I'm So Over You

We hadn’t seen each other for almost three years.  Well, I’d seen you around but would try to maintain my distance for fear of those old feelings coming to the surface - feelings of longing, of comfort, of habit.  We had been together for so long; our last split up was tortuous but made me feel victorious, knowing you would never possess me again.

I was so wrong.  During my last divorce, I ran into you.  As I sat there, weak with drink in hand, you charmingly approached me and we began a casual connection.  After that first visit, I ran into you now and then, normally when I was out for cocktails. Then you decided to visit me at work, where we hung out on break with my co-workers.  You showed up at my home, hanging out on the back porch.  I really wasn’t happy with this arrangement but your smooth charm I couldn’t resist.  I even gave you rides in my car now and then simply because you were there and I thought I needed you.  You were easy.

However, your charming facade was short-lived.  You played with my discipline, toying with me as I waffled between longing for you and eliminating our time together completely.  Your visits soon morphed into raggedy, irritating stops; you didn’t care how you treated me or what you did to my well-being.  You used to be fun but you’ve become dirty, smelly, and downright putrid.

The time has come to kick you out of my life – permanently.  It’s been four days since we’ve last seen each other.  I’ve been on edge and I’ve been cranky.  But this too shall pass; in its place shall be better health and my ability to breathe easier.  You aren’t worth a place in my life and our relationship is over.  You cost me too much money; I’ll begin putting those savings toward a new pair of heels, which will be a much greater boost to my self-esteem than you ever were.

Goodbye to Mr. Nasty Habit!

BOGO for My Drugs?

While picking up my monthly allotment of drugs, my pharmacist and I were trading stories about the price of prescriptions, especially the non-formulary drugs that are only offered via brand name not generic.  He shared with me the Internet Drug Coupons website, which offers coupons on a ton of different drugs.  He even looked up the fomulary drug I had filled in case there was one which could be used (unfortunately not.) 

Got Drugs?

Mt. Hood Picture Extraordinaire!

My brother in law took this picture last weekend....too cool!!!

Shoe of the Week

I love this picture!!  Hailee Steinfeld from True Grit posing in a pile of Miu Miu heels - who wouldn't love that??

Here's a little pair of Christian Louboutins that would be perfect for the holiday season!!

Monday Already??!!!

I Hate Moving!!

This morning I crammed five boys and myself into my little Kia and made our way over to my guy's house to help him fill up the U-Haul.  Thankfully I had wrap-and-box-dish-duty rather than haul-furniture-downstairs-duty!  Every time I opened a cupboard, there were more dishes; thought I was done when I remembered the dishwasher.  Yep, filled to the brim!

The boys made quick work of everything and the U-Haul is now 100%packed.  The goods news was we scored a ton of food for our house from my man's extras; the bad news is Jordan accidentally packed his clothing, which cannot be reached since it is packed in a hidden corner of the truck.  Guess he'll be forced to make a trip to Walmart for some cheap traveling clothes. 

Tonight we'll be celebrating my guy's last night in town with all of his friends and dart buddies.  I think I'll need a nap first to prepare for this evening of bon voyage!!

TGIF and Black Friday!

Well, it's Black Friday today, the shopping mecca for all bargain seekers.  However, I spent this morning sipping my coffee and watching Next Iron Chef on TV.  Awww....saving my money and relaxing at home beats standing in line outside at 3:30 am.

My Diva friends Ashley and Christina began their shopping extravaganza at 10pm with Walmart, scoring televisions, computers, and all other sorts of goodies.  Here is a picture of Diva Christina stretching as she stands in line at Walmart.  You go girls!!!

Christina doin the shopping stretch

Thanksgiving Comes to a Close

The end to a perfect holiday!

Celebrated my Thanksgiving with my two boys and my guy today!  The turkey came out fantastic; both mashed and sweet potatoes were successful; and my homemade gravy was simply divine!  Following dinner I picked the turkey clean for leftovers and am in the process of simmering the remaining meat and bones to make broth for future use.  I just polished off a very small piece of pumpkin pie along with an extremely large pile of sugar-free Redi-Whip....yum!  It's time to sit in the recliner, bloat, and watch a movie!!

Happy Turkey Day Divas!!!

Today being Thanksgiving means we are on the cusp of welcoming in the holiday season for another year.  I'm determined to not worry about what gifts I can afford, how many decorations I can put into place, or if my Christmas cards have been mailed on time.  I'm going to count my blessings and enjoy my family and friends, Black Friday be damned!!!

I hope you have a fabulous Thanksgiving Divas!!!! 

Giving Thanks for Unexpected Blessings

Well, it's a bittersweet week.  Thanksgiving is approaching, which means I'll have a couple of extra days off from work.  However, my guy is moving to Florida this Sunday so we are trying to cram in as much quality time together as we can until we bid adieu.  Life throws different paths in front of us to travel; although we will only see each other for a few more days, I don't regret getting to know such a fabulous, special person.  He's told me numerous stories of a life beyond my own.  He's played his piano and guitar just for me.  He's showered me with roses, dinner, and laughter.  We've only known each other a few months but it seems like forever.  You will be missed, my dear friend, by not only me but all the people you have touched in this community.  But especially me.

The Evolution of Planking

First there was Planking....

Then Owling.....

And now Batmanning!!!

Shoe of the Day!!

I just love the Make Me Chic website!!  It includes a ton of fabulous shoes and accessories at fairly cheap prices $14-$50.)  These are going to be my next purchase once I have a few extra bucks!!!

I also LOVE this ring!!!

Nightclub - It Does a Body Good

Friday was a very busy day....we were shorthanded at work so I spent the day hopping all over the place getting tasks done.  After work I had to commute back to my home locale in order to hit Target for prescriptions, which of course weren't ready.  This meant hanging out at the store waiting, waiting, waiting.  Between this I was juggling text and phone calls between my kids and my guy, who was waiting for me at a local tavern to join him.  After leaving Target, I met up with Jordy to pass on some cash so he and his gal could see a movie.  I booked it home, changed my clothes ala Superman style, wiped the sweat off my brow and rushed on over to meet up with my guy.

Mani with a snowflake!

It was a Long Island Ice Tea kind of night.  Buddies Chari and Mike joined us to paint the town red; I left my car at our first stop and my guy became our designated driver. After our first stop and two Long Islands, we made our way over to a new nightclub named Brunos.  The one problem with this place is there is a local pizza landmark also named Brunos.  We could tell this Brunos was no competition for the landmark; while it was nice inside, it was also dead.  This didn't prevent me from having another loaded ice tea.  We then boogied down the street to the town's only casino, where we passed up the card tables in favor of the nightclub, which was packed. 

Although I professed to my dude that I'm not much of a dancer, when my tank is filled with alcohol, I become Tony Manero from Saturday Night Fever.  I boogied like I hadn't done in years and must admit, it was fun!  No wonder in my twenties I was able to keep weight off due to frantic dancing every weekend - I was a little sweatball after my adventures on the dance floor.  Hit the sack around 2:30 am...it was a long evening but fun. 

The next morning my beau drove me over to pick up my car. He hopped out and as I reached my rig, he gave me $20 to help me out with the mani/pedi I planned to obtain.  So nice, although in my "morning after" getup it was a little awkward being dropped off and being handed cash. 

Later that morning I got my mani/pedi, shopped a little with Jordan, picked out new eyeglasses for son Sam, and picked up a sheer black and gray top from Sears for a steal - $4.50, which I wore that night with my guy to darts.  I also picked up two pairs of clearance heels from Payless during their BOGO sale. 

One of my new BOGO shoes!

Today I spent some quality time with my BFF having a Mexican lunch then hitting the theater to watch Breaking Dawn.  Yes, we are Twilighters and proud of it!!  After the movie, I picked up some groceries at Walmart before arriving home to collapse.  It was a very busy, late night weekend and I'm beginning to feel it, especially when I look at how much laundry needs to be done!!

TGIF!!!!

Just Call Me Possum Anxiety Eyes!

Tuesday was not a good day.  I woke up with puffy, red eyes; my allergies were hitting me like a ton of bricks....or pollen.  Although I was able to keep my contacts in, eye makeup was out of the question!  I had morphed into a beady, ruddy-faced possum with a nasty habit of sneezing along with rampant squirting of vision lubricant into my eyes.  Uck. On top of that I was having a bad hair day, which consisted of hair bundled into a claw-clip.  And what made it worse was that I know people noticed I looked like dog doo doo...they were just too polite to say anything.  Well, in most cases.  The consensus was that I had been crying my eyes out, smoked a doobie in the bathroom, or had started to use red blush for foundation!

Yeah, looking like this!

When I arrived home after work, I loaded up on Benydryl, Tylenol, and popped a Midol just for good measure.  I entered into a drug-induced coma awaiting my resurrection from allergy hell.  I kissed my boys good night and hit the hay.

This morning I awoke refreshed and probably 90% back to normal.  I made my coffee, read my paper, then hopped in the shower.  About 6:30am I went to wake up the boys - Jordan was already up but Sam was no where to be found.  Hmmm...where was that kid?  Not in his room, not on the couch, not in the bathroom.  Jordan didn't know where he was so I ended up calling his phone.  No answer. As I continued to get ready for work, I texted Sam then his friends.  Nobody answered, nobody text back. 

I hit the road to work and all I could think about was Where is Sam?  Okay, I'm a bit prone to anxiety and I have a vivid imagination which means by the time I got to work, I had already begun the mourning process for my son, planned out his funeral (including the Batman coffin), and was ready to write up the life insurance claim form.  I even cried a little as I told all of this to my co-worker. 

Thankfully, one of Sam's buddies text me and told me Sam was in school but his phone was dead.  Sam finally called his mama to let me know that last night he had actually asked me if he could spend the night at his buddy's house and I had approved.  I asked him "was I sleeping?" and he said "yeah, but you woke up when I talked to you.  You said yes, have fun, love you and I left."  I have no recollection of this exchange.  I told Sam in the future, when Mom is in the middle of a Benetylemidol induced coma, it would be best if he left me a note.

Monday and Mother of the Year

I did start off this morning on a good note - I made homemade cinnamon rolls for my boys.  Well, homemade meaning Rhodes frozen rolls thawed out overnight and baked this morning!  Nothing like the smell of warm cinnamon rolls to improve a Monday morning!!!

Have a fabulous week Divas!!!

I Wanna Be a Target Girl

I was strolling through Target the other day and passed by the girl's clothing.  It was fabulous!  Lots of cute pants, tops and hair accessories but unfortunately all were too tiny for me!  I was grabbing pix this morning on the Target website and saw they are also now carrying a Gwen Stefani's Mini Harajuku line!  Some of the pictures below are from that line along with other fashionable items from the girl's section.  Oh to be 10 again!!!

Clogs - The Antichrist of Heels?

As many of you have done, I've often asked my girlfriends for fashion advice and counsel.  How does this look?  Should I wear this shirt and that skirt together?  And what about these shoes?  I have had many a laugh when my girlfriends make comments such as "Girl, those shoes are hideous!" or "Take that off, you look like a troll!!"  So why would a single comment from my man break me down into a blubbering crybaby rolled into the fetal position sucking my thumb?

Whenever I'm meeting my guy, I often spend quite a bit of time trying to figure out "what am I gonna wear?"  I want to impress but look relaxed; I want to wow him but in a subtle way; and I want to fit the occasion.  By in trying to achieve all of these goals, I at times work myself into a sweaty ball of anxiety, changing clothes more than 10 times, which may explain the pile of clothes in my room waiting to be hung. 

Clogs - the Anti Sexy

On Wednesday after work, I was changing into jeans and top to meet my guy for his darts tournament.  I tried on several pairs of jeans but nothing seemed to be working.  On the plus side, I've lost about 25 pounds since my last divorce (yay) but started my period (boo) so I just couldn't find the right jeans to wear.  Finally selecting a pair, I found a shirt then focused on shoes.  Now, my man is fond of heels so I try to accommodate him on most occasions.  You Divas know I own a ton of shoes..and I mean a ton.  So I should have easily been able to find a pair to wear.  Well, in a word, no!!  Black heels and red heels and brown boots and blue shoes...nothing was working.  I finally selected a pair of tan suede clog heels - casual but still in the heel category.

When I arrived to meet my guy, we chatted some before he saw my shoes.  He casually mentioned "clogs...that's not a sexy shoe."  Probably based upon the sweaty fashion show in my room along with my personal PMS, I was bummed.  And of course rather than hearing "not a sexy SHOE" I heard "YOU aren't sexy."  Now, if my diva girlfriends had made this comment, I would have burst into laughter, tossed those shoes in the closet and selected a new pair.  I would never have inferred by their comments that these shoes reflected my own personality or sexiness - they were inanimate objects (and apparently ugly ones at that) which didn't define me.  But when my man said it....yikes, nothing like personally internalizing an offhand comments that simply reflected his own fashion taste.

What is the lesson I learned?  Clothing does not make the man...nor the Diva!  My divaness does not change based upon the occasional poor fashion choice I may make.....I'm still the same inside and my sexiness is not measured upon an external factor.  And I should be able to laugh about my clothing choices with my man the same as I would with my girlfriends.  Bad fashion happens but it does or not define me as a person - just ask Cher, Bai Ling, or Hilary Clinton!!

Of Kitty Hat and Christian Bale

Last night was movie night over at my beau's house and it was my turn to pick out the movie.  I don't own a lot of DVD's - we often purchase movies via On Demand rather than buy DVD's.  I began digging through a storage trunk in my bedroom to see what movie treasures were to be found.  And look what I unearthed:

Isn't this hat cute?  Had forgotten all about it!  Unfortunately, I think it will be right up there with clogs that will fit the "most unsexy" items in the universe, at least according to my man.  Although a Diva can work anything, I lovingly placed my furry kitty hat back into the trunk for safekeeping.
I found a few chick flicks then rustled up additional movies from my boys before heading over to my guy's house.  We ended up watching The Machinist with Christian Bale, aka Batman.   That movie was awesome!!  The most unsettling part was how truly skinny Bale was....a concentration camp victim or professional anorexic.  This only added to the story line of the movie...if you haven't seen it, watch it...good flick.

Machinist vs. Batman

TGIF!!! And Happy Veteran's Day!!

It's Friday!!!  And I took the day off from work to celebrate Veteran's Day properly!!  Okay, not really but once my boss said it was okay to take the day off, I was on it like flies on honey!!!  Looking forward to a night out with my guy tonight in Vancouver, but first I need to clean my room!!  And in clean I mean I need to hang up all of my clean clothes...it's a serious nightmare!!! 

Have a fabulous weekend, Divas!!!

Happy Birthday Jay and Julie!!!

Happy Birthday today to Jay and Julie, the "older" set of twins!!!  Have a divalicious birthday you two!!!!  I love you!!!

It's Only Tuesday? Damn!

Of Guitars, Keyboards, and Laptops

Spent a lovely evening Saturday night celebrating my best friend's birthday along with spending time with my guy.  Sunday found my guy and I cruising to Portland to take a gander at the Guitar Center; my man is musically inclined so he wanted to browse the guitars and other equipment at this store.  I'm very proud of myself because I was very patient during the lengthy amount of time we were there.  He tried out a few guitars then became enraptured with a keyboard that actually records music.  I agreed this would be fabulous to own because he could then record his creativity, give me copies, and I could listen in my car during my commute.  When I say he is talented, this is an understatement; when he plays piano it simply makes me want to cry.  This may be both from his playing skills along with the memories it stirs up about my own mother playing the piano.

Once we were done at the Guitar Center and the car loaded up, we cruised over to Walmart then hit Best Buy.  This became another lengthy process as my man was upgrading his phone and reviewing the Apple products.  He ended up with another haul from there but as a reward for my patience he gifted to me a new laptop computer.  Yowza!!  My current computer is very slow and sounds like an airplane poised to take off.  This new laptop will provide me with portability as well as the ability to type my blog from my bed - how cool is that??

Just a Few More Trick or Treat Pix

Luck Wasn't a Lady Last Night

Yesterday after work I joined up with my partner in crime, Payroll Bobby, and cruised to Lucky Eagle Casino for a bit of gambling.  Several other co-workers met up with us later and we enjoyed the casino environment.  Well, to be truthful, I enjoyed my friends but losing money and soaking up the tremendous amount of cigarette smoke wasn't exactly fulfilling.  I had on my Friday outfit of black pencil skirt, heels, and leopard blouse, which wasn't exactly casino fashion; I should have been wearing gray hair, Grandma sweatshirt, and Easy Spirit walking shoes.  A walker or wig would also have fit in perfectly!

I ordered a red beer (was craving this for some odd reason) and hit the penny slot machines.  Oh yes, no poker or craps tables for this Diva - I roll all out with the pennies!  My guy had sponsored my gambling adventure by giving me $100 in the hope that I would win big.  What a sweetie, although luck was not on my side.  I ended up blowing all of my funds on various penny slots; his dreams of me returning with $50,000 bucks were cruelly dashed on the fact that the house always wins!

Bobby, however, had been blessed by the Gods of Gambling - he ended up coming out of Lucky Eagle $450 richer than when he came in.  Wow!!  He had the Midas touch last night and was on fire, compared to my milk toast temperature.  Last night was simply not my night for gambling but it was a fun night filled with friendship!  Thanks for being my chaperone, Bobby!!!

Happy Birthday Diva Lynn!!!

We met in middle school

With me in overalls and you

in long feathered hair

You taught me about makeup

With you an only child I taught you about siblings

Every time you visited my house

The boys we dated and the drinks we scored

Remember that first bottle of wine

And later slow gin by Pietros?

You got that car so we spent our time

Cruising on Commerce and during breaks

Hitting up Jack in the Box for tacos

Pat Benatar was your music of choice

While I listened to Rush of all things

Along with Barbara Streisand

When high school was finished

You continued working while I went to school

Pursuing our dreams but keeping in touch

We had our tiffs, our blowups and fights

But this never stopped our dedication

To being best friends

As luck would have it you married my brother

At last, not only were you my best friend

But now you were officially my sister

Our boys are only 4 days apart

Divine intervention or God’s will at work

Too much of a coincidence to think otherwise

You’ve listened to me laugh about single life

And comforted me when I cried over

The sadness of divorce

You are the salty and I am the sweet

Chips and dip to my cinnamon rolls

With a shared love of high heels

We’ve been best friends now for 34 years

And I celebrate the anniversary of your birth

Because it was the luckiest day of my life

Enjoy your birthday my kindred spirit

I love you and remember to keep this in mind

We still have two years before we are 50!!

Friday How I Love You!!

I think this Trick or Treater was ready for Friday when she stopped by to get candy.  Look at that face!!  Perhaps I was having a bad hair day??

Of Walmart Crazies and Black High Heels

I was at the Chehalis Walmart after work today and it was a madhouse!  Everybody was checking out the 50% off Halloween goods.  I ended up getting two scary tee shirts for Jordan at $2.75 each along with a fantastic pair of Mary Jane heels for $10.  Aren't they fab?  You never know when a pair of platform stripper shoes may be just the accessory that is required!

Speaking of fabulous high heels, this pair of Vince Camuto has been in several of my recent fashion magazines.  As you know, this Diva simply loves a pair of studded heels and this one is no exception!!

Baby Be Gone

A couple of months ago I started receiving Parents magazine in my mailbox.  WTF??  It was addressed using one of my previous names so it was very strange.  Then I began receiving various baby offers, such as the Gerber Life Insurance mailers.  Hmmmm....I couldn't figure it out.  Today was the last straw when a sample container of Similac formula arrived.  What the hell???!!!  Someone has targeted me as a new mother and I simply won't have it!!! 

Happy 80th Mom!

Happy 80th Birthday Mom!  It's been 15 years since you've been gone but I think of you every day.  When people ask me to describe my mother, a lot of adjectives come to mind:

Beautiful;
Mother of 7, including two sets of twins;
Artistic;
Fabulous singer;
Funny;
Goofy;
Eclectic;
Loved her children equally and without judgment;
Roller-skated to work;
Educated;
Petey the dog and Anatole the cat;
Clutter;
Able to do 1,000 things with a wire hanger;
Potato candy;
Sky diver;
Hair dye;
Grasshoppers and Mickeys beer;
Crazy Christmas tree;
Mandarin orange at the end of my Christmas stocking;
Missed like crazy!

I could go on and on.  Thanks for watching over me - I can still feel your presence and I'm proud to say you were my Mom!!  I love you!!!