Twenty-Five Random Things

I love those posts that go around on Facebook and MySpace where you simply fill in 25 random facts about yourself. It works really well for me because I can be a really random person at times. So, I thought I would throw 25 random things about me up here, in case anyone actually reads this blog! :-) Here goes...

1. I have been dying to try that new Cherry Dr. Pepper.


2. Speaking of Dr. Pepper, when I was in high school, my staple snack foods were Dr. Pepper and Cool Ranch Doritos. What a combo!


3. I love color.


4. I love board games and card games. Scrabble is one of my favorites.


5. I love cupcakes! I don't know what it is about them, but I love the cute little pieces of cake, and my favorite thing about them is that they are so versatile as desserts.


6. Leading in from #5, I love to bake. Cookies, brownies, cupcakes, mini-cheesecakes, chocolate candy.... and the best part is that I usually will give it away! I don't like to keep it all to myself.


7. I enjoy long walks and hiking.


8. I can't WAIT for summer!!!! Well, I should clarify... I can't WAIT for WARMER WEATHER!!


9. I confess that I'm not as inclined to use sunscreen when I'm outside when we actually have sun; it's that crazy idea that I want to soak up all the sun that I can when I have the chance! Luckily, I don't do it very often...


10. I want to own my own business one day.


11. I want to have my own nonprofit one day.


12. I have a personal shopper.


13. I love my job.


14. I wish I was more connected to a certain church in the area.


15. I love this place in life where I am able to reconnect with old friends and contacts. The past two weeks have given me the opportunity to do just that, and it's been so fun!


16. I am considering jumping on the Twitter bandwagon...


17. I love Tinker Bell. I have a small collection of figurines and other stuff for when I have a daughter some day.


18. I'm a huge fan of Redbox. It's a movie rental service available from kiosks at local stores. If you haven't tried it out, you should!! It's only $1 per movie per night. Bye-bye Blockbuster and Hollywood Video! I'm totally over paying more than I should for a movie.


19. One of these days, I will travel the country and world.... one of these days....


20. I love Canada! The country, the people, and the culture.


21. I've made a lot of mistakes in my life, but I hope I've learned from them.


22. I have a Type A personality... which sometimes annoys me.


23. My favorite feature about myself is my eyes.


24. I love the Spanish language.


25. My dream is to one-day have a hand in organizing the Olympic Games!

There you have it! If you have comments, feel free to post them. I'm curious to get feedback! :-)

Confessions of a Shopaholic

Yesterday I made myself take a mandatory break from work, so I went to see this movie with my best friend. I really liked the movie, and I was surprised that it was more of a reality check than a simple chick flick (chick flick with a social conscience?). If you haven't seen it, I recommend it, especially if you're [ahem] a shopaholic!

Mermaids of the Lake

Mermaids of the Lake is an online publication geared towards women based out of Liberty Lake, WA (just east of Spokane). They also have a blog, here, that is fun and whimsical. I like the "Mermaids" concept for a few reasons:

1. Going green. I can check for new stuff online when I want without having to stack up a bunch of paper magazines that wait around until I can get to them.

2. Creativity! You'll see they incorporate the mermaid/sea theme throughout the publication.

3. It's personal. The personality of the three mermaids (publishers) comes through the writing and features, especially on the Mermaids blog.

4. It's not just an eastern Washington thing. Readers from all over the country are fans of Mermaids of the Lake.

Go... swim fast... and check them out. Discover your inner Mermaid!! :-)

Sunday

After seeing blue sky and sunshine yesterday (with a high of 45 degrees!), it's rather depressing to see this today:


BUT, that's okay, because I was in the mood to make some yummy HOMEMADE chicken noodle soup!! I've loved this soup since I was a kid, and I haven't tasted one that tastes better than the homemade version. So, I thought I would share the finished product with you:

If you want the recipe, too bad! ;-) I don't have one (seriously). I just make it up each time I make it... a little of this, a little of that... I will give you a free tip, though. Use the packaged frozen noodles in your grocer's freezer section. They're usually by the frozen bread dough and rolls. I prefer thick noodles, so this is my chicken noodle soup must-have ingredient! Well, that AND the chicken...

Mikey

I am organizing photos on the computer, and I came across some that I thought I would share. These are some photos of my crazy cat. And I am not exaggerating about the crazy part. He's one part charming, one part crazy and one part devil. At any rate, enjoy! :-)

His "ta-da" moment after unraveling a WHOLE skien of yarn...

The mouse cornered him into a box... also known as Mikey's second home... and alternative chew toy.

Peacefully sleeping next to Ally Bell, the pretty princess. Sometimes he can be lover... when he's not a fighter...

Kitty yoga... or post-nap stretch.

Long time, no post!

Well, it has been a while since I've posted. Sorry about the delay, but life (work) has been busy!

As far as work goes, I am currently working on three events simultaneously. I've found myself putting in more than my usual work hours these past few weeks, but that's what happens when you get close to your event dates! The ironic part is that I have many vacation days (yes, above and beyond my fantastic winter break) that I need to squeeze in around those events. This has been a tough year so far. Our special events account for about one-fourth of our annual budget; that means we're looking at several hundred thousand dollars. The current state of the economy hasn't exactly helped us out with securing event sponsorships and donations. But, we are plugging away, so hopefully we'll be close to our goal!

[On a random side note, there's a Sprint commercial on TV right now. I LOVE their commercials about different groups of people running the world with their direct connect phones. This one happens to be a delivery company running a school.... awesome!]

As some of you may know, I've been trying to start a scrapbooking business with my best friend. We've had several opportunities come open for us, but all the details have never really clicked together well enough to allow us to move forward with opening our own store. We had another opportunity come up this past week to display our products in a local store. After providing the owners with product samples, they decided not to give us the space. I'm not sure what the "real" reason for their decision is, but one of the owners told us that they decided not to rent out the space after all. However, another owner mentioned that they were considering some other people as well, so I don't know if they ended up picking someone else over us. It's another disappointment for us, but it just makes me want to work harder to make it happen. We have a blog for our company. Visit it at www.embellishessentials.blogspot.com.

I started a second blog that focuses on entertaining. You can check it out at www.creativeentertaining.blogspot.com. I try to update it about once a week with ideas for your own social events and holiday celebrations. Please leave comments, and if you have ideas to share, I would love to hear them too! I would also love it if you became a follower of one or all of the blogs I'm working on. It's nice to know that people are interested!

That's all I've got for this time. I'll post again soon.

Happy New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I love celebrating the new year because however the prior year's experiences have been, there's an opportunity to refresh and aim high again.

My resolution for 2009 is to take better care of myself. That includes the following goals:

1. Develop a better relationship with God.

2. Develop better relationships with friends and family.

3. Exercise at least 3 times a week.

4. Eat smaller portions.

5. Get more sleep!

6. Find new hobbies.

7. Enjoy the outdoors.

8. Go camping.

9. Less shopping...

10. Live, Laugh, and Love!

May your 2009 be one filled with the important things in life: family, friends, love, health, and happiness!