Mind Over Matter

I'm trying y'all.

Really I am.

I keep telling myself to think happy thoughts.

To block it out.

To put myself in the "shoes" of the others.

What others you might be asking yourself.

Those would be the neighbor's dog right this moment.

Last night it was the peeps at MasterPark lot B.

I'm up nice and early this morning to get some work done prior to a conference call. I hear neighbor dude leave at his normal 7:30 AM departure time.

His dang dog has been barking incessantly since.

LOUDLY.

Hey little buddy. Daddy left. Please go lie down and shut the eff up. By now, 45 minutes later, you must need a drink of water or something. I understand you miss your poppa but you are pissing me off. Royally. It is too early for me to play music over your barking so I am begging you through the walls that separate us to GIVE it a REST!

*Mo takes deep breath and attempts to center herself this fine Friday morning*

So there is one rant.

Here's the other one.

I arrive last night at my local offsite airport parking. Random dude on the shuttle decides we need to discuss if the company he works for is bigger than mine.

Really? Here is a hint. I don't care!

Y'all he would not let it go. It was like this was mission critical. I am sure he was trying to make small talk.

So to random dude on the full ass shuttle last night, I am sorry you didn't have fun at your convention. I make no apologies for the fun I had and continue to have when I travel. Don't hate because I was on my way to Thirsty Thursday activity and you were going home. Alone.

I bet he is looking up the portfolio of his company and trying to compare it to my company today to determine which corporation is bigger.

Next part of this rant is I exit the shuttle to go pay for the parking and pick up my car. I am the second person off the bus so to speak.

I pay. I have to fill out my mileage reimbursement/air miles form because for some reason my VIP information isn't in the computer like normal. Um, excuse me? I am here all the freaking time, so much so you know me by name, and you don't have my info retained? Whateva'.

Then I wait. And wait. And wait some more.

Everyone who was on my shuttle has since paid and gone. Another shuttle full of people arrives. They pay and depart.

There I am. Standing outside waiting for my car. At this point I feel my blood pressure start to rise.

Finally someone comes to ask for my receipt so they can check on my car. We're about fifteen minutes into the wait at this point.

Fast forward another five minutes. Still no car.

Another attendant comes by. She asks for my receipt. At this point I am like seriously people?

Then, another attendant comes out, shows me my keys, and asks if these are my keys. Through gritted teeth I reply yes and off they go to retrieve my car.

To add insult to injury, I am standing near the entrance and when they retrieve my car, it is parked at the furthest point away from where I am.

And no one offers to put my suitcase in my rig.

As I am walking in a huff to my car I ask what the hold up was and the reply I receive is "Someone moved your car today and we didn't know where it was."

Really? That is some great customer service and fantastic valet action going on.

It is a good thing this is the first time this has happened or I might be inclined to raise some hell. Instead I threw my suitcase, backpack, and purse in my car, cranked up the tunes, proceeded to yell/sing and headed off to meet Maricel for Thirsty Thursday.

Hopefully today will be better. The dog has finally hushed up and since I just ranted, I am starting to feel better.

Peace and Love Peeps.

Oh How I Love Thee

I woke up yesterday morning with the world's worst crick in my neck.

Luckily we have bottles of this lovely product in the office.

It is my new best friend.

I *heart* it.

Today I am feeling better but it remains stiff and sore.

I won't be smelling like my usual self. Nope I will be sporting eau de Biofreeze.

Good times y'all. Good times.

Flying the Friendly Skies

Jumped on a jet plane nice and early this morning for another week on the road.

Surprisingly no one took the challenge and reward to guess which two states I was in last week.

Maybe you didn't see the chance to win a $15.00 gift card to Best Buy? Or you have grown tired of the guessing game?

Whatever the case is, I'm going for round two. I am throwing the same challenge out there. Be the first to guess which state I am in for the week (other than Washington) and cha-ching!

And in case you are wondering what the above is, when I am jumping to and fro on jet planes, my briefcase is the lovely Swiss Army backpack you see above.

I'm such the nerd. I wear it with both straps on my back. But hey, I am not the only one. I see lots of peeps doing the same.

Hope you and yours are having a good day.

Happy guessing. Challenge closes at midnight Thursday, 02.28.

Peace and Love Peeps.

Weekly Challenge #21

I challenge you to go through your junk mail as soon as it arrives in your hot hands this week.

Don't let it pile up.

Make room in your life for the important stuff by ridding yourself of the clutter it can make as it accumulates.

If we can make it through the week, maybe, just maybe this can become a sustained habit.

Wouldn't that be something?!?

Home!

Did you miss me? I missed you.

I am happy to say I am home. Although, only for a brief bit.

Right now I am in a hoodie, lounging pants, soft socks, sitting at my desk, a few candles are lit, Jasmine is on the desk, and Princess is at my feet.

A little bit of heaven on earth. Life is good.

Tomorrow I get to spend time with my favorite girls. I requested they schedule me in tomorrow a few weeks ago. I want and need some girl time and to recharge with them.

I am heading over to meet T for a pedicures and a light lunch after I run a few errands, do a little bit of work, and cheat on Maricel some more. Then we will head back this way to meet up with Maricel and a few others for dinner and a movie.

I'm looking forward to chilling, laughing, and just being with my sisters by choice.

I hope you have some fun and restorative things planned into your weekend too.

There is lots to share with you, and I promise I will, just not tonight.

For now, where ever you are and whatever you are doing, my wish is for you to be well.

Peace and Love Peeps.

Yahhh!

Spanky and I are in our second state of the week.

Right now we are hanging in our hotel room.

Tummy full of Subway for dinner.

And a night ahead full of work.

Yahhh! Exciting times.

It feels like it should be Thursday instead of Tuesday.

Other than the fact that I have started to talk to Spanky like he is a live person, it is all good. Boy howdy, the stories he could tell you if he could talk.

Don't forget tomorrow is a full lunar eclipse. It is the last visible one for about three years. Go here for more information.

I hope the weather cooperates so I can view it. I totally dig on stuff like this. We should be heading out to dinner around the time it is most visible on the west coast so say a prayer for me. The forecast is calling for showers.

For now, I am off to pull some numbers, put together a presentation, and sleep in bed #2 of the week.

Peace and Love Peeps.

Oh and in case you are wondering about the Yahhh!...have you heard the song by Soulja Boy? It is annoying and cracks me up at the same time. If you click on the link above, you can see the video compliments of You Tube. Consider yourself warned.

Weekly Challenge #20

This week I challenge you to make time for yourself to be quiet. To be still. To be serene.

Maybe it is a quick couple of minutes here or there. Maybe it is a dedicated 15+ minutes.

I simply want you to be able to find time to JUST BE.

Dictionary.com defines serenity as the state or quality of being serene, calm, or tranquil; sereneness.

Please make the time. You owe it to yourself.

Remember, when we take care of ourselves, we are better equipped to take care of others.

A Rant

Does this sign need further explanation?

Is it not the universal sign for no smoking?

I don't care if you smoke in your home. In your car.

See, the key words there are "in your".

When you stay in a hotel and the door is clearly marked a non smoking room and there are signs at every corner practically stating you are in a non smoking room, get the hint.

Don't smoke in the room!

It is just plain rude if you do. The non smoker coming in behind you does not appreciate it and certainly does not want to smell your stank ass smoke stench.

Can y'all guess what might have happened to me this fine evening?

If you are thinking I checked in, started to unpack, left for dinner, came back, promptly jumped into the shower, and after getting all nice and clean realized my room stank, you would be right.

I called down to the front desk and asked if there was a smoking room directly below me. After being told no I asked for a room switch. They obliged.

Thank goodness because I was in no mood and didn't want to have to push someone out of their room; my diamond status would have allowed me to do so.

So for those of you who smoke, please don't smoke in the non smoking room.

This is all for now. Peace and Love Peeps.

And the Winner Is . . .

A split decision!

Thanks for playing everyone.

Here's how the votes/guesses came in:

Summer: Idaho and Montana

Cheryl: Idaho and Oregon

Anna: Alaska

Cindy: Washington and Alaska

JP: Idaho and Alaska

Paolo: Montana and Wyoming

Anna: Washington, Alaska, and Montana

JP: Utah and Alaska

Cindy: Utah and Montana

Cindy: Idaho and Utah

Brad: Boise, Idaho

And other votes included: Crustybeef: Illinois and North Dakota, Tammy: Texas, and Kim: Ohio

Sadly, no one guessed the combination correctly. But the correct states were named.

Where exactly was I you may be asking right about now.

Can you say Washington, Idaho, and Wyoming?

Since I said the first person to guess correctly would win, I'm going with Summer for Idaho and Paolo for Wyoming.

Although it won't be the full $20.00, $10.00 can be fun and nice to have. Congratulations to ya' both!

Now, if you want to play along this week, I leave in the morning. It was nice to be home for a day.

I will be in two states this week. Be the first to guess correctly and there is another gift card at stake. I'm thinking $15.00 at Best Buy.

Peace and Love Peeps.

PS: Weekly Challenge will most likely be late this week.

Couple More Hours

And I will be home...leaving the great state of ....

There is still time to "cast your vote"!

I'll be back after a little ride down the highway and a trip on a jet plane.

Until then, I hope you and yours have a great day!

Peace and Love Peeps.

Day 2

A good night's sleep does a girl good! I woke up feeling like me again. I slept like a rock. Naw, a boulder. I slept like a boulder.

First up, pictures of Spanky in the snow. It was the manager's idea I was with. Don't you love how the peeps embrace "the toy"? I do.

I have no idea how much snow, in terms of inches or feet he was perched upon, but it was a lot.

Next up? A bit of auditing. Then we got on the road to head to my next destination.

We met up with the next manager I would be spending time with for the next day and a half. A young puppy. 23. For the first time in a long time, I felt old. And realized I have to check the 35 and above box when filling out surveys. Oy!

Anywho, we headed out to breakfast.

While we were eating, the weather outside turned frightful.

We ended up being pounded. Snow, wind, below freezing temps. I am talking a white out peeps.

This is the beginning of it. It only got worse as the day wore on. News reports say 6 plus inches fell in about two hours. Parts of the highway were closed for a bit.

Although I dropped bank on these bad boys, it was worth every single last penny so far. The snow falls right off of 'em. They keep my feet warm and dry. And they have non skid rubber grip soles to boot. Get it to boot? Ha. I crack myself up.

After brunch, and battling for our lives on the roads, we headed back to the office. Another meeting with peeps I had not met. Today lunch was Subway and I am so very thankful for this. I don't think I could have done pizza again. I would have eaten it but I would not have liked it too much.

Following the meeting, it was off to the hotel.

I love this artistic reminder greeting as found in one of the elevators.

Welcome to hotel room #2 for the week.

Here is bed #3 I will sleep in this week. One more to go until I am back to my home bed.

And check out my lovely TV, of which, I'm gonna' go watch some before bed time. But before I sign off for the night, Happy Valentine's Day y'all. May love surround you always.

Peace and Love Peeps.

From the Road

So far, only one state has been named correctly. Keep those guesses coming!

First off, I am butt ass tired. Butt. Ass. Tired.

Hmmmm, do you think it might be because I only got about one hour of sleep last night and another hour or so on the plane?

Now you might be wondering how that happened. After Maricel came over for kitty care (thanks for taking care of the babies!) and joining me while I ate dinner, I went to the office to wrap up a few things. Those few things ended up taking three times as long as I anticipated.

Then, since it had been quite a while since the last road trip, I had to replenish the suitcase essentials. My handy dandy travel list bit the dust when the dinosaur pc died.

So, I spent time I had not planned on spending, stocking the essentials, re-creating the list, and digging through a mound of clean clothes to pack.

Since my flight departed nice and early, I had to be up nice and early. Funny how that works huh? I was afraid I wasn't going to make it but the travel gods were on my side this morning. Not only did I make it, I breezed through security, and ended up with time to spare.

Spanky and I were treated to a seat all our own. and a gorgeous sun rise from the air.

The clouds remind me of waves at the beach and/or cotton balls.

You know what else I love about early morning flights? Most everyone traveling is a business traveler too. We know the drill. We all have that weary look on our faces, are carrying a briefcase, an overnight bag, and more often than not, we are wearing something with our company logo.

This is how I spent the first leg of the trip. Reading the Wall Street Journal and chillin' with the iPod.

After a plane change, and upon arriving at my final destination, I desparately needed a double shot espresso before the day could really get going. Energy is good when dealing with people I have not met before. Who likes to listen to a blah speaker when you can have energy, laughs, interaction, etc.?
The espresso defintely did the trick.

Lunch and dinner consisted of Pizza Hut.

I have a feeling tomorrow's lunch may be more of the same.

I declined dinner to check in, take a shower, get in my pjs and . Once I kicked up my heels in the hotel recliner and started to blog, my eyes decided they want to close. To get some sleep.

I'm gonna' go take my vitamins and crawl into bed.

Peace and Love Peeps. See ya'.

The Time Has Come . . .UPDATED

. . . For me to get back on the road.

Yep, my stint of being home is a thing of the past for the next couple of weeks.

After today, there are only 5 days I won't be traveling. 5 days I won't be somewhere other than the place I call home.

It's all good folks. Really it is.

While I am sad I won't get to see my friends at the drop of a call, text or email and my bed will be occupied by the kitties more than by me, I am doing what I need to do.

Honestly, there is a part of me that does a go a bit "stir crazy" when I am in the office, with the same scenery, day after day.

So, if my posts are less than what you have come accustomed to over the next few weeks, I didn't want you to worry. Would you worry? I'd like to think you might.

Spanky and I take off at 6:00 AM Tuesday morning. I hope to have adventures to share with you; providing there is a working internet connection in the hotels and I get "home" at a decent time that is.

And in case anyone might be envious, please don't be. This week, I am going to 5 locations where the highs will not be above freezing. Tons of snow. Wind too. Long days. Shorter nights. In a hotel one night only to check out the next morning. Lots of windshield time.

Wanna' guess where I am going? T and Maricel (and other local lurkers who have access to my calendar), you can't play since you know.

To make this interesting, the first person to correctly guess the two states I will be in this week, there will be a prize for you. How does a a gift card to Target in the amount of $20.00 sound? I figure that would be enough for a cd, a book, a little something for you to enjoy.

Go here for a reminder of where I travel to for business.

UPDATE: I need to clarify. Technically I will be in 3 states this week.
Washington is not one of the choices to select from.

To play along, think something like this, "Mo will be in Washington, (fill in the blank), and (fill in the blank)."

Weigh in by Friday, 02.15 @ 12:00 PM PST.

Peace and Love Peeps.

Weekly Challenge #19

This week's challenge is to shred, shred, shred!

I'm thinking somewhere in your home or office space you have a piece of paper, or many, waiting for you to send it off to shredder land.

I know I did and honestly, still do.

I have spent the last hour or so shredding old bills from 2000 and going forward that honestly I know I do not need but for some reason I had been holding on to.

I am sure I had good intentions at some point or another but do I really need a phone bill from a residence I have not lived in for 4 years?

I'm thinking NO.

Check this out for recommendations on document retention guidelines.

Happy shredding y'all.

In Review

You know I had a good day Thursday. Friday was more of the same.

Before I go further, I thought I would show you a picture of one of the new earrings. Looking back on the purchase of my headset, maybe I should have looked for one in black.

The gold and the silver contrast is, well, um not to my liking. But I went with the recomendation of my sales associate and another shopper. They said it was the best one and I would not be let down. So far, in terms of quality, I have not.

And for the love of all that is good and right in the world, can a girl get some more sleep so she doesn't have bags and puffiness under her eyes?

My uniterrupted lunch Thursday was at our local favorite Mongolian Grill. Lunch was with my friend and co-worker diva.She doesn't think carrying Spanky around and being shameless when taking pictures of him is normal. She says a grown woman doesn't need to play with toys. I say *pfft*.

One of these days I am sure she will begin to understand and if she doesn't, this is ok too. I march to the beat of my own drum and being "normal" isn't something I have to be. Who decides what is "normal" anyway?

Do ya' even need to ask about Thursday night? We had quite the turn out this particular Thursday. 15 peeps. Some new folks joined us. I was a little bit sad none of my girls could make it but as you just read, I wasn't alone. Not by any means.

Friday was a normal work day. After work I went to have my brows waxed and tinted. Upon my arrival to the salon, I was promptly greeted by . Her name is Lady. Isn't she adorable? She belongs to the owners of the salon and goes in to work pretty much every day.

When I go in, I get down and dirty with her. I sit on the floor. I lay on the floor. I give her lovings and she gives 'em back. We're tight like that. In the spirit of me being me, I don't care if anyone thinks it is weird I am on the floor with a black lab in a salon entrance.

Dinner soon followed.

*Disclaimer: Look away if you don't like fish*

Channy and I went for sushi. California rolls are a favorite of mine.

After we snarfed on the sushi, we headed over to the mall to wait for Maricel and Veronika to finish with their clients.

It was movie night for us. They wanted to see 27 Dresses, so I saw it again. Funny the second time around too.

If you ever wondered who makes my skin purty and tames my brows, now you have a face with a name. It is none other than Veronika. I *heart* her. She is the blonde in the white coat.

I guess for some it might not be "normal" I am friends with the people who keep me looking like me. Hairstylist, check (Kyla). Massage therapist, check (Maricel). Aesthetician, check (Veronika).

*Updated at 8:45 PM*

Today I joined tons of my fellow citizens and voted in the caucus. I had no idea the turn out would be as great as it was. At least 400 of us were squished in a warm local middle school's lunch room.

It took me five minutes just to find a place to park. I was late for the instructions but arrived in time to place my vote and participate in my precinct's debates on the candidates.

It was my first caucus but it won't be my last. Our primary is on the 19th and my vote has already been mailed in.

This afternoon was a tad bittersweet. Taking part in the local political process and voting was something I did with my Mom on a regular basis. I know she was with me today as I embarked upon this endeavor.

After the caucus, I finished running errands. Good times.

Tonight? I will be spending the night in. Just me and my laundry. Oh yea, that is me. Such the party animal.

I hope you and yours have something much more fun and exciting planned.

Peace and Love Peeps.

Happiness

Today was one of those days in which happiness was abundant in my life.

It didn't come in the form of anything monumental but rather in the joy of living life.

Happiness today was in the small things:

• Laughing with co-workers
• Hugs from friends
• An unexpected kindness from an acquaintance
• Surprising someone with an early birthday gift they can enjoy during their upcoming vacation
• Feeling love from friends across phone and text messaging lines of communication
• Being able to wear jeans, a sweater, and Uggs to work
• A uninterrupted lunch with a friend
• Happy Hour with the crew and then some
• Being greeted by Princess with affection upon waking this morning
• Having Jasmine give lots of lovins' upon my arrival home tonight
• Being healthy

I hope you had a bit of happiness in your world too.

Spanky Went Shopping

Monday afternoon Maricel and I went shopping.

She was on the hunt for a pair of black slacks, as was I. I also needed to get a pair of low heeled boots for the upcoming trips.

We were successful in our searches. Thank goodness is all I have to say. I needed to find them so my tailor would have time to alter and hem five pairs of slacks by Saturday.

I *heart* my tailor. She makes my clothes fit. See, I have junk in the trunk and I must buy pants to accommodate the bootay, which makes the waist too big. I am 5'4 so the petite length works for flats but not so much when I am wearing heels. So whenever I purchase slacks, jeans, or a skirt she is the next stop I make.

For your viewing pleasure, I present Spanky to you...

Here he is chilling by the earrings in Express.

Maricel and I both picked some up. How could we not with a buy one, get one half off deal and a coupon to boot?

We both got the same pair of gold ones and were wearing them the next day. Great minds think alike.

She also got a pair of dangling silver ones that are smokin'. In addition to the gold pair, I also selected a pair of cz studs, another gold medallion type, and a meshy silver pair.

You'd have to see them to understand. They look much better than how I just made them sound.

She got her slacks here and off to Penney's we went for me. I pulled mass amounts off the racks and off to the fitting room we went. I scored five pairs for less than $142.00, which is great considering the cost of alterations and the bank I laid down here.

Yes y'all. Spanky went to Nordstrom's shoe department. I was totally digging on the red patent peep heels but after buying the weatherproof, stacked low heel, black patent ankle boots, there was no room in the budget for another pair of red patent heels.

We made a side stop at the office before heading back to her place for a glass of freshly made juice and other activities. I also got to play with my nephews, which is always good for the soul.

The part that cracks me up the most, that I don't think the picture does justice for, is the toy is almost the same size as Rusty. In this pose, the feet were covering his eyes and in addition to playing fetch, he treated me to a little bit of peek-a-boo.

I took Maricel's advice, or rather the smack she laid down, and took the rest of the evening off once I got home. I curled up with the kitties, a mug of decaf vanilla chai tea, and .

Asleep by 10:30. Ahh, the good things in life...

Satisfaction in a Job Well Done

The project is done. Done I say!

You might be thinking "Why did it take so long?".

Well, first I had to put together 16 boxes.

Then I had to organize the stuff that was going in the boxes.

For instance, it took me about one hour and forty minutes to separate the colored, regular, non patterned cardstock scraps to be able to put them in their very own ziploc bag in the box.

That is the level of organizing I went to for this project.

And you know what? I am glad I did.

Even though surviving through the mess for over a week was annoying, the end result is exactly what I had in mind.

Next up is the filing cabinet...

Weekly Challenge #18

I'm a registered voter.

Are you?

If no, I challenge you to register this week.

The way I see it, we have a presidental election coming up. You have to be a registered voter to participate.

I would be sad if you didn't have the option to do so because you weren't registered.

Don't let the democratic process pass you by.

You have a choice. You have a voice. Let it be heard.

Super Sunday

We have arrived at the end of the vacation in review series. I hope you enjoyed the ride. Sharing the details with you brings it into perspective.

I was beating myself up for not getting everything done but I see now going with the flow was a better choice.

However, I will be MIA until I finish the organizing project this weekend. It is safe to say I most likely won't get the filing cabinet done by the end of the weekend but at least I will be able to reclaim my craft and desk area not to mention part of my living room.


Once I do so, I will be sure to take pictures for you. Hopefully they do it justice. I like what I see already.

With that being said, let me get down to sharing Sunday with you.

First up is reason 506 (random number popping into my head) Ace would make a great partner.

He folds the blankets when done crashing on the couch! Be still my heart. Most people just get up and go. Not him. Folds them nice and neat for me. Makes my girly parts sing.

See he spent the night Saturday night. It was icy, late, and there was no need for him to chance falling asleep on the way home so he crashed in the messy living room on my couch.

We met M2 and family to celebrate her birthday at Outback on their side of the sound.

You may find this shocking but I did not have a steak. Nor did he. I had

I love me some shrooms, grilled shrimp, and a small baked tater.

I needed to leave room for Sunday dinner. We had yet another birthday to celebrate in mere hours.

But before that, I ran by the mall to pick up some chai tea mix and scored a couple of University of Texas T-shirts and a rocking sweatshirt. All on sale. All representing Texas/Horns.

From there I met up with T and family at their new place. We ran a quick errand before we headed over for some good ole fashioned Sunday dinner cooking and company.

On the menu?

Do you see that home cooked country fried steak, mashed taters, corn, and biscuits? Oh, and don't let your eyes pass by the turtle pie without a "mmmmmm, mmmmmm good" escaping from your lips. Oh yea, gravy! Gravy is good.

It was T's uncle's bday. Her mom made the country fried steak, homemade biscuits, and corn. I belive her aunt and uncle did the taters. T made the pie.

Good times y'all. Good times.

Now on to the current week and weekend plans. It was a pretty tame week. Lots of work. Got my hair cut and colored. Did Thursday night happy hour.

Now I will be shutting myself off from pretty much everything until I get my stuff done.

I do have a late lunch planned with a friend Saturday afternoon, going to see Melissa perform with Kyla Saturday night, picking Ace up from the airport Sunday, and of course it is the Superbowl on Sunday.

I'll be back for the weekly challenge Sunday night. Until then, take care of you and yours. Make it a good one.

Peace and Love Peeps.