Tagged Times Four!

I've just been tagged (well, not just - it's been about a week...) by my mom at Donna's Art with this fun little "four" game. The rules are I have to list 4 things about me and then tag 4 more people.

4 jobs I've had...
Reservation agent with United Airlines
Waitress at the Hog's Breath, Key West
Administrator for an arts organization
Operations manager for a website

4 movies I watch over and over...
Still Crazy
American Beauty
Pee Wee's Big Adventure
Chronicles of Narnia - Lion, Witch & Wardrobe

4 places I've lived...
Pittsburgh, PA
Sterling, VA
Key West, FL
San Francisco, CA

4 tv shows I watch...
Survivor (it's a shame, isn't it? I'm addicted!)
Amazing Race
Documentaries on public television
Anything on HDTV

4 places I've been...
... and absolutely love:
Grand Canyon
London
Edinburgh, Scotland
Geurande, France

4 people who email me regularly...
my husband
my mom-dad-sister trio
my high school buddies
my boss

4 favorite things to eat...
sushi
filet mignon
brie
big, huge loaded salads

4 places I'd rather be...
Barnes and Noble
the beach
on an airplane to Europe
an art museum

4 things I look forward to this year...
snow (pleeeeeease.....)
going to NY with my daughter
going to Maine with my family (husband's side)
summer festivals & art shows

4 people I will tag...
Julie at Equus Villa
Chocolate Girl at Keeper of the Chocolates (again! - you're probably sick of me, but you're just my favorite person to tag, Shelbi!)
Nan at On my Porch
My dad, Galen, at Manspace!

Have fun!

Amazing Blogger Award

I just received this fantastic award from equally amazing blogger Donna at Donna's Art! Thanks, Mom! You're great!

The rule is that I must name 7 random or weird things about me. Hmmmm... let me see...

1. I have to be surrounded by lovely things that make me happy. My home is crammed with pictures, paintings, books, little inspirational things and funky doo-dads. I have something on every wall, on every surface. People walk into my house (or into my cube at work) and stop in their tracks to take it all in. (Almost like they've been hit by a truck!) I'm definitely not a minimalist!

2. Speaking books - I love them! Old, new, doesn't matter. I'm a sucker for bookstores, especially those that serve coffee and desserts.

3. I'd love to own a bookstore/gift shop - especially with my mom. We could drink coffee all day and sell books and crafts!

4. Speaking of crafts - I love them, too! I have a craft room that's loaded with all sorts of fun stuff - beads, fabric, paint, felt, paper, glue and much more. (I'm in the process of re-arranging the craft room but as soon as I'm done, I'll share photos.)

5. I meditate in my craft room for 30 minutes every morning.

6. I love the beach. I feel like my soul is restored every time I'm there. I'd like to plop my hypothetical coffee-bookstore-gift shop there.

7. I love to travel. My list of places-I'd-like-to-see include Paris, Rome, the Great Wall of China, somewhere in India, Indonesia and Spain. I'd like to take my daughter to the Grand Canyon and Niagara Falls. But, anywhere is fine, I just love to go! (Also, I'm a sucker for souvenirs - I have a magnet, lapel pin and squished penny collection from almost everywhere we've been since 1997. Once day I'm going to get a big corkboard to display it... just where to put it? - hmmmm. Now that's a good question.)

That's it for me. I'd like to pass this award onto Deb at Posted From Home and Shelbi at Keeper of the Chocolates. Have fun!

Surprise, Surprise!

Yesterday was my birthday and I tried to not mention it at work earlier this week. Only because last year, the birthday thing kind of snowballed out of control. We got into this birthday frenzy going out to eat, meeting after work or getting cards and gifts for every birthday of everyone in the office. Heaven forbid someone was forgotten. It was just crazy. We eventually just let the birthday plans fizzle out.

But, my birthday secret slipped. I really tried not to let it, but you see, it was simply an exhausting, anxiety-filled week. At one point I just happened to blurt out, "I just don't want to have to work this weekend, of all weekends - it's my birthday weekend!" Well, apparently the ears of several co-workers perked up at that comment.

So, Friday rolled around. It was a long, tiresome week. I work for a non-profit and this is the busiest time of the year. Everyone is hyped up on chocolate and coffee and feeling a little beserk when one of our colleagues bursts in the office and announces that the boss just called a mandatory meeting - quick, but important. "Everyone grab a notebook!", which translates to more work coming down the pipeline.

I grab the chocolate bowl for us and we trudge to the conference room. We're trying to organize the seating and my boss calls for someone to get more chairs from his office (our conference room is a tad small.) But, alas, instead of more chairs she comes back with more people - a group of folks from other departments! She's holding a beautiful plant and cake and all of a sudden, the room bursts out in song... "Happy Birthday to you!..."

Holy cow! My very first surprise party - and boy, was I ever blindsided! I wanted to laugh out loud, but I just happed to be trying to swallow a Hershey's kiss that I ate in preparation for bad news! How funny and bizarre the whole scene was at that exact moment.

I got a lovely card from all my sweet friends, we sat and enjoyed cake and laughed at my utter shock. Our media manager shoots pictures in the background and my boss has to pat me on the hand and reassure me that there is no meeting. Really. (I admit, I'm perhaps slightly type-A personality!)

It was crazy and funny and such a joy. I'm so grateful for such wonderful, supportive colleagues. I've already framed my lovely card and will hang it in my office to remind me that life doesn't need to be taken so seriously. Funny how that reminder sometimes comes in the strangest ways.

Thanks guys - you are all super-awesome!!

Rockin' Girl Blogger

Wow - I've just received the coveted Rockin' Girl Blogger award from Nan at On My Porch. Thanks, Nan! What an honor!

I told my daughter that since I'm a Rockin' Girl Blogger that she's my Rockin' Girl Daughter. Since we just happened to be watching "School of Rock" and dancing around the living room, she was pretty happy!

I'd like to pass this award on to Chocolate Girl at Keeper of the Chocolates, the best mama in the world, and Alexandra at Silver Bell Cottage, the best baker in the world.

Keep Rockin' girls!!

May you be blessed

Many years ago, I worked with the most interesting fellow. He was a sweet, sincere man from outside of Houston with a heavy Texas drawl and a slow, deliberate way of talking. He ran a national trucking company by himself and was eager to please. After we booked the first truckload with him, he sent me flowers in a beautiful ceramic vase. Initially, I was a bit uncomfortable with getting flowers from someone I hardly knew. But after months of working with him, I realized that he's just a genuinely thoughtful kinda guy - a real cowboy, I suppose.

When the time came for me to resign, he was just about crushed. I could hear it in his voice. Shortly after our call, he sent me an email. It was called "May you be blessed" and had a link to a website.

When I clicked on the link of the email and watched the movie, I thought, oh, geez, here we go... another junk email. But after the first couple of frames, I became entranced. And touched. And then I realized that I was starting to cry - because how wonderful it is that someone actually wishes that you are fully blessed, that everything in your life is absolutely amazing and wonderful and that every dream you've ever had comes true.

I think this is a blessing that we should pass onto everyone we know - even those we don't know. Because it's only right and true that every soul in this world is blessed beyond their dreams. We can only reap the benefits of our friends, family, neighbors and strangers on the street having a happy and fulfilling life.

I don't even think I realized how nice it was to talk with Andy everyday and listen to his slow, southern drawl. He had a way of recognizing and honoring the spirit of everyone he knew.

So - to you... MAY YOU BE BLESSED! Pass it on to all you know.