Shop 'til you drop your DSL connection ~

I love talking to people, I love watching people, I love being around people…but not at "The Mall." I mean, when did this happen to me? How could this have happened to me? I was your typical girl that loved going to the mall to shop for whatever was needed and not needed.

Around 14 or 15, my friend Scarlet and I were mall rats. Every Saturday we were dropped off at 10:30am and picked up at 4:00pm. Buying cute matching solid t-shirts and standing in what seemed like a forever long line to get an "iron on" of Blondie wasn't even an inconvenience. We especially loved running into friends from school chit-chatting and trying different foods at the Harvest House restaurant was always a treat.

Fast forward 25 years, a marriage and 2 kids….I now dread shopping! I avoid the stores like the plague. Window shopping, sampling perfume and trying on different shoes are now a thing of the past. I have analyzed myself, along with my husband's 2 cents and it all comes down to "patients"..lack of patients. I have very little and pray for that daily.

I have easily resolved my shopping issue…I do as the “techie’s” do. I shop on-line. Yes, I am an online shopper. Not that there aren’t any negatives about online shopping, but I’m just sticking to the positives. Here are my top Top 10:

No lines, pushing or shoving – It’s just to hot in Miami to deal with that.

No public bathrooms. - It seems every time I shop with my kids, I hear, “I have to go to the bathroom.”

I can work and watch TV while I shop. - Throw in some sushi and a diet coke and I’m having a really good time.

No rushing around to finish shopping before the mall closes. - This is 24/7!

Safety First - Less of a chance that my kids will be abducted while trying to pay.

Your hair will always look great! - Walking out in the parking lot during bad weather just won’t happen.

Every store around the world is in my house. - Tiffany’s to Target & Amazon.com

Any attire allowed! – PJs, bra/panties, your husband’s t-shirt…anything goes!

In and out of stores in a click. Absolute efficiency. Can you see me smiling?

No heavy lifting involved - The UPS guy has to deal with bringing all the packages to your door.

Advance sale notification, promotion codes and free shipping just add to this convenient experience.

Grocery stores are the exception and I try to go before work or during my lunch hour to avoid the crowds. Seriously, I actually go to the mall about twice a month and spend about 1 hour there. Now that Fall is here and my bosses are out of town today, I better start making my list. Shhh….don’t tell them, but I’m sure "John" will make note of it.

Be Blessed!
God IS Good!

Uh...hello? ~

I am going out of my mind today….and for a really shallow and dumb reason…I’m even upset with myself for being upset. Alright, here it is: I don’t have my cell phone with me. Pathetic, right?...Why am I so depended on that darn thing? Well, maybe it’s because - I figure that today of all days will probably be the day that I’ll really need my phone. What about that important call I’ll miss?…that text message that needs an answer ASAP?...a flat tire? a car accident?...or even an emergency call from the school!

Late Saturday evening, my 5 yr old asked if he could play a game on it. Then about 15 minutes later, my 7yr old told me that he wanted a turn. I asked my little one to please share with his brother…he said “I’m not sharing, and if he wants a turn he’s going to have to find the phone, because I forgot where I put it.” I asked again semi-smiling, “Where is Mommy’s phone?” He just shrugged and told me that he hid it in so many places that now, he can’t remember where. (Lovely!) We’ve searched everywhere and nothing, but of course it doesn’t help that I had the phone on vibrate and by now the battery is dead.

Growing up my parents didn’t have cell phones - everything ran smoothly. I didn’t have a cell phone is high school - my friends and I didn’t have any difficulties communicating with each other. This society loves electronics and technology, but this is crazy: The other day when picking my son up from school, I saw some of the children in his second grade class that had iphones. What?...for what?

As for myself, I’m hanging in there…it’s been now 5 long hours, but I did send out a blast email to all those that I have daily contact with and see if they’d throw me a pity-party for not having a phone today. Tonight is family night…so instead of playing Chutes and Ladders we will be playing “Whoever finds the BlackjackII is the winner!” I’m just really hoping he didn’t flush it down the toilet. :)

God is GOOD! All of the time!

Questions, anyone? ~

I sat in the conference room yesterday for several hours. It was the intro to our “Fourth Quarter All Employee Meeting”. Since I assist the President, I prepared the agenda and knew what topics were being covered. I found myself zoning in and out at times. I doodled on my pad, made a mental to-do list on stuff I had to finish at work, home and for the weekend.

It amazes me that everybody has something to say - something to comment on – something to complain about prior to an employee meeting, but when that infamous closing statement from the President of the company: “Does anyone have any questions, comments or concerns that I can address?” There is silence….15 seconds of silence. This is actually my favorite part of the meeting, when I wait to see what questions are asked. Then that’s it! Your train has passed, you had your moment to speak up and ask that question, but you didn’t…oh well, maybe next time, which is next quarter, which is next year.

It’s obvious that during employee meetings no one wants to ask that “silly” question and fears looking stupid or feeling embarrassed in front of others, but chances are that someone else is curious about the same thing. If the shoe were on the other foot, you probably wouldn't make fun of someone else for asking questions, well at least not at that moment.

Do not be afraid to ask dumb questions. They are easier to handle than dumb mistakes.


God is Good!

Smelling memories ~

I made a big pot of spaghetti/meat sauce yesterday and an hour later the whole house smelled like garlic and tomato. Mmmmm! I love it when I walk into an Italian restaurant…because of the smell. If it smells like Mrs. Balsamos’s (our 80 yr old Italian neighbor in Rochester) kitchen, I am transported back to when I was 4 or 5.

It’s incredible how smells can take you back in time. It’s not just food smells that put me into a time capsule…it’s also the smell of incense/candles at church. There is just something really holy about that smell and immediately it transports me back to my catholic elementary school days. The perfume “Loves Baby Soft” or “Sweet Honesty” is sooo junior high! My 13 yr old niece had those 2 bottles on her dresser and I couldn’t hold back…I had to take a sniff, then I dabbed some on my wrist just to remember the “good ‘ol days”.

If you haven’t seen the movie French Kiss with Meg Ryan & Kevin Kline…you must rent it. It’s a fun romantic comedy. There is a sweet and sexy scene where he takes her to his bedroom where he grew up. He shows her a project that he did when he was a kid regarding wine that his family made at their vineyard consisting of herbs and flowers. It was so great when she took a sniff and knew what it was...THEN she drinks the wine and says she tastes the CURRANT. Very cool!!!

Some of what I love to smell now:- the sea-salt air at the beach, freshly cut grass, my kids laundered clothes, the smell of freshly brewed coffee, baked bread, hot apple & pumpkin pie. Speaking of pumpkin pie…today is the first day of Fall. I can’t wait to start planning my Thanksgiving dinner menu…now that’s a great smell!

God is Good!

Just say "No" ~

I’m blessed, but so busy! My job is demanding, I try to stay in shape, have wonderful friends, maintain a organized home with my husband/2 boys, and volunteer for causes I support, but in trying to do all this – at times simultaneously – I often have even less time for myself.

Joe (my husband) and I were talking about this last night during our “coffee talk”. The boys go to bed around 7:45pm and he gets the coffee going, I’ve got the mugs in hand, we get comfy on the couch and just talk. I rambled on about how the week has flown by and how booked our weekend was going to be with 2 kiddie birthday parties on Saturday, a housewarming brunch on Sunday and of course Church. Compassionately he said, “You just have to learn to say one simple word: “No….flat-out, No.” What?...me say “No?”

Joe is right it does add unnecessary stress, but anyone that knows me knows that it’s very difficult for me to say “No”…I mean, it's easier said than done, right? On those rare occasions that I do say “No”, which I hate because it makes feel so guilty. I find myself needing to give a lengthy explanation on why I’m saying “No.”

I promised Joe that I would work on this and make it my 2009 New Year’s Resolution. As for now, I’ll just go with the flow, multitasking as usual until 2009 and remind myself that the Lord does not give me more than I can handle.

God is SO Good…all of the time!

All things eventually pass ~

My beautiful new water feature at work is making me feel a little philosophical. Today I’m stuck in a rut. I've got the routine thing going on, problems and deadlines. During a coffee break one of my co-workers was talking about the “seasons" in life, kind of like she had to “add” a little spice here and there, but I’m not going “there”…remember now, I’m feeling philosophical. ;)

To me, “seasons" in life refers to an idea that nothing in life lasts forever, and with time, all things change. It’s a shame that this also applies to the good times as well, like when you’re going on vacation and getting away from it all or you’ve gotten that unexpected promotion.

When I was about 21, my father told me that no one in this world is completely happy, but that there are only moments of happiness. I think of those words often.

I guess the sweet, sour, bitter and pungent must all be tasted, so I’ll reflect on the sweet times and minimize the sour ones. I hate those sour ones, but it’s not a biggie…I know it’ll pass.

God is Good

Chinese water torture? ~

Okay, today I’m annoyed. I work with the guy named John who, for most part is quiet but oh-my-gosh…so nose-eee! He’s worked here for 8 yrs and I’ve worked with him for 5. He sits in a workstation about 30 ft away from my office, which is next to my boss's office.

This morning, he couldn’t wait to open the Corporate Calendar and see who’s out of the office to make his usual daily comments on “why is so and so on vacation again”, “why is so and so traveling again”…”isn’t it funny that so and so is out sick again”?

Our office carries voices, so you can imagine…John is in heaven because he can hear it all! Because I’ve had it with his nose-ee-ness and Because I’d like to have some privacy…last week I made a suggestion during a marketing meeting I had with my boss that we should get one of those relaxing, spa-like 10ft water fountains with river rocks to place between his office and mine. I told him why we should spend the money on this and he commented that it was a pathetic reason, but agreed that it was a good idea and could possibly work in muffling our phone and meeting conversations.

The fountain arrived early this morning and it is beautiful! The sound of rambling water is so relaxing and it really looks nice where I had the installers place it. My boss loves it and told me we should get another one for the other side of the office.

After lunch, John approached me with a grunt. (I've never seen him do that and it was really weird) “Why did you just grunt at me??” I asked. He said “Not at you, at that stupid fountain…geez it’s like some bad *ss Chinese water torture!” What??...Is he kidding me?? This is like working at a spa? I have received compliments on top of compliments on how great and relaxing our office feels.

After 5 years of working with him these are the little things that I know:

41
Looks like a younger nerdy version of Larry Bird
Irish- Catholic
Originally from Cleveland, OH
Never married
Sits in the parking lot at 7:00am until the office opens at 8:00am
Never eats lunch
Has 1 sister that’s married
Moved out of his parents house last year
Extremely intelligent – Like the “NASA” type
Loves Coffee, watching “House” and “Weather Channel”

If there are any takers, I’d be happy to introduce you! ;) He might just need companionship and therefore, would have a life.

He was really and truly upset over the fountain. I couldn’t believe it! Very professionally, I express my relaxed “new” self with an apology and told him he’d just have to get use to. Misery LOVES company, so as I write this, he is taking a poll to see if anyone else agrees with him. Of course he’s upset…now he can’t hear what is going on in the office and can’t hear what others are talking about! Uugghh!!! I wish I had the guts to tell him “Dude, if it doesn’t’ effect your job or your productivity, then you really shouldn’t spend all day looking into what others are doing…obviously you don’t have enough to do if you are so consumed with being so freakin’ nosey!” BUT, then the Christian in me comes out and I realize that wouldn’t be very kind for me to say, so I just reserve it.

Whenever I see John, it's like he has a sign over his head with the second commandment written all over ~ 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' I guess it's the only positive thing that I see when I run into him and it's a good daily reminder.

Let's look at who Jesus says our neighbor is: You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. (Matthew 5:43)

Okay…I’ve ranted and raved so I’ll pray for John.

God is Good!

Mistaken Identity ~

During my lunch hour, I decide to go to the market to pick up some stuff for dinner. I was in the pasta isle and heard a woman’s voice calling out the name Sylvia. Then I heard it again, a couple more times “Sylvia…Syyyllllvvviiiaaa” She got my attention, so I turned to look at her. This nicely dressed woman, who most likely works in the area approached me with a handful of cereal boxes. She began placing the cereal in my shopping cart while telling me they were on promotion “buy on get one free”. I was stunned and looked around thinking she was confused, but there was no one else nearby. I said to her smiling with an apologetic tone “I’m sorry…. I’m not Sylvia”. She looked me straight in the face and said “Oh my Gosh…you’re a twin! Do you have a sister?” I replied “Yes, but her name isn’t Sylvia” She told me Sylvia was a coworker that accompanied her and was somewhere in the store. She insisted that I didn’t move because we had to meet. I became curious myself and wanted to see her.

This woman pulled the cell phone out of her bag and dialed her number, but didn’t get an answer. Just then her phone rang and it was Sylvia. Apparently, Sylvia walked out of the market and back to the office to get her phone & wallet that she had left behind. Disappointed, the woman asked if she could take my picture with her camera phone. I didn’t see any harm, so I stood there holding on to my cart. As she saw my image on the screen she said “Amazing, the two of you are even dressed the same …a white blouse with black/white plaid pants!”

She apologized for the mix-up and thanked me for being kind. As I walked back to work, I thought “Okay, I’ve made this lady’s day, but how is it possible for two people who are not genetically related to look so much alike that they are mistaken by someone else?” Incredible!

God is Good!

"It has to run its course" ~

Oh,....... how those 6 words make me go nuts! When I was growing up Pediatrician were different…they did it all! In the Dr.’s office, they drew blood/urine, burned off warts, swabbed for strep, stitched you up and even took x-rays.

Now-a-days it just seems like pediatricians are only there for shots and prescriptions. Even the yearly physical exams aren’t as detailed as they were back then. And it’s not only my pediatrician, I speak with lots of other moms that have different doctors and they say the same thing.

I brought my 5 yr old, who has had a sore throat for the past 3 days to his pediatrician today. “It’s a virus, it has to run its course”...uugghhh, those 6 words! How does he know it’s viral if he can’t draw blood or swab his throat? Then comes “Antibiotics won’t help if it’s viral”. (Like I didn’t know that) :(

So, I took him to Urgent Care just to have these 2 simple things tested: blood and a throat swab. My mommy instincts kicked in and I needed piece of mind. The doctors examined him and decide just to swab his throat. In about 30 minutes the results came back…he has a bacterial throat infection. With ½ of a day wasted, $150 later and a prescription in my hand, I’m confident that by Sunday he’ll be feeling better.

I am too blessed to be stressed! God is Good!

Remembering where we were ~

My thoughts and prayers are with all those that were affected in any way by the horrific terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001. I believe that every single one of us can remember where we were when this happened.

I was at work, doing my usual morning thing. My boss, the COO of the company was in the boardroom in a meeting with several others that flew in the night before from different parts of the county.

My direct line rang and it was my husband. I remember his words, his tone was different and he sounded anxious. “Honey, did you hear… did you hear what happened?” “No, what?...what’s the matter…what happened?” I asked. With that tone and not knowing what he was going to tell me, I felt my heart beginning to race. “A plane just hit the World Trade Center!... put the TV on!”

I was sure that those men in the boardroom had no idea of what was happening, they were way deep in charts, graphs and discussions. I was debating - Should I interrupt? Should I just wait until they adjourned for a mid-morning break? I made an executive decision to interrupt and tell them. I lightly knocked and opened the door at the same time. They all stopped, turned around and looked at me…“Excuse me, I’m sorry to bother you, but I just heard that a plane hit the WTC and it’s on TV”.

I recall the tall, rail thin, Woody Allen looking man standing in front of the whiteboard with a marker in each hand…he said in a sarcastic voice, as to embarrass me for interrupting his moment “That’s impossible, my office is in Manhattan and I would have heard something…someone would have paged or phoned me on my cell”. My boss replied, “This room has terrible cell phone reception, everyone let’s have a seat…Brooke, please flip open the wall panels and turn the TV on”. I grabbed the remote and turned it on. There was silence as we listened to the news.

One of the attendees from LA seated in the back shook his head and said “It’s a clear day, how could this have happened?” Not 10 minutes had passed and we all saw the 2nd plane hit the other tower. We knew this wasn’t a coincidence, we were being attacked. Others in the office that were walking by heard the news and went to their computer.

Our office phones were ringing off the hook and my direct line, along with my cell phone rang simultaneously. It was my son’s school (he was 11 months old at the time). The director explained that for security purposes they would be closing and that I had to pick him up. It was a little after 12:15pm as I drove out of the parking garage. I noticed a lot of businesses/restaurants where closing, children were being rushed home and panic was all around. There were even newspaper guys standing in major intersection selling the evening edition of the Miami Herald and it wasn’t even 2:30pm.

As I drove home on automatic pilot, I could not believe what had just happened. I glanced at my rear view mirror, I saw my son smiling, carefree and playing with a book. I remember thinking to myself that this event was going to make history and in the future he’d probably have to do a project or write a report about this catastrophe that will never be forgotten. I have a storage bin that holds newspapers of that tragic day. One day my boys may want to read the same headlines as I did.

Ephesians 4:31-32, "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."

This is easier said than done and is where the rubber hits the road, but we can find strength in those words.

God is Good!

1983 and Scarlet ~

Life was great in 1983! High school was about to start and I was becoming a senior. I loved Madonna…Michael Jackson was at his peak…Tina Turner’s “What’s Love got to do with it” was one of my favorite tunes…I had a boyfriend that was a “baseball jock” in high school, had a cool car and was part of the Rochester Americans (Amerks) Hockey Team - farm team of the Buffalo Sabers. I think my biggest dilemma was “What was I going to wear tomorrow”?

I didn't have a driver’s license, but I considered myself an “experienced” driver...after all, I did have a learner’s permit for one whole year. I decided to take on the road with Scarlet as my co-pilot. We were about 1 month into school and spoke the night before. We planned that I would pick her up in my boyfriend’s car and she could attend my school (Scarlet’s school was about 5 miles away from mine) and come as “My cousin that’s visiting from Buffalo”. We did just that! Oh what fun we had…pulling the wool over everyone’s eyes. The senior guys would say.” Hey, Brook-ee…who’s you’re friend”? I’d grin and walk away with Scarlet saying…”She’s not my friend, she’s my cousin from Buff-a-lo”

Looking back, my stomach turns with the thought that I drove without a license, could have crashed a car that wasn’t mine, and risked our lives. God and all of the guardian angels were with us. Incredible!

To this day, our parents don’t even have a clue that this happened, but I can say with certainty, and rightfully so, we’d be dead meat! After so many years, our mom’s probably would get the “Chancletas” (Flip-Flops) and let us have it. For some reason, chancletas that belong to Latin mothers have some type of remote control…even if you run around the corner, the flip-flop will end up getting you.

Scarlet and I agreed that we wouldn’t do that anymore, well at least for another 3 months. Yes, there are more shenanigans! Oh my gosh…our parent’s would have killed us!

God is Good!!

got faith? ~

Five months ago I was asked to speak to a group of woman between the ages of 19 and 65. These ladies were attending a woman’s Christian retreat called “Emmaus” (pronounced: e-may-us).

The Walk to Emmaus gets its name from the story in Luke 24:13-35

Luke tells the story of that first Easter afternoon when the risen Christ appeared to the two disciples who were walking together along the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus. Like Christians who are blinded by preoccupation with their own immediate difficulties, these two disciples' sadness and hopelessness seemed to prevent them from seeing God's redemptive purpose in things that had happened.

And yet, the risen Christ "came near and went with them," opening the disciples' eyes to his presence and lighting the fire of God's love in their hearts. As they walked to Emmaus, Jesus explained to them the meaning of all the scriptures concerning himself.

When they arrived in Emmaus, Jesus "took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them," and their eyes were opened. They recognized him as Jesus, the risen Lord, and they remembered how their hearts had burned within them as they talked with him on the road.

Within the hour, the two disciples left Emmaus and returned immediately to their friends in Jerusalem. As they told stories about their encounters with the Lord, Jesus visited them again with a fresh awareness of his living presence.

My talk went something like this:
I was born with the “worry” gene and without patients. I worried about everything and anything, however my only sister that is four years younger is totally the opposite…there isn’t a worry gene in her and she has the patients, as I call it “ketchup out of the bottle” patients. She can just sit there holding the bottle upside down and wait for some ketchup to spill out. Not me…I have to dig into that bottle with a knife…I have no patients.

In October ’07, I arrived at this retreat in the same condition… with worry, lack of patients and subconsciously my faith was weak. I always said that I had faith and believed that I had faith, but didn’t realize that I wasn’t feeling the faith. This retreat opened my eyes and changed me.

Taking the walk to Emmaus made me realize that I didn’t have any real situations and that I constantly worried about nothing. God does not want us to waste our time being anxious because it is a distraction. Being worried and distracted are not things from God.

So, what was my problem?
Absolutely nothing except for the fact that I was blind.

What I didn't see was how extremely blessed I was with:
-A wonderful husband of 11 years who is kind, considerate, loving and extremely patient -Two beautiful boys
-We both have decent full-time jobs
-My parents are healthy and help me with my children when called upon
-My maternal grandparents that are in their late 80’s are alive and kicking

Looking back, I get upset at myself and even sad thinking about the burden that I was putting on my husband with all this “worry business”, but yet he never said one mean thing or complained.

Where am I now?
This retreat made me realize that the Lord knows what he is doing…"Thy will be done”. Now, how many times have I/we said that in prayer? Was I even paying attention? Well, I do now.

I put 1Peter 5:7 into practice on a regular basis. I give all my, worries, cares and fears to the Lord. By doing this, I have freed myself from that distraction. I’d like to say that I’m 100% worry free, but I still get concerned, so I put it all in prayer.

I have conversations with the Lord, thank him for all that he has blessed us with and ask for wisdom and discernment. He is the first thing that I think about when I open my eyes and the last before I close them.

I pray more. My husband and I pray together. Along with my children, this is so important to us and for our spiritual foundation.

I enjoy serving those who are less fortunate, after my first priority…serving my family. The rewards are great!

God is SO Good!

If I had one extra hour ~

I want to say I'd do something productive like clean out that kitchen drawer. That drawer haunts me! It has everything you could possibly need in it, because everything that's small and doesn't have a home gets tossed in there. I hope there are others out there that have this same type of issue.

If I were back in the early 70's, I'd love to dump all that crap into a purse and sit in the "Let's Make A Deal" audience. I'd wait for the game show host, Monty Hall to walk through the isles and enthusiastically say in that game show host voice "For our next contestant, I'm looking for a person that has a hideous blue rubber jar opener that's shaped like a sunflower!" I could just pull it out and wave it in the air!

So, getting back to "If I had one extra hour"...I'd probably just sit outside with 70 SPF and do nothing. Sometimes, nothing is a good thing...it's when I get my best ideas and can just recharge my batteries. As for batteries, we need to stock up on a couple along with water and other goodies as we get ready for Ike. The rule is: Prepare for the Worst and pray for the best!

God is Good!

The Dr. and some Good Times ~

The Consultation:
As I sat on the examination chair the Dr. walked in and asked “What brings you in today”? I pulled out my notes, a folded piece of paper that I had tucked under my leg. I wanted to make sure not to forget a thing. The Dr. flipped a switch and this super fluorescent light was now directed towards me. She walked around the chair, looking at my face lifting my chin with her index finger. I began telling her my “wish” list:

-I’m looking for a procedure that will change the texture of my skin.
-Buff away some minor skin discolorations that only make up can cover-up.
-I would like a bright, fresh, smoother complexion with a little skin tightening.
-I don’t want to be a slave to expensively prescribed “at home” night and day regimens that
promise you’ll see some results in 6 to 8 months, which the fine print reads “results not
typical.”
-I don’t want to be injected with anything.

Okay, I think the only thing missing on my list was “A Partridge in a Pear Tree”. I had my expectations, but who doesn’t? I’ve read so much on noninvasive procedures and different types of lasers like: Fraxel Repair, Active FX and IPL, so I’m thinking “This is what they’ll probably recommend and do”. I was excited as I believed I was the perfect candidate. Well, almost…

The doctor suggested:
STEP 1
- Vibraderm combined with a very mild Lactic Acid Peel - 6 sessions divided up every two
weeks. When all six sessions have been completed it’s time for Step 2.

The doctor explained that Vibradermabrasion Therapies, which is the new way to do microdermabrasion is a fast, comfortable produces with exceptional results. 75-85% of the stratum corneum (top layer) is removed in minutes and prepares the skin for additional procedures such as Lactic Acid Peels. The result: Skin will become soft and smooth with tone and texture improvements after one treatment, but realistically I’d see more of a difference after the 3rd session.

STEP 2
- Active FX with Tightening – 6 sessions
(I’ll get to the description when I get there…If I get there. I might only need to complete Step 1)

Lunch with Scarlet:
What a pleasant surprise to get a call from her at 11:00am. I didn’t even get a chance to say “Hello?”…and she blurted out “I’m OFF Today…let’s do Lunch!” and we did just that! I told her I’d let “her” blog about it. http://scarlet1216.blogspot.com

We had a wonderful lunch at “Origins” (A. Rod’s Thai, Vietnamese and Japanese restaurant) We were up to our shenanigans and of course she had the camera, then she did a video…too much! Good times, like the Ol’ times…

God is good!

It's All in the Face ~

Question: What’s the longest word in the dictionary?
Answer: SMILES… because there’s a MILE between the first “S” and the last “S”

Two weeks ago an 18 yr old bag boy at the grocery store grinned at me and said “Hey, smile…it’s a beautiful day” I thought I was smiling, so I gave him a bigger smile in return as I pushed my cart away.

Last week as I stood in line at the bank, the lady in front of me kept glancing towards the back of the line shaking her head and making eye contact with me. Then she turned around once more and said “Yeah, I’m upset too!…this is ridiculous, we still have two more people in front of us and only one teller open?” (I’m thinking “Okay…I haven’t said a word to this woman and actually I’m not in a rush, so I’m not upset…why would she say this to me?”)

On Labor Day our family went to a great Italian restaurant for an early dinner. We ordered, the kids were well behaved, our food arrived promptly and presented beautifully. When the waiter came to check if we needed anything else, I looked up at him and before I could get a word in, he said with a worried look on his face “Is your food okay?... you don’t look happy with what you ordered, is it all right?.” I shook my head in disbelief and with a smile, nodded and told him that it was delicious.

Yesterday a co-worker came up to me as I was getting coffee and said “Smile!... we have a 4 day work week!” Well, that was it! Why does everyone think I’m upset? I now find myself playing with my face, staring at my complexion from every angle and making conversational gestures in the bathroom mirror, in the rear view mirror and any reflective object that I come across. As I slightly stretched the area between my eyebrows, it was like magic! I didn’t look “mad” anymore! It finally hit me last night…I’m not upset, I need BOTOX!

I really try to take care of my skin and stay out of the sun as much as possible. I love sun block, am a non smoker and go “organic” as much as I can. I tend to be a hypochondriac, so the idea of injecting botulism into my face scares the crap out of me! There has to be another way. I’ll find out soon enough… I have my first consultation tomorrow with a dermatologist.

God is good!

Here’s looking at you, Scarlet!

After many months of entertaining the idea or maybe it’s been longer…like a year, I have decided to start my own “Blog”.

I was introduced to the idea after I read my friend Scarlet’s blog. http://scarlet1216.blogspot.com. Then I began reading others. It was like having my very own collection of different “reality” books. So many subjects and so many interesting topics to choose from, I found myself wanting to start one, but could never get motivated enough to start.

When Scarlet and I would speak on the phone, she’d remind me about “The Blog”…when I’d get an email from her, she’d end it cheering me on to… “Start the Blog”, when I couldn’t get to the phone she’d leave me a voicemail message asking me in a confused tone… “Have you started your blog?” She even blogged about my blog on her blog.

Here is her excerpt:
Brooke, I was hoping you'd read this. :) You and I have so many funny, wild and wonderful stories...I could write a book. You're like the sister I never had. Now get your ass in gear, and start your blog. NOW!!

You get the picture, right? Well, coming from a mom of 2 boys, I’ve realized that just like planning to have a child/children, it’s never the “right time”, but it always seems to work out.

Scarlet and I have been friends since we were 3 years old. We were two Cuban families living next door to each other in upstate NY, which was very rare since the majority were Italian families. I consider her my very dear “Amigita de la infancia” (My little friend since infancy.) We have shared SO much through the years and basically, most of our teen years were spent together and because of that, I know I’ll be writing about those wonderful memories that I’d like to pass on to my children and give them a chance to know what a wonderful, happy and loving childhood I had.

God is good!