed by the images before me and what this might mean for me, my husband, the nation as a whole but especially the people taken from their loved ones from the act of terrorism.

My neighbor (M2) came up and we watched the news. Hanging on to every bit of information we could get. Realizing and knowing neither one of us would receive word from our husbands, we had no alternative but to deal with the situation at hand and find comfort in the fact they were probably safer than any of us were at the time.

In the days that followed I remember being irritated at the new found sense of patriotism. For me, and other military families, it was a daily way of life.

Day in and day out, our flags flew and represented more than solidarity in the wake of devastation. It represented sacrifice and pride. Later I came to appreciate people's efforts but at the time I was irked that it took something of this magnitude for people to embrace our country.

Growing up my parents instilled a great sense of pride and gratitude for living in America. I thank them for this. I often wonder do people realize how fortunate we truly are?

To this day, I remember.

I pray for those who lost loved ones, for those impacted by their efforts in defending our freedoms, for those currently serving. I even pray for the people who still want to do harm to America. I don't have the ability to fly a flag outside my current residence but I do have a rather substantial black and white framed photo of the World Trade Center towers hanging above my fireplace. In the heart of my home.

Some wonder how I can fly tomorrow. I have been asked this at least three times today. My answer? At any given moment we could be taken from this earth. The only certainty we have is death is a part of life. If it is my time, it is my time and to stress about it does no good. I am totally at peace should I be called home. Not just on a flight but at any given time I am ok should it happen.

Tomorrow as I head back to the airport, my heart will be heavy. I will spend extra time in thought.

I will not forget.

I hope you remember too.

My Cup Runneth Over

Mo's current mood?

Right there to your left peeps.

Interpret how you wish.

Let's just say it was a hella busy weekend as anticipated. It is all good. I spent quality time with people I love and care about. I scored some great deals while shopping. There were many laughs. I got pampered a little bit. I did almost all of my errands. And even though I didn't watch any of the games, all my teams won.

I didn't get all of my chores done and I wasn't able to swing going to Kyla's BBQ. I have yet to do all of the prep work for the first trip this week and packing is only a thought right now, which really is no big deal since the suitcase pretty much packs itself.

However, I will be up later than I wanted to be and the alarm is going to go off super early in the morning for the lovely early morning flight. All on a Monday to boot. Can you say GRRRRR?

I have pictures and stories to share. Hopefully the internet connection I had problems with last week on the laptop will be fixed so I can do this from the hotel. Otherwise, y'all are just gonna' have to hang tight since I can't take the home pc on the road with me.

Hope you and yours had a great weekend.

Peace and Love Peeps.