Our Friday Nights...

What Happens After The Little One Goes To Bed

Heath & Melissa came over and we broke out the wedding stemware as the four of us enjoyed 2 lovely bottles of champagne, some sweet strawberries, some fine wine and some excellent company!

Cheers!

Happy Anniversary To Us!

Tim ~

Four years ago today was one of the best days of my life. I married my best friend and the love of my life. I am one of the lucky ones. Because 4 years later, here we are. We have so much to be thankful for, including one very adorable daughter. I cannot imagine what my life would be like without you by my side...

~The First Kiss~

~The Cake~
~The Maids of Honor & Best Men~
~The Dance~
~The Beginning~

Happy 4th Anniversary, Baby! Here's to many, many, many more!

Q&A: Part 2

I finally finished them! Here are the answers to the remaining questions....

Tell us a funny "I got too drunk and..." story.
I guess one of the most amusing would be when my sister and I went with our friend, Ashley to her parents house in the country a few years ago. We stayed in a little cabin on the other side of the property and could barely see the main house that her parents were in. The three of us were just doing girl stuff and playing our drinking games. All of a sudden one of us (I can't remember who now) jumps up and screams that there is a mouse that went under the arm chair in the living room. Well, the rest of us did not believe her. We continued to play until another one of us saw the mouse. We freaked. And of course, were laughing hysterically what with all the alcohol we'd consumed thus far. Ultimately we decided to rescue this poor mouse that was trapped in the house. We tried to chase it out the back door but instead it went into the bathroom and behind the water heater. Now, a normal person would probably either leave it alone all together or get it out with a broom. But what would 3 intoxicated girls do? Well, they would take an aerosol can and spray it out of course! Do you want to guess what happened? Yeah, there was a little bit of an explosion. And we took off out of the house. I should also mention that the 3 of us were playing strip poker so we ran out of the house with our clothes in our hand and scrambling to put them back on. We had to call Ashley's dad to drive over from the main house to come help us with the house. Yes, this is what 3 city girls do in the country over a long weekend. And trust me, there were more amusing stories that went on this weekend too!

How did your hubby pop the question?
Instead of typing it all out, I'm going to send you OUR WEDDING WEBSITE.

Where do you love to go shopping at and what is your favorite thing to shop for? What is your favorite pair of shoes and why?
My absolute favorite things to shop for are cute accessories and fabulous shoes! Because really, you can change any outfit with the right accessories and shoes! I usually find Dillard's has the cutest pumps - I actually found THE most spectacular pair of shoes there this weekend and spent several weeks worth of my budget on two perfectly adorable pairs of Gianni Bini's! One of which is my new current favorite pair that I own. But I don't have a picture to post. I will though. Just wait til you see them. They were made just for me, I knew it as soon as the salesmen slipped it on my foot. It was fate.

What is your favorite restaurant to eat out at? Why?
This is an easy one...The Melting Pot. It's a fondue place in Houston. The dinner takes a few hours and you are in an intimate setting and feel like you are the only one's in the restuarant. Perfect for a nice dinner with friends or a romantic dinner with your significant other. Although, every time I go there, I have to unbutton my pants after leaving because their food is too good and I just can't stop! :)

If you could have one super power (invisible, fly, stretchy) what would it be and why?
Hmmm...I would have to say I'd like to fly. And avoid rush hour traffic. Or I would just take Peter's superpower on Heroes and be able to absorb everyone's super power and that way, I could have them all!

What would you do if you won the lottery?
Pay off my house, invest the rest of it and stay home with my kids. Well, that and buy a lot of cute shoes and take several fabulous vacations!

How did you and your hubby meet?
Well, we are High School Sweethearts. We started dating during our senior year and were introduced via mutual friends. And we were voted "Cutest Couple" of the entire senior class - we even got a trophy for it at prom with our names on it and everything that currently still sits on our bookshelves in the office.

If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would it be?
Italy. Being half Italian, it's where my heart most desires to go.

Tell me about your pool - did you put it in yourselves? Are pools common in your area?
Our pool is my favorite thing about our house. And it's unique because it has 2 waterfalls which I love! Yes, we had it built specifically for us - and let me tell you, that process was a royal pain in the behind! I'm tempted to say I'd never do it again, but I know I would. It was very worth it. And yes, pools are very common down here in Texas. You can use them over half the year!

If you were stranded on a desert island for a week, what 3 things would you HAVE to have with you?? Only 3!
Well, assuming there is food, and of course, water....then I would say 3 things would be:
1. My husband - because I am not good doing nature things (finding food, making fire, etc) and I get scared alone in the dark
2. A Good Book - for when I'm working on my tan
3. Internet - so I can blog about all that Tim is doing and how fabulous my tan is ;)

On a scale from one to ten (one being awful and ten being perfect), how would you rate you childhood?
I would rate it a 10. As a child, I had (and still have) a lot of family around and had siblings to play with. I had friends who lived on our street and was always outside playing with them or spending weeks in the summers at Nana's house. I love my childhood. I had everything I could have ever wanted.

What do you and your husband fight about?
Actually, as we've grown older we fight a lot less. Most of the time now it's if he's said something in a tone and I take extra offense to it. It's just mainly a lot of silly stuff. Everything gets resolved immediately though. I'd say we just argue about typical stuff but we're really good about calling each other out on things now and realizing that it's just not worth arguing over.

Are your parents still married?
Yes, for over 30 years.

How do you feel about Britney Spears?
I feel sorry for her. And while I've never been a huge fan of hers, I do hope she makes a comeback and blows everyone away.

What is your ideal vacation?
Definitely tropical. I love beach towns - like Destin or Key West. They are so laid back and just have a great feeling about them. I love go from bar to bar down the coast, watch the waves, have a beer and a few oysters. I love the scenry. I love the ocean. I love the atomosphere. Anywhere by a beach and I am the happiest girl in the world.

I know you have a close relationship with your mother, has this always been the case?
When I was little my mom was always more of a "mom" than a "friend". She was strict with us and of course, I had a smart mouth on me. But I could never stand when she was mad at me and it would always bother me. She always had that effect on me. I always wanted her opinions and valued what she had to say. Obviously, as I've gotten older, I have a much better appreciation and respect of why she did what she did and now she is my best friend. I can honestly say, she knows everything about me, the good, the bad and the very sad. She knows it ALL. She will always be my closest friend.

What is the most romantic thing you've ever done for Tim, kind of a "just because"?
If you asked him, he would probably tell you it was buying him the first XBOX years ago. He hadn't been expecting it I don't think. But if you ask me, I cannot pin point one particular thing. I did collect all of our ticket stubs, receipts, coke bottle caps, etc during the first 2 years we were dating and made it into a really great scrapbook for him. I did make him cards, calendars and whatever else you could think of on the computer. I did all those girly things. All the things I would think were romantic but maybe not to a guy. Let's just say the boy has been spoiled the past 10 years and leave it at that. I don't know how much more I could tell you without getting in trouble from my mom (who reads this blog). Wink, wink ;)

What do you enjoy more - reading a good book by the beach or tracking hurricanes?
Oh Laura! How well you do know me :) I'm a sucker for hurricane season - not because of the death and devastation part, but because I find the storms themselves so powerful and fascinating. I do track them with a hurricane tracker. I sometimes wonder if I'm in the wrong line of work. Because tracking the storms is one of my favorite things to do. Usually I'll send out updates to my friends - who think I'm nuts. I can't really pick one or the other. Because reading a book by the beach is so calm and refreshing and tracking storms for me is so intense and full of wonder. So they are two different emotions. However, today I would pick reading a good book by the beach (but there are also no storms to track today!).

My Own Column!

Yesterday I was presented with an opportunity.

An opportunity to write a column for a local city website.

My own column?! Me?!

Just call me Carrie Bradshaw.

Hey, a girl can dream, right?

Well, of course you know I had to accept. Because apparently a husband, a daughter, a full time job, three blogs and a totsite are just not enough to keep a girl busy.

It's actually an up and coming local website for our suburb outside of Houston. I would be heading up the Family Column. It's still in the grassroots phase but there are big plans for it. So I'm glad to be able to come in at an early stage in the process. Having lived here for 27 years, I feel like I have a pretty good grasp of the city I love and grew up in.

And I already have ideas. Lots of ideas. All organized in my trusty notebook. I'm ready to hit the ground running with it.

Oh, and did I mention, the founder of this website is my old boyfriend from junior high/high school? And before anyone asks, no, Tim does not have a problem with it. And yes, they know each other. Don't you know by now that nothing in my life is without some form of humor!

So wish me luck on my new venture. I'm very excited!

The Tenth Circle

Many of you had asked about the new book I am reading that I mentioned that I posted about on Friday. It is called The Tenth Circle and is written by Jodi Picoult.

I was not kidding when I said that this book has given me chills more times than I can count. Or when I said that it was so powerful at times it made me sick to my stomach. And I was serious when I said it was wonderfully written and extremely intoxicating.

Having a child of my own, this book affects me. And I think having a daughter makes this book affect me in even more ways. I am just about done with this one and already have another one of her books on hand.

I also just found out from a coworker today that this book has been made into a movie starring Kelly Preston and will debut on Lifetime on June 28th.

Awards Ceremony

I've been bad. A few months ago I had the great honor of receiving the "Tiara-wearing Blogger" Award from a truly classy lady, OHMommy. Oh how excited I was because it was only my 2nd award to ever receive! I love it so much and feel that I can wear it well. I mean, who wouldn't love a fancy Tiara Award??

So, who would I choose to bestow this award on and keep it alive you ask? Why, none other than Holly (aka AFF), of course! This girl has kept me laughing for months with her witty posts, hilarious emails and over our lovely dinner date. She is the most well deserved person for such a fancy-schmancy award. If you haven't already, please go over and check her out. I promise you will love her.

~~~~~~~

Next, I was just given this gorgeous award by Kristen at Loving Our Simple Life. Kristen is one of the newer blogs that I have been reading. She has such a refreshing blog and is an awesome momma. She's quickly become one of my top read blogs! I can honestly say, I never miss a post when she writes.

Now, this award comes with rules. Yes, rules.

And so here they are...

1. Chose 5 blogs that you consider deserving of this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also contribute to the blogging community.

2. Each award has to have the name of the author and a link to his/her blog.

3. Each award winner has to show the award and put the name of and link to the blog that presented her/him with the award.

4. The award winner and one who has given the prize has to show the link of Arte Y Pico blog so everyone will know the origin of this award.

5. Show these rules.

Drumroll please.........

I am presenting this award to 5 great ladies that I truly enjoy reading. They also seem to keep facilitating my ever-growing blog addiction! They are....Lovely Lalo, The Daily Grind, Thoughts in Tumultuous Brain, Fox Family Fun and Clumsy Me, Oddity. I chose each of these blogs because they are all so different and yet, at the same time, they keep me interested and I can't wait to see what they have to say next.

Thank You, Girls!!
Wear the Bling with pride!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day

To My Wonderful Husband!

For Another Day

This has been one of the longest weeks in a long time. And I have so much to tell you, but I really don't have the time or energy to go into much detail about all of it.

I could tell you how The Sign is no longer in our yard. About how we decided against it when looking closer at the numbers. About how our neighbor is asking almost $25K more than what his house is worth. About all the exciting things we plan on doing to our house in the coming weeks. About how we are at peace with this decision and have no regrets. But I will save that for another day.

I could tell you about how I found out on Wednesday that a good friend of mine is expecting another child. About how I am thrilled for her. Or about how I was a little bit jealous too. But I will save that for another day.

I could tell you how the book I have been reading has given me chills everytime I pick it up. About how it is so powerful at times, it makes me literally sick to my stomach. About how, despite all of that, it is wonderfully written and extremely intoxicating. But I will save that for another day.

I could tell you about how much the questions you all gave me last week are really making me think. About how I am having a hard time answering a few of them. About how I am unsure of some of those answers that I think I have. But I will save that for another day.

I could tell you about how I am about to have to give up my lovely window office downtown. About how our team is losing offices due to new management and as the youngest member on our team, I am forced to move to an interior office. About how many people view all these changes as unnecessary. Or about how I am not really that upset because the office I will be moving to is more private than where I am now. But I will save that for another day.

Instead, today will be spent wishing you all a Happy Friday and a spectacular weekend. Today I will relax and reflect on the events of this week. Today I might be moving across the hall...

Q&A: Part 1

Wow! You guys gave me a lot more questions than I had anticipated. I've got answers for about half of them now. Some of the other ones require a bit more thought. I hadn't quite expected such deep questions! You're making me have to think here... And if you still have a question, I've got more to go, so feel free to ask away still!

Where do you work?
I work at an oil & gas company and I am one of the lucky ones as I really and truly love my job.

What is the best compliment you have ever received?
From my mother after I had my daughter. She told me that I was doing much better than she thought I would as far as handling her and knowing what to do. If you know me, you also know there was a time when I never wanted kids and quite frankly, was never the "motherly" type and thought I'd be bad at it. However, hearing that I was good at it from my own mom, was quite possibly the best compliment I've ever received.

If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
Well, I am a momma's baby, so I have to live somewhere close to my mom. But if I could pack up my whole family and put them somewhere else, I would probably pick somewhere by a crystal clear beach and white sand. I could seriously be by the sea every day of my life and never get sick of it. Except for in the winter, I would want it to be cold in November and December, and only snows on Christmas. Does such a place exist??

What is your dream job?
Doing what I do now, but doing it from home and spending more time with my daughter. I wonder who I could talk to about that. I've also always loved the idea of being a realtor. But I don't know that I have enough motivation to go back to school and get my license.

What are 5 things you want to do before you die?
Have more children
Get a stamp in my passport
Travel To Italy
Participate in a 5K or Marathon
Grow old with my husband

Where did you and Tim go for your first date?
Our first actual date was to the movies in 1998 to see What Dreams May Come.

Who is your favorite actor and actress? What actor makes you swoon?
Actress - Liv Tyler. I have always loved her style and class. She's simply amazing and just stunning to me. (And I have a huge crush on her dad!)
Actor - Gerard Butler....lately I've found him ridiculously delicious!

What types of blogs inspire you?
I find Mommy Blogs really interesting, whether they be working moms like myself, or SAHM's. I love reading how other people deal with their children and families in certain situations. I love their traditions and family values. And I also love that they express themselves and it's not just centric on being a mother, but also as the individual. I've met some very witty and intelligent momma's out there! So the Mommy Blog community is probably my favorite. Momma's are amazing!

Coke, Pepsi or Tea?
Iced Tea without a doubt

I want to know your perfect day. (with and without loved ones)
With Loved Ones: Waking up early, cooking breakfast, staying in pj's all morning and then hanging out by the pool or at the beach. Just relaxing and no running around. I'd much rather be in a quiet setting than out running around with different activities and places.

Without Loved Ones: Probably the same thing, but with a good book and a few drinks!

What is your favorite food?
Definitely Seafood or Mexican! I'm in Heaven with both of them.... Mmmmm!

How many kids do you think you will have? How many kids do you want?
I think (hope) I will have 3 children. However, I would be open to possibly have 4, but my husband's absolute limit is three. And he is not totally convinced on having just 3 yet. He'll get there though ;)

If you could change one thing about your life what would it be? And why?
Hmmmm......I would love to be able to work part time from home and be able to spend more time with Karys. I miss her a lot during the day and while I would never want to give up my job entirely, I do wish I could do more of it from home.

If Hollywood made a movie about your life...who'd play you?
Again, I would love Liv Tyler to play me. I really love her and she comes across as really "real". I wouldn't want someone too "over the top".

What is your favorite memory with Rachel? Ashley?
With Rachel it would probably be when Tim was out traveling when we were first married and she would stay with me. We drank lots of boxes of wine (oh so classy!), watched reruns of The OC and did things that we probably weren't supposed to in the house but we had a blast and laughed a lot. I always remember how silly we were during those times and how close we were. She's the best!

With Ashley it was when I was on bed rest during my pregnancy. She knew I was depressed being alone all day and would come over every day after school and we would watch What I Like About You. Sometimes she would make dinner because she was always hungry. She would make me laugh and get me out of my funk. Ashley is very sweet like that - she always wants to help people and make them feel better. Her coming over was literally the highlight of my day.

How did you choose Karys' name?
After we found out we were expecting a girl, we began looking at names immediately. We loved "K" names. We were taking a bubble bath one night and going through a name book when Tim saw the name Carys and that a variation of it could be spelled with a "K" instead. From that bath on, he referred to our baby as "Karys". And so her name was chosen...it just fit. (To clarify, her name is pronounced like Paris - but with a "K").

How many people did you convince to start a blog?
Hmmm...I think about 6 and counting! I'm still working on my cousin - she's hilarious and has the best stories! Come on, Val...

What size shoe do you wear?
Mostly a 6 1/2. But I can wear a 6 or 7 if it's a cute shoe that I must have.

The Sign

An opportunity arose last week that would be a potentially great move for us.

See, there is this certain home we like. A certain home that Tim and I have talked about for the past 3 years. How we would love to live there. To have the yard, the storage space, the privacy, the location. And last week this certain home went up for sale.

There is now a For Sale sign in our yard. And what an odd feeling it is to have it there.

This is a decision we were struggling with all last week. After many tears and prayers and talks with realtors and financing people, we put up "the sign".

It is bittersweet because while I know this is the best move we could possibly make, this house is the house we built. We are the only ones who have ever lived in it. We built it from ground up. We picked the floorplan, the brick color, the interior colors and the options. We then built our beautiful pool and the lush landscaping around it. And we began expanding our family in this house. This is our house. Our home. And it is now on the market. For someone else to live in and make their own.

If we do not get this certain home we want, we are not moving. We were not looking to move before this. We do not need to move. We love our home. But for our family, we also love this other certain home. We love all that it offers for our family to grow and expand in. Because one day we hope to fill it with more children. This certain house we like is already a home and we very much love it as well.

So, please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we go forward with this decision...

Q&A: The New Black?

So it appears that Q&A Sessions are all the latest rage in the Blogger World.

I must admit that it has always sounded fun. I really love getting to know other bloggers and asking them questions when they post a Q&A Session.

However, I also must admit that I never did it because I was afraid no one would ask me anything and therefore, I'd look like a total loser! And, oh the shame...

But we all have to conquer our fears at some point right?

So here goes, ask away....anything and everything you ever wanted to know about me, (within reason of course!) and I will promise to answer each and every one of them.

13 Random Thoughts I Am Having Today

1. Am I getting another area at work?
2. Possibly working with my sister again
3. Idea of expanding our family
4. Our neighbors putting their house up for sale
5. Do we stay or do we go?
6. I think my bladder is too small
7. Happy I am not part of stupid family drama going on
8. I need to start a new book. Which one?
9. Need to finish work on my closet
10. It is freezing in my office...Facilities Request!
11. When will Jaime move back home?
12. I hope baby girl feels better today
13. Seeing Danielle Saturday for a class & drinks

Mini Conversations

"You're Beautiful. I Love You."

"Da Doo"
(FYI - Da Doo is Thank You)

Recently I was giving my daughter a bath and was talking to her. We were having one of our mostly one-way conversations. The kind where I talk and she plays with her bath toys. I said something else and then she looked me in the eyes and responded. I was thrilled. It was like she had understood what I was telling her and wanted to say something back.

There is no doubt about it, this child is definitely mine.

11 Hours...

In about 11 hours, The Bet II Ends.

However, I will not have my final weigh in until early next week or the week after. Reason? Because Miss Flo is set to be in town this week and whenever she visits, she tends to bring with her unwanted extra pounds. Always.

Tim actually proposed the 2 week extension. I've done really well so far and have a current loss of 8 lbs in the past 2-3 weeks (since I actually got serious - and possibly after a 5 lb increase after The Bet II started - oops!). We will also be taking inches into consideration since working out may have contributed to a bit of muscle gain?? Maybe??

And can you believe I have not even picked out a prize yet? I don't want to get my hopes too high up...but I might have to take a sneak peek today! You know, just for an idea.... A girl should always to be aware of her options, right??

**Update**
The "prize" I am referring to is a new Coach Bag. That was always the deal in the original Bet. Though, I would love to go to Hawaii or Vail, that's not gonna happen. Lose 10 lbs in 10 weeks and get a new Coach. I'll know soon if that bag is mine!

Unofficial MeMe Day

I'm declaring today a MeMe Day because quite frankly, you don't want to hear all the crazy stuff going on in my head right now. So here are 2 MeMe's I was tagged for recently.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MEME #1

Krystyn at Really Are You Serious tagged me for this semi-photo meme:

I am supposed to post pictures of one favorite thing in my house that I love, or something that has a special story, and tell you all about it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mostly, this one speaks for itself. It is our backyard and our pool. This is sort of our oasis. Where everything is beautiful and calm. It's very special to us because we (rather Tim) picked out and planted each plant by hand. It was our vision and our (by "our" I mean Tim) hard work. We spent a lot of time in our hot tub together when I was pregnant with Karys and spend a lot of time in the summer with our friends and family. It certainly helps on those hot, sticky, summer days!

This next part is basically everything I need, or that is in my purse that I carry with me at all times. Try not to laugh too much here.

Here we have my purse upon just dumping it out. Wow. That's a lot of crap!

After organizing it, I find that I have the following items:

wallet, camera & case, ketosis sticks (for low carb maintenance), Pepto Bismal chewables (from when I was sick months ago), Immodium (also from when I was sick months ago), a tape measure (because who knows when you need to know your waist size, right?), powder, hand wipes (from NYC in Feb), safety pins, change, a broken clip, extra keys, High Maintenance mints (cause they are oh-so-cute), highlighter, 5 pens, lipstick, 2 lipgloss (in case I lose one!), sunglasses, the other part of the broken clip, B&BW spray, my mobile phone, and a small Coach wallet for my gift cards

I guess it's not as bad as a lot of purses considering I have not switched it out in about 7 months or so. I'm still angling for that new white summer Coach...stay tuned! The Bet II ends tomorrow!

I tag: Everyone!

Yes, because I am just that lazy.
Please comment me if you do it. I'd love to take a peek inside your purse!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MEME #2

Steph at The Daily Grind has tagged me for a get to know your blogger friends meme. So, here we go...

1. Favorite Person - I think I'd have to say the hubby and the baby girl on that one - obvious huh?

2. Favorite Food - Seafood and Mexican are about tied at the moment

3. Quirks about you - I freak out without my lipgloss and apply very frequently - there are 2 in my purse and 1 in my pencil holder at work. I also cannot relax if my kitchen is dirty or if anything is out of place. Maybe that's a tad bit OCD?

4. How would the person who loves you most describe you in ten words or less? Well, I cheated and asked him and this is what he had to say: "A smart beautiful successfully talented mother that I love completely"

5. Any regrets in life? Not really, I think everything in my life has happened for a reason and has made me a stronger person. Of course, I'd like to change some things, but there aren't any regrets any more.

6. Favorite charity/cause: Well, the one I donate to most is the Susan B Komen Breast Cancer foundation. I have a lot of friends affected by this in some way or another.

7. Favorite Blog: Can you have a favorite blog? I'm not really sure...

8. Something you can't get enough of? Kisses from Karys - seriously, I could kiss her all day if she would let me. And don't think I don't try! Those sweet cheeks.... :)

9. Worst job you ever had? When I worked for the Temp Agency - I never wanted to work and never took the jobs. Not a good idea.

10. What job would you pay NOT to have? Collecting Garbage - I'm way too sensitive to smells!

11. If you could be a fly on the wall anywhere, where would it be? Is it lame that I really can't think of anywhere I'd like to be? I think that would be called lazy...

12. Favorite Bible Verse/Quote: 1 Corinthians 13:4 "Love is patient, love is kind..." It was read at our wedding and I have a stone cross with this verse on my wall. I read it weekly.

13. Guilty pleasure: A mouth full of whipped cream. Hey! You! Don't go thinking dirty things! It's because it's low carb and it's one of the only sweet things I can eat! :)

14. Got any confessions?: I'm currently going back and forth on not one, but two, very big issues. Not fun!

15. If you had $1000 to spend on YOURSELF, what would you spend it on? Shoes, but of course! What a silly question :)

16. Favorite thing about your house? The backyard - it's our oasis

17. Least favorite thing: Wish we had a bit more space

18. One thing you are bad at: my face giving away my emotions - especially when I'm disgusted at something. Tim tells me that is rude. Oops!

19. If you could change one thing about your current circumstances what would it be? That we had planned ahead a little better

20. Who would you like to meet someday? My future kids - hopefully there will be 2 more of them ;)

21. What makes you feel sexy? When I catch my hubby checking me out and he doesn't know I'm looking. And when I'm tan. It hides a lot of imperfections :)

22. Who is your real life hero? My momma....she's given up a lot for me and my sisters in so many ways. A lot of it that I will probably never even realize. Her whole life was and still is dedicated to us. I love you, Mom!

23. What is the hardest part of your job? Waking up early. 4:44 am is just not right. Not right at all.

24. When are you most relaxed? When I am near an ocean - it calms me.

25. What stresses you out? When things are out of place....there's that OCD thing again.

26. What can you NOT live without? My family and my lipgloss (I know, I know!)

27. Do you agree or disagree with the recent article that reported that blogs are authored by narcissists? Disagree

28. Why do you blog? I don't have enough time to keep a journal like I used to and want to remember everything. I also love the friends I continue to make.

29. Who are you tagging? Krystyn, Rachel and Stephanie